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Though Natalie knew she couldn't speak on when the lawyer should go home, she was glad to hear she wouldn't keep herself in there much longer. She needed to sleep, eventually. At least she recognized that, and it drew a little laugh out of the trainer as she drew a hand through her hair. It was easier to shift in her seat than try to remain still, given the space left between them.
"As long as you do manage to get some rest." Natalie agreed. In part, it was why she had yet to invite the lawyer back over when she did decide to wrap up. She doubted Teddy would manage to sleep as easily were she to come and stay the night. Though it hardly meant she didn't want to ask. "Eating and sleeping properly make all the difference."
Though Natalie wasn't seeking a compliment, she happily took the one offered of her. It was rare to find someone so accepting of the diet Natalie chose to live by. Teddy was an exception - she was spoiled by her presence from the first night they had met.
Her mouth scrunched to the side as she thought. Really, Natalie hadn't given much consideration into the rest of her night; when plans changed, she had made a game plan up until this point. "I'll probably just settle down with the family and read." Really, that was her go to evening when there wasn't much else to do, and she certainly didn't mind it. "And how long does it look like you'll be staying here? I hope you don't plan to sleep in your office."
She hadn't gotten up yet, but Natalie uncrossed her legs, palms pressing to her legs with the threat of doing so. But surprised colored Teddy's normally collective composure. She couldn't recall a time that the lawyer had cut a sentence in half. What caught her more, though, was the statement she offered. She didn't want her to leave. And really, Natalie didn't want to leave.
Her smile borderlined a grin. It wasn't like Natalie to be smug, but there was satisfaction in hearing those words.
"Then I'm happy to stay." She offered with a tilt of her chin. Because she was happy to do so. "How was it?" She asked then, eyes briefly darting down to the container.
Assuming was dangerous, but Natalie couldn't help the way her mind fled towards the idea of something worse, given the way how Olivia spoke. Had she missed something entirely? And if so, what was it? Moments felt like much longer when she waited for an explanation.
And when it came forth, she realized that she was wrong. Natalie felt herself let go of the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, fingertips grazing across the top of Jodie's head as she kept pace with her.
"Oh." She nodded. "She explained that she was seeing the both of us, yes." That clarification felt necessary. "Am I okay with it?" Her eyebrows lowered, as she tried to gain a perspective she couldn't quite see. It was hard to see where Olivia was coming from. "Yeah. I mean - she's just trying to find happiness like we are, isn't she?"
There was a fine line between ignoring the past and living in it, and it seemed that the lawyer had a similar mindset to herself. The smile Natalie wore grew a little warmer. These days, it was growing harder and harder to focus on the progression of basic human rights, but there was something to be said about the people fighting for them. It was like a beacon of hope.
"You're absolutely right." Natalie agreed, so much that she also offered a nod. Few could look so optimistically outward like that; she was glad in this instance that her counterpart did.
She could just talk with her for days, assuming distraction didn't derail them. And with that came the realization that she was being a distraction. "I'm sorry; I'm keeping you from your work."
Really, Olivia could have gone in any direction with her question. It wasn't necessarily in relation to herself or her connection with the lawyer. That being said, the woman was being incredibly vague. Her eyebrows furrowed as she kept walking forward, down a path that lead towards other buildings.
She knew that Olivia had been concerned with the apparent lack of transparency, but her wording now made her wonder if it was something else entirely. "I'm sorry; am I okay with what?" She couldn't help but to ask for the clarification. Without having the proper subject, she had no way of answering properly.
American politics were so consuming, that Natalie admittedly didn't know much about the country her counterpart was from. At least, from a deep political perspective. The corner of her mouth rose up with a bit of humor, even when it was on a somewhat dark subject. The right to marry was long overdue, but The way Teddy put it was something to be said within itself.
"Lucky us, then."
And there it was, this concept of luck. It was funny how they always circled back to it. "At least there's progress. Even if it is painfully slow. There's comfort in knowing we could be married in the morning if we wanted. Even if it was decades overdue."
At the very least, Teddy sounded like she knew exactly what she was talking about, even in an unfortunate circumstance. Though she had no doubts about the lawyer's skills, there was comfort in her explanation - in a strange way. It didn't sound good, but at least there was someone working on it that was clearly so good at her job.
And the comparison was enough to temporarily distract her. If only for the exact phrasing Teddy opted to use. She definitely had a great point to it, but it forced an image to her head she was all too willing to humor. Stupidly so. "America is certainly behind on the times." And now matters were only made worse with their current political standing. "And England really is in much better standing?"
Once Olivia stepped outside, she allowed her animals to pass the threshold as well before following and closing the door behind her. It only took a few steps to catch up and take the lead again, and as they ventured further from the building, she sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air. Though she didn't mind winter, she was glad to feel the sun on her skin without the need for a heavy jacket.
When her name was offered, a small hum passed her lips, gaze turning towards the shorter woman. Her eyebrows instantly rose at the question. At the name. One that usually brought an instant smile to her features, but in this instance it was lacking. She already had the benefit of knowing Olivia was uncomfortable with the situation the three of them were in, but that hardly prepared her to talk about it.
"Sure." She was never good at saying no. "What about her?"
Details offered gave insight that Natalie hadn't realized she needed. Dark eyes went wide at the explanation that made no real sense from any perspective she could gather. Without realizing it, she was leaning closer with her peaked interest. "That's... so sad." She immediately shook her head, wondering how the law could have remained like this for so long - that was still in existence.
"It must be incredibly frustrating for you." No wonder Teddy had found herself here in the later hours. It sounded like a lose-lose situation, and although her counterpart said she couldn't get into the details, she inched a little closer to the edge of her seat. "Is it possible to make an amendment to the law? Or is it more like finding a loophole?"
Natalie couldn't stop herself from laughing at Olivia's wording. The idea of having to deal with kids sounded almost like a foreign concept. "I love it," she replied. Though it was work, there was immense satisfaction in knowing she was helping her students find themselves at a balance with their abilities.
And with the subject of work, Olivia hadn't sounded quite as enthusiastic. Though she knew so little about legal work, she knew it involved heavy dedication. Busy was part of it all, and that was heightened knowledge over the past few weeks. "She really does work herself to the bone." Natalie joked lightly, treading softly on the subject of their largest connection. "But balance is important, even if your work is busy there's importance in giving yourself time to breathe." Or in this case, visit family.
She opened up the door, extending a long arm and gesturing for Olivia to step out into the sun first. They hadn't even been in the right building.
The smile Teddy wore wasn't lost on Natalie, nor was the fact that she couldn't catch the lawyer's gaze. With a decent amount of distance and a desk between them, Natalie felt the overt urge to move closer; instead, she gripped her hands together tightly. Of all things, she couldn't allow herself to be more of a distraction than she already was with holding a conversation.
Her eyebrows rose at the coincidence of similarity. With completely different styles of jobs, it was humorous how they managed to link. Her head tilted a fraction to the side, genuine curiosity about the matter spoke of. It was details of situations that Natalie hadn't considered the importance of, but once said aloud it made complete sense that they were needed.
"How does that work? Right now, I mean." She personally hadn't ran into an incident where she could actually know. "Is there any special consideration that's taken?"
Natalie didn't want to assume, but it came as no surprise to her to hear that Olivia wasn't powered. It was hard to know everyone in the school, but given their similar age, she was sure she would have seen her around at some point. Still, she smiled. "Hmm, it's been about..." She paused as she counted the years in her mind. "... seven years now." And how that time flew.
It could have easily been awkward between them, but the trainer did her best not to let the idea linger. In part, because it didn't have to be. Just because Teddy was seeing her. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. Has work been going well for you?" The first and last time she had seen the woman, she had been sick. At least now she looked a little better.
As Jodie's head was scratched, the German Shepherd tilted her head up as a sort of thanks, quickly drawing the attention of the smaller dog. Oz's tail wagged quixkoy in excitement as they walked, and Natalie had to let out a little laugh at the way her dogs welcomed the woman.
"It's on the other side of campus, but I can take you there. I have plenty of time." Natalie reassured Olivia with a wave of her hand. "It's nice of you to visit, I bet she appreciates it." She carried a thoughtful pause. "Did you attend Bellefonte?" Had she, it would have likely been when it was still located in Montana.
Cooking was something she heavily enjoyed. Moreso when she had the opportunity to do so for other people. There was no hiding the expression on Teddy's features, and Natalie had to be glad for it. When she started eating, only then did she eventually drag her gaze away from the lawyer, painful as it was to do so.
Her hands rested in her lap as she glanced around the office.
But the moment Teddy spoke again, she couldn't help the way her eyes trailed back to her. "Interesting." She laughed lightly. "I've been working with a student who can turn into a cat, and she doesn't have quite a grip with her feline senses. Today she found a mouse and proceeded with running around the school trying to catch it."
