Natalie's Office, The Hegemony Compound, Brazil, Thursday Morning

[whenshewasnice]

It said some probably positive things about Natalie's character that it took her a while to notice anything was off, simply because... nothing was. Maybe it was because she didn't use very many words to begin with. Easier to stay truthful that way.

Of course, that was until she was on the phone with someone in France. And said something a lot more direct than she'd meant to. She knew herself, so she knew it probably wasn't her level of stress right now. And after apologizing, when she was saying her goodbyes and the other party wished she would have a good rest of the day, and she replied with "I don't know about that, something seems off"? Well, something started to feel way off. Something... Fandom-y.

And she was pretty sure she knew what it was. A simple test was in order. She picked up a red pen off her desk. 'This pen is blue' was a simple phrase, right? Nothing she should struggle with, if things were good and not strange at all.

She went to say it, softly, to herself.

"This pen is red."

Well, shit.

[ooc: NFB, but open for all of the usual stuff! Massive SP warning until my afternoon, but I wanted to get this post up before I head to school.]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

"Unless people ask for clarification."

Which some might.

[lockestheway]

Peter pulled a face. "Better not risk it," he muttered. "Maybe I should just suck it up, talk to mother, and ask her to make up a fake Mormon holiday. Or I can go hide under my bed for a day. I haven't done that in at least six months."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie raised her eyebrows. "I would vote for the hiding if the other option is to talk to Theresa. It doesn't seem like a good time for that."

[lockestheway]

"Fantastic," Peter said. He clapped his hands, then sprung to his feet. "Hiding under my bed it is."

He wasn't kidding.

[whenshewasnice]

She was wondering about that, yes.

"... Are you serious?"

[lockestheway]

"... Yes," Peter said, grudgingly.

[whenshewasnice]

"That's sad, Peter." Thank you, Natalie. "You should at least flop all over my bed like you used to."

[lockestheway]

"If I did that right now, I'd fall asleep there," Peter announced, "and you'd choose that very moment to show up with whoever your latest boytoy is."

[whenshewasnice]

Way to get a heavy sigh and an eyeroll out of her, Peter.

"The word is boyfriend," she drawled, "and I don't currently have one. Even if I did, I would be avoiding him today."

[lockestheway]

"Fine, then I'll go flop on your bed," Peter shot back. "Though I don't think I've slept in there since that time we had sex."

Thank you, Peter.

[whenshewasnice]

"Since the time you became a full-grown person in my eyes?" Natalie retorted. "Doesn't matter. You're welcome to it, although I don't like how this sounds like I'm going to stay behind here."

[lockestheway]

"Fine," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "You want to go back to your place, huddle up on the bed, and pretend like we're either really sick or we've given in to our years of unresolved sexual tension for the day?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Didn't we just establish it was resolved once?"

Force of habit.

"Other than that," she added, getting up from behind her desk, "I thought you'd never ask."

[lockestheway]

"You think anyone in this compound knows we resolved it at some point?" Peter said. He offered her his arm.

[whenshewasnice]

"I overheard some of the interns speculating about it once," she replied as she took his arm. "They had theories. But I doubt anyone knows."

[lockestheway]

"I definitely didn't tell anyone," Peter said, stepping out of her office. "Bragging is so infantile."

[whenshewasnice]

"See, from you it would be bragging," Natalie offered. "From me, it'd be the false confirmation some people would like that I am where I am because I slept with you. So, I haven't told anyone, either."

Well.

"No one here, anyway."

[lockestheway]

"You told somebody?" Peter asked. More curiously than anything else, to be honest.

It was chitchat to fill the time as they headed towards their housing section.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie shrugged a shoulder. "I think I may have mentioned it to Jim at some point," she said. "We used to talk a lot, about a lot of things."

[lockestheway]

"You know, I don't think I even realized that went to past tense," Peter mused.

Of course you didn't, Peter.

[whenshewasnice]

Yes, she was going to roll her eyes at that one. But it was pretty good-natured. Sometimes she counted on him not paying attention.

"Two months ago," she said, glancing... elsewhere. Looking up towards where they were headed. "We're moving on in our lives and we didn't even see each other that much. So I broke it off."

[lockestheway]

"Well, I guess I should let the guards know about that," Peter mused.

He didn't hate Jim nearly as much as he'd hated the one before that, but he wasn't exactly sad to see him go, either.

[whenshewasnice]

"Already done."

Well, to a certain degree. She'd told security not to expect him anymore.

"Although I've already been to Iowa for his birthday since then. Even if that was half a humiliating disaster."

[lockestheway]

"How humiliating?" Peter asked, hammering on the call button for the elevator.

[whenshewasnice]

"Lower than you seeing a playback of my breakup with Sam, but higher than most things." That was the scale she was using, yes. "I wore a little black dress and stripper-heeled boots and felt like an idiot."