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]

"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."

[lockestheway]

"Ouch," Peter said.

The elevator doors parted.

"Couldn't have been more fun than my two days playing Petra's star-struck boyfriend," he offered.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie half pulled him into the elevator. But, gently.

"No, it probably wasn't," she agreed. "Probably not comparable experiences, anyway. But less than pleasant in their own ways."

[lockestheway]

"She hates my guts," Peter informed her, punching in the number for their floor.

[whenshewasnice]

"She has a lot of issues."

She wasn't going to argue with his statement directly, no.

[lockestheway]

"I tried to make her dislike me less," Peter said, leaning his head against the wall. "Sometimes it's like you're the only person who likes me who isn't contractually obliged to do it."

... dammit.

[whenshewasnice]

There was not a single surprising thing about that.

"You don't make much of an effort to be likeable, usually," she said, glancing over. "Not when it's personal and not political. And that's mostly not your fault. And she'll either figure that out for herself, or she won't."

She shrugged again.

"If she doesn't, that's her loss."

[lockestheway]

"This stupid truth thing is going to make me say it anyway, so let me be the first to take the initiative," Peter said, "But I love you, Nat, just not in that cloying, showing-up-in-your-little-black-dress kind of way."

Beat.

"Which you already know. Anyway, hey, it's our floor."

[whenshewasnice]

"So it is."

That was the truth, too. And maybe she was holding something of her own back, because she stepped out of the elevator in silence, pulling him along by his arm.

[lockestheway]

After a few paces, Peter took over tugging duties, at least until they reached Natalie's door.

"I'll also be a gentleman and let you open it."

[whenshewasnice]

"Thank you."

It was very nice of him. And she went to do exactly that, too. She'd lived here far too long to waste too much time unlocking her door.

She was an efficient woman, after all.

[lockestheway]

Peter had the decency to only look a little amused by her efficiency.

He leaned against the wall until she was done. Then he followed her in.

[whenshewasnice]

Efficiency got things done faster! By definition!

She was pretty quick to close the door, as well. "Welcome to my not particularly humble abode."

As if he hadn't been here a thousand times before.

[lockestheway]

"I'd gush over the ceiling I'd never seen before, but I can't, because that would be lying," Peter said.

He was going to be efficient by marching into her bedroom and collapsing on the bed immediately.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie was a little slower about that. But only because she needed to change her work-appropriate blouse for a more comfortable t-shirt.

Then she flopped down next to him. "Are we ever going to grow out of being subject to Fandom's whims?"

[lockestheway]

"Probably not," Peter said. "We need a better coping system."

[whenshewasnice]

"Are you trying to suggest there's something wrong with retreating to bed and bitching?"

Because if so, he wasn't wrong.