Not Just A Rumor! [Natasha/Natsumi]

When Natasha pat her belly, Natsumi mimicked with a toothy smile. The next offer about dessert caught Natsumi by surprise. Her smile faded and her expression became curious. Tilting her head, she thought about what she knew dessert to be. Normally it was vanilla ice cream or this weird apple pastry they threw in the microwave. It was sweet, but it wasn't very good. She preferred the vanilla ice cream, especially if they gave her sprinkles and hot fudge on the top.

"So, do you have the apple thing or the ice cream?" Natsumi asked, "I kind of like them both, but the apple stuff be gettin' gross at times. Kinda slimy, ya know? Ice cream is better, but only if it ain't just goin' in the bowl plain. It gotta have the hot chocolate stuff on it, or maybe sprinkles... I don't get to eat that often at all."

"I was cookin' up a mean plate of soft-bake brownies which mesh heavenly with ice cream. I think what ya' might be referrin' to, though, is apple pie."

Natasha lifted a hand over to ruffle Natsumi's hair as she pointed at the oven. It wasn't typically something she displayed to everyone, but she had a mean sweet tooth. With the flavor of savory food still fresh in their taste buds, the taste of something sweet would bring it all together like a fine masterpiece. A small pinging sound would signal the baking time's end as she rose from the chair to pull the pan of brownies out from the oven.

Setting each of them neatly on the plate, she would open the freezer, pulling the cartoon of vanilla ice cream from the fridge. Preparing everything with deft precision and focus, Natasha would maintain that same bright expression as she presented her plate and bowl before her. Picking up her own, her eyes would cast themselves toward the television.

"Well, you're in luck. You can eat as much ice cream as you want, sweetheart. There's some chocolate syrup in the fridge. I think there might be sprinkles, too, but I'm not sure."

Natsumi's confusion was worn clearly on her face. "brownies" and "pie" were words she had no definition for, even if she might have heard the words in the past, which she wasn't sure she had. Having her hair ruffled pulled her from the confusion and created a warmth Natsumi hadn't felt in a very, very long time. It was almost completely unfamiliar. The ding from the oven caused Natsumi to tense up. She only moved her eyes to watch what Natasha was doing. She was silent as dessert was prepared. The plate set in front of her was surprising, but the brownie smelled good. She decided to try it the way Natasha made it. She cooked so well, why change anything? Natsumi's tastebuds were quickly overwhelmed with the mixture of cold and warm, vanilla and chocolate, familiar and unfamiliar.

"This is amazin'!" Natsumi said, a little louder than she meant to. She didn't care though. She took another bite, then another and another. When it was finally gone, Natsumi slid down in her chair a bit, her stomach pushing out more than it ever had before. She had to enjoy this, otherwise she may never eat delicious food like this again! Unfortunately, now she was stuffed to the brim of possibly throwing up.

"Mmmm," Natsumi groaned, patting her stomach. "I didn't know you could be eatin so much ya body wanna kick it all back out. Gotta be careful, scared to move."

"No kiddin'. That's why I usually make it a habit to pace myself. If I weren't so active in my line of work, I reckon I'd have been' puttin' on a few pounds by now."

Natasha offered a hearty chuckle in response to Natsumi's reaction. It was truly endearing. Did the girl even know what a full meal felt like? Judging by each of her reactions, most signs pointed to an unequivocal doubt regarding the matter. No matter the case, she felt honored to bring a smile to her face, providing some glimpse of light that no one else bothered to.

It was natural, of course, to feel good when you could extend good to others, no? What made it all the better is that she was grateful about the whole process too. That was compensation enough, she reckoned. Taking a moment to let her own belly rest for a moment from the buffet of food and the dessert, Natasha offered a playful tilt of the head as she grinned, pointing at the television.

"You ever watched a movie or played a game before, sweetheart?"

Natsumi's belly appreciated the rest. In those few moments of silence, Natsumi took in more of the pictures that surrounded them. Natasha must have a large family, or a lot of friends. She lowered her gaze, thinking about her own family, if she even had one. She probably didn't, or they didn't want her. Maybe she was grown in a Duvalier lab. Natsumi would likely never know. Natasha pulled Natsumi from her thoughts again, causing the young woman to look toward the TV. She watched things on a television before, but weren't sure if they were real "movies."

"I, uh... I don't know. What is a movie?" Natsumi asked. "I know I don't wanna play no games, not with you at least." That may come off harsh sounding to Natasha, but Natsumi meant nothing bad by it. To her "games" were fighting matches where the loser was beatin' within an inch of their life. She liked Natasha. No "games."

"Bummer, and here I was lookin' to see if I could test my skills in Mario Kart against a worthy opponent. Ah well, maybe another day then. Let's see, what movies do I got around here? Wonderin' what type of genre of movie you'd prefer, little lady."

Natasha rose up from her chair to walk toward the television as she browsed through her library of movies on the television screen. Modern technology made it mighty easy to create a wide-ranging catalogue of films to enjoy at the click of a button. The projection on the screen glowed with a radiant blue light as a miniature avatar with blue hair, guided by her remote, pointed at various genres to pick from. A treasure trove of films to enjoy. Action, romance, horror, the list went on and on. Turning back to her, Natasha felt it best to let the guest decide.

"Since your my special guest, I reckon it's proper etiquette to let you decide on what we'll be watchin'. Whaddya say, Nat?"

Natsumi blinked in confusion. What the hell was a Mario Cart? Before she got the chance to ask, Natasha decided to watch a movie. She followed Natasha's lead, unsure of what "kind" of movie she should like. What kind of movies were there? She watched the television as Natasha moved through a list of movies on screen. The different titles that came on were confusing too. She didn't know the patterns of naming movies, so nothing truly caught her interest. There was some that were dark, bright, had people on them, had weird symbols. What to choose?

"Uh, what's that one?" Natsumi asked after being given permission to pick. The one she pointed at was 'Paranormal Activity.' Once she got the explanation for that one, she pointed at others, going through a plethora of genres and options: Shrek, Mission Impossible, Rapunzel, Halloween, 50 First Dates, and Fast and Furious. She even accidentally pulled Natasha into the series section, pointing at things like Arcane and Game of Thrones. She seemed more interested in learning about the summaries of these movies than the actual movies themselves. "I think... this one." Natsumi made a decision, pointing at something called "Stranger Things," not realizing the difference between a movie and a series, or even a series of movies.

Natasha's gaze swept through the variety of films as Natsumi explored each genre category the animated avatar presented before her. Exploration was an apt term, but Natasha didn't mind browsing with the woman until they chanced upon something entertaining. This seemed to be her first time watching a movie.

Hilariously, her choice wasn't even a movie, but a series. Tilting her head in curiosity, the southern woman shrugged her shoulders with a smile, nodding her head as she prepared a spot for her at the couch. Were it not for the large degree of food she consumed - on top of the dessert - she would have prepared some popcorn and grabbed a few snacks to bring the experience to it's zenith, but since this wasn't a film... she could save that for another time. Reclining on the couch, Natasha gestured for Natsumi to follow suit.

"It's not a movie, but this particular choice is fine by me. Looks good. Let's check it out, and see what ya' think of it, eh?"

Natsumi joined Natasha on the couch, reclining in a way that mimicked Natasha. As the show started, she was quickly entranced. She wasn't sure what she was enjoying about it up until she realized what was going on with a specific girl in the movie. She kept quiet, watching wide-eyed as the story unfolded. Toward the end of the first episode, she leaned forward, even more interested in "Eleven."

"She's me," Natsumi said, looking to Natasha while pointing at the girl on screen. "That's almost like what they did to me. I was stuck in a lab like that, and they made me use my powers too, and they pretended to be nice at times, but they weren't and they chase me now that I got out. Is this something that happens a lot?" Natsumi was now looking at the show like a documentary or something of a true story.

Natasha sat cross-legged as she relaxed against the couch, each episode of the chosen show drawing her interest as the scenes flashed through the scene. It struck her as an amusing supernatural show with elements of mystery. Unlike Natsumi, who approached the show as if it were a documentary, the woman sitting beside her treated the show as it was, filled with characters of varying interest and amusement. There wasn't really anyone who spoke to her offhand. Turning her attention to Natsumi with a curious eyebrow, Natasha paused for a moment to analyze her words. What sort of life had she lived up until then? She didn't suppose a scenario like this was entirely unlikely, but still...

"No, I reckon somethin' like what's goin' on here isn't an everyday occurrence. Then again, we live in realm ripe with spiritual activity... I wouldn't put it past a group of weirdos to start experimentin' and preyin' on vulnerable individuals..."