Oh my god, marry me Who: Leliana, Natasha What: 'Official' meeting for the celebrity and her new assistant. When: Some evening recently. Where: Natasha's apartment. Ratings/Warnings: PG-13 for butt-staring and wine. Status: Complete.
Natasha lived in an elegant but modest apartment community, nearby to the place that Leliana had decided to live. It was one of the things the younger french woman adored about her, despite the fact that they'd barely had time to make proper introductions during the last few weeks.
Her respect for the woman made her nervous. She desperately wanted to do a good job for her, and make a good impression at this 'official' meeting. So she'd brought along a bottle of wine and some flowers, and a bag of other things that might tempt someone who'd spent several weeks stranded in the mountains.
She knocked on Natasha's door, and fixed her blouse, "Hello? It is me, Leliana."
It took a moment, but Tasha managed to get to the door, unlock it, and open it. She wore a simple, low cut red blouse and tight jeans. Or rather, jeans that had once been tight but were now looser. She was working on filling herself out again, and at least she could move around a bit without getting too exhausted. Maybe flashing a breast to get out of the hospital early hadn't been the best idea, but really, she was just happy to be home.
"Come in. I have the table set with dinner. Take out, unfortunately."
"You know, you do not need to be ashamed that it's take out. I could have cooked you something, too... you've been through quite the ordeal, no? You deserve to be pampered." Leliana said, cheerfully, as she waltzed into the apartment. She shut the door behind her, and slid the various locks into place so that Natasha wouldn't have to.
Then she lifted up the flowers and the wine, as well as showing off the gift bag dangling off her arm, "I have brought some wine to go with our take out, and some flowers which I will put into water for you. I think you will enjoy the things in this bag, as well."
"You're my assistant, not my slave," Natasha said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to make you cook. And I don't deserve to be pampered."
She raised an eyebrow, then nodded her head, "There's a vase in the kitchen, in the cupboard." She took the wine bottle to get it chilled.
"I am your assistant, yes, but I am not above cooking you a nice meal if you need one. It is my job to take care of you, after all. Oh I know, mostly it is managing your schedule and keeping the reporters away from you and things, but I have been trained by the best, and I enjoy my work." Leliana gave Natasha a beaming smile, before heading into the kitchen. She memorized the layout as she looked through various cupboards, retrieving some scissors from a drawer before turning to the sink.
She started snipping the ends of the flowers, then arranging them in the vase, "You do deserve to be pampered. Not because you are a star, but because you are a good person."
This was going to be interesting. Natasha actually found herself blushing. She took the package, putting it down but not peeking inside yet. She wanted to let the surprise wait a bit.
She glanced at her new assistant and watched her as she trimmed the flowers. She'd already made a good impression (certainly better than the impression Tasha was certain she'd made on Leliana anyway).
"Enjoying one's work is key to happiness."
"I am sure that this is true," Leliana agreed, with a nod of her head. She'd decided to wear it up and a bit curly, and the curls bobbed up and down in place as she nodded. The flowers were soon arranged in their vase, and she brought them over to the table.
"There. Now we can not only enjoy dinner and each other's company, but also these pretty flowers. I thought the tiger lillies were a nice choice... I am pleased to see they do not clash with the decore here!"
It was like Leliana's cheerful was set to 'on' and the switch was stuck. Natasha found it refreshing. There were times in one's life when they needed relentlessly chirpy and while it might eventually grow old, right now it was just what she needed.
"Well, I do design my decore around the flowers people bring me," She joked.
Leliana laughed, and then took a seat so that they could get started on dinner before it got cold, "Well, if that is true, then I will be sure to bring in all manner of flowers and we can rearrange your apartment every week, no? That would be quite fun for at least a few days."
"The tabloids will have a field day," Tasha replied, grinning. Of course they always had a field day when it came to her. "I hope you're ready for the scrutiny."
While she ate, she finally looked through the bag.
The bag contained all manner of things that might tempt someone who'd been stuck out in the woods for an extended period of time - a box of godiva chocolates, some at-home spa kits, bath salts, a soothing smelling candle, a few good books she knew Tasha didn't have yet. Other little goodies along those lines.
As for the scrutiny, Leliana waved it off, fork in hand, "They will scrutinize whoever they like, it is part of their entertainment. But I am used to these things, I used to work for an aristocratic family. Ah... you think this is bad. The French gossip worse, I can assure you!"
"Oh my god, marry me," Natasha exclaimed, in delight! The chocolates, books and the bath salts were most appreciated, but the spa kits and the candle would get great use.
"How much worse?"
"I hear that is not legal in this state, and we would only create a sensation if we were to run off to Vegas together, my dear," Leliana joked. She was extremely delighted that Natasha was happy with her gifts, however, and didn't bother hiding it.
After a few forkfuls of food, she chuckled, "Well, that would be gossiping, but let me tell you... Every single soiree, every spring and fall Salon, behind every closed door, even. Always, there was something going on with Lord so and so or Lady this and that. And sometimes, the same rumours, but with different Ladies, or the same Lady, with eighteen different rumours, all of which conflicted!"
"I'll just bet you have some amazing stories to tell," Natasha replied. "Maybe even some of them true?" She pulled the candle out, and sniffed it, letting out a soft groan, "Oh that is divine."
Let Rita spew her filth. Maybe someday someone could peg her with something that would send her to jail!
People the likes of Rita Skeeter would spew all manner of stupid things, and Leliana had long ago decided not to bother paying them any attention, aside from some passing amusement.
"Some of them certainly were true," Leliana admitted, then grinned at Natasha, "I thought you would like that smell. It always reminds me of delicious things, like the madeleines the cooks used to make."
She got lost in the memory of them for a moment, and let out a happy sigh, "They were so divine, and whenever they were fresh I would be called down to the kitchens for a taste test. I miss that life sometimes. But... I have learned to cook my own. That candle is a nice replacement when you want people to think you've been baking. Or, perhaps, when you want to pretend you got to eat them, without worrying about the calories, mm?"
"I do have a figure to watch," She replied. "Even if I am vastly underweight now. At least one tabloid accused me of a crash diet. Unironically!"
The gall of those people still astonished her. She and Sansa could have died, and she felt responsible for it.
"I will bake you some sweets someday. Madeleines, or chocolate chip cookies, or perhaps some coconut macaroons... I enjoy baking, I really don't have enough reasons to make them, you know, and then if you cook them for yourself, you end up eating them all. We can't have that," Leliana joked. She finished the last of her food, and leaned back in her chair.
Her tone turned sincere, "Ah, but you cannot allow yourself to get drawn in by all of that. You know the truth, and that is all that matters, non?"
"You're going to spoil me, Leliana, and make me fat. I wouldn't be able to fit into those tight catsuits!" A little bit of weight gain would be good, though.
"That is what I had to teach myself a long time ago."
Another warm laugh on Leliana's part, and she was shaking her head, "Non, I do not think that I would make you too fat to fit into those delicious catsuits you wear. You are too thin as it is, and a few sweets would do you good. A curvy woman suits that style better, anyway, than some stick figure with breasts. I think, this is why they love you on that show. I know it is why *I* watch it..."
"I need to gain weight, yes," Natasha agreed, cheeks coloring slightly at the description of the catsuits. She wondered if Leliana liked women. Then she berated herself for such unprofessional thoughts. She ought to be finding some handsome man to attach herself to anyway. Keep the Tabloids on their toes.
"You do watch the show?"
"Before you hired me, I had seen it here and there, in glimpses, you know, that kind of thing. I never got the chance to watch it in full. But I have had time to catch up on your work, which I have done, so that I am up to speed on any script needs or other location needs you might have soon," Leliana nodded. She smiled, "I do like the show. Ms. Stark is a good addition to it, I think."
"I agree. I had her read lines to me when I was in the hospital for my leg. She's been wonderful." Natasha seemed pleased that her assistant had caught up on the show.
"What do you think about the writing, disregarding the sex appeal?" She didn't want to be compared to some cheap show like Arrow of Truth.
Ooo, burn.
"I think there are times where it is very obvious that they are doing something a certain way simply because they think it would be sexier, or girlier, and I don't just mean the costumes, there. But several episodes really shine, and I like the characterization. Generally, they let your character be tough but also mysterious, and capable but also female. It is... a fine line, but they manage it well."
Leliana had definitely caught up on the work, which was easy to tell by how animatedly she spoke about the show.
A smile spread across Natasha's face, and she put down her fork to listen to Leliana's description of the writing.
"I'll let you in on a secret. I put my foot down on a lot of the writing shenanigans early, and once they realized it only improved ratings they were happier to listen to me and the rest of the cast. Of course it takes a lot of confidence to wear those outfits.”
"It is good to hear that you do not put up with those things," Leliana agreed. She got up from her chair and cleaned the table of both sets of dishes, then brought them to the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder, "You wear them well!"
"Thank you. It's nice to hear it from someone who's not a perverted fanboy at a convention," She replied, laughing. She started to stop Leliana before she did any dishes but...it was too late.
Eyes firmly planted on the woman's butt, she said, "I need to pay you more."
The woman's laughter rang out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She was rinsing the plates and putting them in the dishwasher, "Well, I would not mind a raise, but allow me to do a bit more to earn it first, yes? I have barely done any work at all!"
The view Natasha had was very nice, though. Leliana had been assured that this was a casual meeting, and had worn a pair of tight jeans along with an elegant top that had ruffles on the sleeves and neck, and woven a colorful scarf through her belt loops. The scarf dangled down the side of her hip, almost daring anyone to follow it down from her waist and then stare at anything in the vicinity.
She hadn't even done that on purpose.
“If this is the kind of work I’ll be expecting ,that raise will come in short order!” Natasha shouted back. She leaned back in her seat. She hadn't thought about being attracted to women until Sansa, and then she thought that might have been just a phase.
Leliana's arse was proving that theory wrong.
"Ah! Well! I will have to be sure not to disappoint you now, won't I?" Leliana called back from the kitchen. She retrieved the wine bottle from the fridge, and opened it, then collected a few glasses and brought them over to the table.
"Have a drink with me? We can toast to our new working relationship, it's supposed to be good luck. We could all use a little extra luck in our lives, no?"
"The amount of luck I have that's not good could fill a small lake," She replied with a laugh. "Yes, let us toast!" She desperately needed the wine anyway.
Leliana poured the wine and held her glass up, "Here's to your career, and me helping it all go smoothly, to new friendships, and luck for all of us."