[From Driven]
...
3rd Person POV:
Tony grunted as the lights came back on in the conference room, the video they had been forced to watch turning off. He sat with his chair tilted back against Ziva's table who was sitting behind him. His table mate, Claire blinked at the change of lighting while her head remained propped up by her elbow.
"From the video presentation we just watched it is pretty clear that sexual harassment can take many forms in the workplace." The woman presenting spoke up, pacing across the front of the room. Claire watched in amusement as Palmer gawked down at the pamphlet sitting at his desk, with an expression of horrified interest.
"A coworker with 'elevator eyes' looking you up and down." The presenter continued. Tony thunked his chair back down and leaned towards Claire.
"Guilty." He muttered with a chuckle. Claire bit her lip in amusement.
"A coworker shows you a cartoon or a photo of a sexual nature…."
"If you're lucky." He grunted quietly. Claire elbowed him, trying not to snicker.
"Shut up, you're going to get us in trouble." She whispered back. Tony grinned at her.
"I think you are just as much to blame. Between the two of us we have broken a good bit of these." He pointed out. Claire shot him a look.
"Well at that point I wouldn't have considered it harassment." She shot back, her brow shooting up in teasing manner. Tony smiled. Finally, they were getting to a more comfortable place if she was willing to make jokes about their relationship. This spurred him on.
"It sure wasn't that." He hummed thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair once more.
"A coworker 'accidentally' brushes their hand against your body." The presenter continued on, unaware of the conversation at the back.
"Oh, only if you're really lucky." Claire added, this time loud enough that Ziva could hear. Ziva grinned.
"Physical contact can be divided into three categories." The woman up front turned to change the screen on the projector to a visual of a traffic light. Director Shepherd and Gibbs sighed and shared a look from their spots against the wall. Neither of them were thrilled to participate either.
"Green light, includes normal behavior. Yellow light includes borderline behavior such as hugging someone who…." Instantly Abby shot up to stand, holding her hand up with a concerned frown. The woman up front paused in surprise.
"Yes?"
"What's wrong with hugging people? I hug people all the time." Abby asked worriedly.
"You may see it as friendly but your coworkers may find it offensive." The woman informed sternly. Abby's eyes widened in alarm as she held her hands to her chest and stared down at the team around her.
"You guys get offended when I hug you?" she asked, horrified at the idea. She was quickly assured that it was not the case as everyone murmured a 'no' and shook their heads. Abby grinned.
"I'm hugging you all in my mind, right now." Abby closed her eyes with a grin, her hands hugging her chest. Everyone shared a grin as they watched her. Abby hugs were the best hugs. However the moment was ruined by the woman up front.
"DOD policy is very clear about this point, miss. You must first ask permission before making physical contact with a coworker." She told Abby with a harsh scowl. Abby's face scrunched up in bewilderment.
"Like…every time?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes." With that short answer Abby slowly sat back down. Claire turned in her seat to face her friend.
"Abby I give you permission to hug my any time you want." She assured. Abby let out a relieved breath and reached over to squeeze her hand tightly.
"And finally, red light behavior such as deliberate, unwelcomed touching…" Ziva stared down at Tony who was nodding off. With a devious grin she shot forward and licked up the side of his face. Tony's eyes bugged out and he shot out of his seat with a yelp. Claire had to turn her head and press her hand against her mouth tightly to keep from laughing out loud. His outburst effectively paused the presentation once more.
"Another question?" the woman asked, unamused. Tony cleared his throat while wiping at his ear.
"Yea if you slap someone on the back of the head like this…" Tony reached over and Gibbs slapped a snickering Claire. In return she instantly punched his inner thigh, causing Tony to suck in a breath at how close she had gotten to his jewels.
"….is that considered inappropriate behavior?" Tony finished quietly.
"Absolutely. Are you saying that this has actually happened?" the woman asked sternly. Tony froze, glancing at Gibbs out of the corner of his eye warily. Everyone watched as Gibbs stared the man down during the silence.
"No, I was just wondering that's all." Tony quickly sat back down. This time it was Palmer who shot his hand up.
"Yes?"
"Uh yea…what if part of your job includes….touching naked people and…"
"That would be inappropriate at any time." The woman quickly cut him off. Palmer blinked, his eyes widening.
"Even if they're dead?" he asked seriously. In the back Claire and Tony shared a wide eyed stare of 'is this really happening?' The presenter shifted and stared down at Palmer warningly.
"Why are you touching dead, naked people?" she asked very seriously. Palmer scratched his head nervously.
"I work in autopsy…"
"Can we please try to keep this on topic with what we are currently addressing." She tried to redirect the conversation.
"Gear up." Gibbs cut in. The team eagerly hopped up to follow him and leave the seminar.
"Wait, I can't mark you as attending unless you're here for all of it." The woman quickly countered, watching as a chunk of her class headed for the door.
"Um, Ms. Tate. I will take excellent notes for them." Director Shepherd gently cut in. Without any more prompting the team quickly shot out the door.