Natarle's Apartment

April 7th

"Sorry I don't have much else right now, I can't go out for groceries till tomorrow..." Natarle apologized again, handing Murrue her coffee as she sat on the edge of the counter, watching her friend glance around the small apartment with a small frown on her face. Natarle rolled her eyes, knowing that Murrue wasn't quite happy with the lack of colour in the place, it really did seem too dull, just grey.

"Don't worry about it, you've still got coffee." Murrue replied without missing a beat, turning to give her a friend a bright grin before sipping the bitter beverage sparingly. She noticed her friend returned the smile this time, though not as brightly as hers had been, but it was enough for the brunette. She was glad to see the woman was starting to melt around the edges.

But at the same time, Murrue could see that something was still bothering the woman despite the fact that she had indeed been drawn out of her shell somewhat. Little things she'd never paid attention to while they had been serving together were becoming more prominent now that they were both free of the military facade. The woman was indeed quite smart and worked easily under pressure, but those weren't the things Murrue had seen.

The woman was kind at heart, though she hid under the icy guise she was so used to, it couldn't be erased from her personality. She was smiling more often now, though somewhat awkwardly and tiny smiles, the gestures were noticeable. But despite all that, she knew that Natarle still had her reserves and something was going on under the surface to bother her.

"Are you okay?" Murrue asked finally, watching her friend gaze at her bookshelf for a long moment, holding her mug in her hands loosely while not really paying attention to the beverage at all. Natarle turned to look at her, violet eyes wide and innocent, only prompting Murrue to ask again, "You look like something's on your mind. Are you alright?"

"Just... Things." Natarle answered vaguely, placing her mug down and crossing her arms over her stomach, which had been doing flips as soon as she let her mind wander again. She didn't really control the want to keep her inner thoughts secret, it was a reflex reaction to lie about what had truly been on her mind since she'd left Copernicus. She knew that Murrue could sense that something was wrong, she was glad the brunette couldn't read minds.

"Do you miss your family?" Murrue took a shot in the dark, feeling quite hopeless that she couldn't do much about Natarle's mood. She didn't feel any frustration with the dark haired woman, she understood that it would take awhile to really get her free of her shell, she just wished she could do something about the troubled expression on her face.

Much to her surprise, the dark haired woman snorted and had to cover her mouth to stop her sudden burst of laughter. Murrue blinked a few times, waiting for Natarle's laughter to die down. The woman looked properly abashed but still her shoulders were shivering from mirth. "Oh I'm sorry... I guess you wouldn't get it..." Natarle brushed her hair out of the way, smiling oddly at her friend, expression bittersweet. "I don't have great ties to my family."

"Really...?" Murrue sat up straighter in her chair, not really getting what Natarle was getting to. She knew her friend never spoke much about her past, or her family for that matter, and now she was confused but hoped to get some information that might help her understand her friend more.

Natarle moved uncomfortably as she sat, before getting to her feet and pacing across the room, arms still crossed across her chest. She winced inwardly when the memories she had been trying to block out of her head for years came rushing back. "My parents weren't the nurturing type Murrue." She winced again, almost as if she could feel her mother's hand striking her across the face again. "When my older sister died, they pretty much told me they wished I'd died instead, because they figured she'd be the better soldier."

Murrue winced along with her friend, trying to keep her exclamations down in her throat. She could see the real pain in Natarle's eyes, her violet eyes were trained on the floor, looking oddly wet. It took a lot of self control to keep herself in her chair when all of her instincts were telling her to try to help.

"I lived with them for about ten years of my life and then they shipped me out to a boarding school. When I turned sixteen they enlisted me and threw me into an academy. My life was centred around being a soldier, ever since I started to walk. There were no breaks." Natarle stared at the bookcase, reaching out to gently brush her fingertips along the spine of the Shakespeare novels she'd received from Justin. "All my family ever cared about were being soldiers, they've all been in the military since they were children, I've been expected to follow suit since before I was born."

"I'm... So sorry to hear that..." Murrue managed weakly, not really sure what to say. Natarle turned to look at her, wearing a weak smile as she leaned against the bookcase. Murrue wasn't surprised to see a single crystal tear making its way down her cheek.

"Can you see why it's hard for me to adjust to all this then?" Natarle murmured just as weakly, gesturing to the small apartment and the brunette herself. Her entire body was shivering again, the pain of the memories were making their way back, each sensation stronger as if it were fresh. "I'm just not used to this."

"It's alright." Murrue answered firmly, getting to her feet and wrapping a comforting arm around the woman to hug her close. "You can learn. And you're not alone anymore, you'll be just fine." She smiled gently, ruffling the woman's dark hair affectionately. "So don't worry."

"Heh... I guess I shouldn't." Natarle laughed softly, reaching up to brush away her tears hastily to remove the evidence to make herself feel a bit more stable. She straightened a little with a soft shaky sigh, breathing calmly. She turned to her friend, shooting her a grateful smile to signify her better confidence, "Thanks."

"No worries." Murrue repeated with a growing smile, knocking the woman tenderly on the back of the head with a closed fist. She couldn't help but feel a sort of maternal instinct towards her, something about her just drew the brunette to her. Sitting down back at the table, she idly swung her legs and asked casually, "Do you want to go out with me and Erica tonight?"

"To another club?" Natarle replied with a question of her own, raising an eyebrow as she watched Murrue's face light up in an oddly fitting mischievous grin. She leaned on the bookshelf, examining her friend's expression for a long moment and weighing what she already knew about the brunette. "Where are we going?"

"Well I figured maybe you'd like to do something other than hit a club, so Erica and I figured we'd invite you to play some cards with us, us being myself, Mu, you, and Erica." Murrue added almost as an afterthought, casually flipping her hair back over her shoulder and placing her hands neatly in her lap. She knew that Natarle wouldn't take very long to ask some more questions so she quickly added the details to avoid that, "We'd play at my place tonight, since we were at Erica's last week... Her husband can't play cards with two damns, he's just too bad at the emotional thing. So Erica said we ought to invite you to play."

"What are we playing exactly?" Natarle asked, scrambling through her memory for anything she knew about card games and the like. She really felt kind of stumped, it wasn't something she was used to doing, she mostly read to pass the time and ease her boredom. And besides, playing cards normally meant being in a group, yet another thing she wasn't used to.

"Euchre." Murrue answered with a growing smile, not even bothering to hide her excitement. She enjoyed playing the game as often as she could, and she couldn't shake the thought of inviting her new friend in to play too. She didn't really realize or care all that much, when she started to bounce up and down on her chair. "I was really hoping you'd drop by and play a few hands with us, it'd be fun."

"Never heard of it." Natarle just shrugged, but she noticed her friend was still bouncing excitedly, obviously not hearing any denial at all in her statement. She couldn't hide a snicker, it was so easy to get the woman wound up in the best ways, it was too amusing. She was amazed to see the collected captain she'd known for the past year act so... Normal. She'd taken to a domestic life like a fish to water, it was oddly comforting in a strange way.

"Well is that a yes or not?" Murrue asked somewhat impatiently, still bouncing up and down in her seat. There was an obvious exasperation in her expression, but her bouncing didn't quit. She noticed Natarle was smiling almost patronizingly at her, eyes grinning with mirth. "C'mon! Yes or no!"

"Yeah sure I guess, but you have to promise not to just blast me out of the water. Be nice to a newbie." Natarle finally pretended to moan, rolling her eyes to the ceiling while hiding the way her lips wanted to quirk up. "Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You have no intention of saving me from humiliation, do you?"

"You're playing with my fiancé. What humiliation can we possibly dish out that could best whatever he might come up with on his own?"

"Good point."

We'll be singing when we're winning,

We'll be singing...

I get knocked down but I get up again,

you're never gonna keep me down.

I get knocked down but I get up again,

you're never gonna keep me down.

I get knocked down but I get up again,

you're never gonna keep me down.

I get knocked down but I get up again,

you're never gonna keep me down!

Natarle wasn't surprised to find the door unlocked for her, and she ventured inside as quietly as she could manage, not wanting to disturb them if she could help it. She knew her way around the dimly lit home already, having visited the place so many times in the past few weeks. She heard Erica and Mu arguing playfully over something and followed their voices into the kitchen, where they were gathered around the round table, a deck of cards played out between them along with a bowl of snack mix that was already half empty.

"Hey, you're late!" Erica exclaimed in a scolding voice when she spied the young Natural peeking around the corner at them, wearing a hesitant smile that was starting to warm more with every time they saw her.

"By my watch I'm right on time, you're the one who's early." Natarle replied cheekily, stepping around the corner and towards the table, examining the cards that were scattered across the surface. She had brushed up on the rules of the game before she had come to play, hoping that maybe if she understood at least something that maybe it'd help her out a little.

"Sit, c'mon, Mu's already stuffed his face." Erica grinned broadly at Mu, having caught the man with his hand in the bowl again, before he pulled it out empty, scowling at her. She beamed angelically back, obviously looked entirely smug while Murrue hid her face behind her cards, her shoulders shivering as she struggled to control her silent laughter. "I was worrying we wouldn't have anything left for you if you didn't show up soon."

"Erica, she's here now, stop abusing my fiancé." Murrue bravely attempted to scold the redhead, but it came out breathless because she had lost the battle to hide her laughter. Erica snickered loudly for added affect, causing Natarle to grin, which in return only made Mu sulk.

"Thanks for trying Murrue." Mu grumbled grudgingly, leaning forward to brush his lips tenderly against her cheek. She smiled and turned her head after the exchange, offering him a light peck that he gladly stole. The other two women who were sitting directly opposite didn't hesitate to groan loudly, interjecting quickly on the romantic gesture.

"Get a room!"

"That's disgusting!"

"Would you two can it?" Murrue took her turn to grumble now, feeling Mu's arm wrapping casually around her shoulders. He brushed another kiss to the top of her hair, and she knew he was trying to stop grinning so he could take her side but it was failing miserably and she didn't even need to turn to see that. She glared at her friends who were both in a fit of laughter, cheeks pink and eyes dancing in amusement. She pointed an accusing finger at Erica and condemned her in a frigid voice, "You're married Erica!"

"What's her excuse?" Erica asked through snorts, jerking her head towards Natarle who had bowed her own to hide her laughter.

The woman's fit only seemed to grow at the words, her entire torso was shivering as she let herself be consumed with hysterics. For some odd reason it was really funny, and despite the awkwardness she still felt, she couldn't make herself stop. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to. "I guess... I don't... Pfft... Have one..." She managed through her giggles, looking up to see Mu chuckling too before she lost it for another round.

Murrue snorted disdainfully, but her eyes betrayed her own glee at seeing the raven-haired woman finally letting herself go. It was a rare sight indeed, but something she could so easily get used to seeing. Hiding her own grin, she got up and refilled the bowl, promptly smacking Mu's hand when he reached for another handful, and then placing it back on the table. "Give us a chance to snack too Mu." She scolded him mildly.

"Is this how it's going to be all night?" Mu whined, slumping down to rest his chin on his hands and staring sadly at his fiancee, knowing that she could be just as unsympathetic as her girlfriends when she wanted to be. "I don't want to sit here and just be hassled all night by you three women."

"Oh hush, let's play!" Erica commanded with a growing smile, the excitement rekindling now that their last player had arrived.

The four immediately split into teams, Mu and Murrue pairing up and leaving Erica and Natarle to a team. They played a few hands with their hands shown to give Natarle a better idea of what she was doing, and the woman was a quick study, making short work of her lessons and the game. After a few more tricks they started fresh, Natarle now somewhat at ease with the game's rules.

Murrue was mightily impressed with the woman's skill, knowing that a player had to have a good mind, a good partner, and luck on their side to have a good streak. Natarle had learned the rules in only an hour or two, and she was already playing quite well despite the fact that her opposing team was now playing with no quarter given.

They played till late, snickering and trading inside jokes at a high speed, taunting the opposing teams and planting the seeds to make their next game even worse. Finally Erica caved in with a wry smile, hugging her friends and leaving to be back with her family. Natarle left next, likewise sharing a warm embrace with Murrue and a friendly tap with Mu before she too was gone.

"That was fun." Murrue laughed as she put the dishes away, watching Mu clear up the table and put the cards back in the cupboard for the next round. She glanced over her shoulder to see Mu was watching her, but with an anxious expression she wasn't used to seeing on his face. She knew him well enough that something had been bothering him for the past few days, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to confess the worry.

Mu grimaced a bit, reading that look on her face as well as she could read him. She knew he was going to come out with an excuse for his behaviour. He idly scuffed his toe on the floor, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong and now getting their punishment doled out. 'Oi vey...'

"Are you going to tell me why you've been off lately?" Murrue asked quietly, closing the distance between them and sliding her hands into his. She would have been lying if she said she hadn't been concerned, she wasn't used to the silence he would lapse into, and his smiles seemed forced. "I've been worried."

Mu sighed and bent until his forehead rested on her shoulder. Her arms wound as far as they could around his waist and she turned to kiss his hair gently. He groaned a little, steeling himself for the worst. He stammered out nervously, knowing better than anyone how dangerous her temper could be, "Y'know how I told you I thought the job thing was in the bag?"

"Yes...?" Murrue blinked, drawing away a little, confusion marring her features. Of course she remembered, he'd seemed so happy too after the interview, what could've changed? Her mind flashed back to Erica, and she frowned a little. 'Is my boss doing something stupid again?'

"Well, there's this initiation thing with the other pilots." Mu was scrambling for words now, unsure of what to say next in case he would overstep some sort of boundary and be condemned to the couch. She was still gazing at him with a lost expression, marigold eyes wide and curious and misleadingly innocent. "They want me to..." He glanced away from her, not wanting to see the fury in her face when he let the last few words out, "They kinda want me to streak through Morgenroete."

He almost had his eyes closed when the silence hit him, then he heard the sound he had fallen in love with. He turned nervously, worried his ears were lying to him, but there she was, leaning on the counter, her entire body shivering with giggles. He blinked, entirely taken aback by the unexpected reaction, and his bewildered expression pushed her over the edge.

"Oh my god!" Murrue snorted and clapped both hands over her mouth in an attempt to smother her laughter but it didn't help at all. She had to lean against the counter, her entire body shivering with mirth until she had enough breath left to snicker, "You're an idiot!"

"Eh?"

"Why on Earth would you believe them?" Murrue asked through giggles, shoulders still shaking considerably. She couldn't believe the man actually had taken it to heart, which he obviously had. She had been working long enough of Morgenroete to know that the pilots never did haze their fellow crew members, at least not in such a huge fashion, Erica would never allow it. "God Mu!"

Mu winced, abruptly feeling quite stupid. The relief he felt at not having to do something so ridiculous did nothing to nurse his battered ego, he had a feeling that whoever had been behind this had a great laugh out of his squirming. He hung his head with a loud groan, wondering how long it would take him to find a very large cliff to jump off of. "Well I'm a doorknob."

"I'd say." Murrue giggled again, not really able to help it. But his hurt expression quickly made her smother her amusement and she cleared the distance between them and lay her head on his shoulder, feeling his arms almost automatically locking around her waist to hold her close. "I'm sorry, but it was a bit funny..."

"For you." Mu pointed out sourly as he grumbled into her hair, but he made no moves to release her, quite content to have her wound up tight in his arms. She didn't seem to mind it either, sighing contentedly when he lazily brushed his lips over her hair and settled his arms into a more comfortable fit around her waist. "Well I guess I can say that I'm a bit relieved..."

"I wouldn't have let you do it even if I was sure you had to." Murrue told him icily, the mere thought send cold shudders down her spine and had her glaring daggers at the wall. She didn't like the idea of anyone else seeing what was hers alone, and she clutched him closer almost instinctively, feeling oddly possessive. Yes, he was hers, without a doubt.

Mu noticed this and chuckled wryly, knowing that if he had been in her position he would definitely not allow it. He didn't even like to see her go out in public wearing shorts and a tanktop, even one man turning to look twice would annoy him. He could only imagine how she'd react if anyone got a glimpse of anything, she was as possessive as he was sometimes. "I don't blame you."

"You're mine." Murrue growled under her breath, scowling. She really was growing annoyed with whoever had put him up to this, and she had a suspicious feeling that she knew exactly who had started this entire business on her fiancé. And when she got to them, they would be very sorry they messed around.

'Erica, I'm going to kill you.'

AN

Lol, took me long enough, huh? Sorry about that, yay for block, eh? Well anywhosit... No, I couldn't have him streak in good conscience in this story. The poor man would have been couched for weeks, and not to mention the embarrassment on both their parts. But damn, lol, who wanted to see it? And raise your hands you guilty fangirls, I know I'm not the only one!

Okay, next bit... The song was "Tub Thumping" Chumbawamba, classic and hilarious song that I just wanted to shamelessly plug in cause I have no life. And as for the card-shark Natarle, lol, I think someone like her, quick-thinking, strategic and very intelligent would have no trouble learning how to play cards in a short period of time. Also, since I have no real history that I can use for Natarle, I had to take a load of artistic licence on it... It's always how I imagined her past, that she came from a hard military family that didn't tolerate weakness on any part. It explains things to me regardless... And that's about it...

(Mu streaks in the background)...(authoress stops and stares with the jaw dropped)...(Runs off to watch)

Sky