04-25-2025, 12:17 PM
It wasn’t often Natalie made room for anything purely social. Pestovo wasn’t somewhere she was familiar with, mostly because of the elitist price tag (and the generally insufferable company of others wealthy enough to afford it), though she fit in amongst the opulence as well as anywhere else. Northbrook was a name people took note of, within the Custody at least, even if they were unsure which one she was. Wrapped in the wool of her coat, she spent some time wandering the grounds before her lunch with Emily. It was an oasis carved out of the busy metropolis heart of the city, though most of the greenery this time of year lay in quiet hibernation. The dissonance caught somewhere in her gut -- between the luxury so easily within her reach, and the life she had known in Africa. The world here was too serene for the sorts of scars she carried unseen.
Emily was an enigma in that regard. Not snobbish, but the warmest, most kind-hearted person Natalie knew despite her wealth and business acumen. How she remained so in the cutthroat arena of Moscow Natalie had no idea. Emily deserved a better friend in truth, but in Natalie the bonds of loyalty ran deeply, even if it didn’t always make her a good person.
Her cheeks were still faintly flushed from the cold when she entered the restaurant, gave her name, and handed over her coat. A glass wall boasted rolling views over the club, and heavy chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling; her gaze flickered over it all as she was shown to the table. Natalie was never big on the sort of affections some women shared, so she slid straight into the chair that was pulled out for her. Amusement glimmered in her eye, faint at the edges of her lips, as she shared a look with Emily. “Fancy,” she said in tease.
Emily was an enigma in that regard. Not snobbish, but the warmest, most kind-hearted person Natalie knew despite her wealth and business acumen. How she remained so in the cutthroat arena of Moscow Natalie had no idea. Emily deserved a better friend in truth, but in Natalie the bonds of loyalty ran deeply, even if it didn’t always make her a good person.
Her cheeks were still faintly flushed from the cold when she entered the restaurant, gave her name, and handed over her coat. A glass wall boasted rolling views over the club, and heavy chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling; her gaze flickered over it all as she was shown to the table. Natalie was never big on the sort of affections some women shared, so she slid straight into the chair that was pulled out for her. Amusement glimmered in her eye, faint at the edges of her lips, as she shared a look with Emily. “Fancy,” she said in tease.