Once upon a time, Natalie might have been embarrassed by such an obvious display of technical ineptitude. Now, she was just glad that she had someone else around who could handle that sort of thing on her behalf, without being overly judgemental. The news that Luuk’s method was free was enough for it to earn her support, to say nothing of the video quality, or selection. When the two of them had decided on a film, she was quick to settle atop her bed, ready for it to begin.
Natalie wasn’t the sort of person to watch movies. She had always found them too…passive for her liking. She usually preferred things that involved a little more engagement, be it physical or mental. This time, however, she found herself welcoming the break, despite herself. Welcoming the chance to switch her brain off, and relax. Despite it’s flaws, she found herself genuinely enjoying the film. She had accepted a long time ago that she’d never have a family of her own. That she had, in a fashion, chosen her work over her social life. It had been a conscious choice. One that she’d made willingly, and didn’t usually regret. But now, watching films like this…well, it was nice to catch a glimpse of the other side, sometimes. Imagine what might have been.
When the credits began to roll, Natalie kept staring at the screen idly, whilst her thoughts wandered further afield. It took her several long moments to realise that the show was over, and the screen was once again showing the menu. She blinked a few times, coming out of her trance slowly. She’d take a moment to stretch, a yawn slipping from her lips, before her gaze wandered back over to her map. A part of Natalie wanted to get straight back to work, but…well, she wasn’t sure how much she trusted her tired self. As eager as she was, getting their plan right seemed more important than finishing it quickly. With a measure of reluctance, she accepted that she had best wait.
The rest of the evening was passed doing small things. Trivial tasks designed more to keep her busy than really accomplish anything meaningful. When bed time finally came, Natalie counted it a blessing. She crawled beneath the covers early, determined to make sure she was as well-rested as possible for the next day. Sleep, however, wasn’t inclined to cooperate. Natalie lay there for what felt like hours, awake with thoughts of what was to come, and the movie, until she finally drifted off.
The next morning started the same way so many others had – with a trip for coffee. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Natalie made the long walk across the street to a nearby coffee shop. She returned with their customary order, sipping from her own mug idly whilst she walked. As the caffeine slowly forced the rest of her brain to wake up, Natalie found herself wondering when going outside had become such a casual affair. When they’d first gone into hiding, she’d barely been able to walk a few metres without glancing over her shoulder. Now, after so long without another incident, strolling down the sidewalk and through a crowd almost felt normal again. In some ways, it was a welcome relief. In others…well, perhaps it were more dangerous this way, if adjusting meant that she couldn’t help but let her guard down.
Slightly troubled by the realisation, Natalie found that she was more eager than ever to get back to work. Now that she was well-rested, and had coffee, she felt as ready as she were over going to be. It was time to begin working on their plan in earnest. Much like yesterday, she found that she was actually looking forward to it. As if this were a puzzle she were doing for fun, not because their lives depended on it. Such was her thought process as she let herself back into the room. She placed Luuk’s coffee down on his bedside table, before once again seating herself at her desk. She set her cup down after another quick sip, picked up her pen, began leafing through her meager collection of references, and turned her attention to the task at hand.
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