It was comforting to see how passionate Zelda was about doing the right thing. Nate was wary of doctors and any other profession that involved documenting information. As a less-than-legitimate member of society, Nate got by with free clinics and denial, hoping for the best when sickness started to claim him. As a criminal and a mutant, the last thing he needed was someone to have knowledge of who he was and his genetic makeup.

There was something endearing about the way she needed to describe, at length, how she was going out of her way to keep her patients and subjects safe. Nate smiled and nodded as she gave him a full run-down of her process, finding small moments here and there to come up for air. She wanted to be a doctor for the lofty “right reasons” people talked about when they went into a field meant to benefit others when it was not rife with corruption.

Nate was surprised when Zelda’s face seemed to darken into a serious expression. She had her own concerns about Nate which she was finally able to voice now that she was slowly earning his trust. He understood where she was coming from and nodded, matching her expression. ”You don’t have to tell me twice. I look out for my kind and I’m glad to see you’re looking out for them, too.” Haven had instilled a stronger sense of mutant pride in Nate than he had in his twenties. It was a natural progression of becoming more mature: he went from caring about himself to caring about the people in his life to caring about “his people” as a whole. Slowly, he was learning how to not be a selfish piece of ****, and he liked the person he was becoming.

Then again, no person was completely selfless and everyone had needs and wants. Nate certainly wanted Zelda to look him over the way she did. No one was going to recommend volunteering for four years of prison, but it was certainly a great way to look more appealing without clothes. The look was a nice ego boost, though maybe one Nate did not need.

He considered Zelda’s offer to keep her company for a moment. ”I reckon I have some time. I’m curious about your research and it’d be irresponsible of me not to keep you company. You never know what kind of shifty people are walking around with questionable lab equipment late at night,” he teased.

”Feel free to take one last look,” he said, standing with his hands at his hips. Nate shifted back into his shadowform, with the transition rippling out from his core until bones, muscles, organs, and skin quickly faded into darkness. ”Let me go grab my clothes and I’ll meet you at the exit.” Somehow, Nate felt much more confident the night doctor was not going to run off on him now.

>> ”You don’t have to tell me twice. I look out for my kind and I’m glad to see you’re looking out for them, too.”
 
She studied every facial muscle in his face. She nodded and stepped back, "Thank you." That was about all she could say now - she had explained most of everything she could. There really wasn't much else until she could show him the samples and describe them to him. She was trusting a lot in this random guy. She really hoped he wouldn't betray her, her patients, or anyone else in the end. But now, she had no choice but to trust him. Her institution was telling her it was safe to trust him - so that was a plus, at least. She did feel like she needed to clarify something, though, "I look out for everyone, sir. Mutants and humans. Each one of us have our humanity and every day we're losing it by dividing ourselves." She had some pretty strong feelings about the ongoing feud between mutants and humans. 

>> ”I reckon I have some time. I’m curious about your research and it’d be irresponsible of me not to keep you company. You never know what kind of shifty people are walking around with questionable lab equipment late at night,”

She nodded, she appreciated the company. It was nice to finally to be able to tell someone, who wasn't a patient, all of this information. She had held it in to keep as many people safe as possible - like her mother. He was a shadow man after all, he could probably handle himself in a fight. That made her feel more comfortable. He seemed to have some type of history, but Zelda couldn't quite put a pin on it. She rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah, yeah, so shifty." She didn't really disagree with him, it was shady after all. She didn't really have a comeback to that one because of that.

>> ”Feel free to take one last look,”

"Oh, you don't have to tell me twice." She winked and looked over his body one more time, particularly enjoying his tight fitting boxer briefs and muscles. "Cute ass, too," she mumbled. He was very attractive, even more so now that she had gotten her lecturing out of her system. She watched him shift back into his shadow form. That gave her goosebumps again. She couldn't help it, watching his body melt away into shadows. It was amazing but at the same time, weirdish. 

>> ”Let me go grab my clothes and I’ll meet you at the exit.”
 
She nodded and began heading off towards the exit. Once outside, she opened the back of her trunk and put her bags in the backseat. She then got in the driver's seat, cranked the car, and waited. She decided to re-watch Taylor Swifts name song, 'Look What You Made Me Do' while she waited for... What is his name? She never even got his name. Any who, she really wasn't sure if she liked Taylor's new song or not, but the sassiness in it impressed even Zelda. 

There was something to be said about a forward, confident woman. Some men liked women who were sweet and shy, but those were rarely the ones Nate ended up drawn toward. Since his time in New York, he found himself entangled with a driven cop, a free-spirited artist, and a domineering lawyer. He liked his women ready to talk back and push back, and Zelda seemed to fit that mold.

And yes, she liked his ass. There was something to be said for good taste. He smirked as the shadows overtook his face, interested in the turn his night was starting to take.

Gathering his clothes was a quick process. They only made it two halls away from where Nate began, so he melded into the floor and slipped away, leaving Zelda to make her way toward the exit.

One pair of jeans, one pair of Converse, and a blue button-down shirt later, Nate opened the door leading out to the parking area to find… nothing. At a cursory glance, it seemed as though he overestimated Zelda’s willingness to wait around for him. It seemed silly, given everything she already shared with him, up to and including her name and place of employment…

Unless she literally made it all up. It would have been an impressively long lie to come up with on the fly. That level of detail was hard to keep consistent, yet Zelda…

Was in her car. After the initial confusion of not finding his new travel companion at the exit, (where they agreed to meet,) Nate noticed one of the cars in the lot was running. He approached it and, sure enough, Zelda was waiting in the driver’s seat. She was not some sociopath-level liar; she was just a doctor killing time watching a music video on her phone. ”Oh, come on, I didn’t keep you waiting that long,” he teased, gesturing to the phone as he slid into her passenger’s side.

Zelda watched the music video a couple times waiting for him. She really wasn't sure if she liked it. She loved the video but the song reminded her of the "I'm too sexy for my shirt." Well, portions of the video did at least. 

She jumped a little when he hopped in her car. She quickly turned the music off, not really sure if she wanted someone to know she had been listening to Taylor Swift for past 7 minutes. 

>> ”Oh, come on, I didn’t keep you waiting that long,”

She chuckled and gave him a side eye, "Nah, but I wanted to see if you'd freak out if I wasn't at the exit door." She was joking, her grin and tone made it clear. She really wanted to just get her samples into the car where she could begin blasting the A.C. The colder they stayed, the better. She knew they would last for several hours, but she didn't want to risk them. If they spoiled, she would have to do this all over again.

She backed up, turned and stopped at the gate to get them on the highway back to the hospital. She typed in a number Doc Prof gave her and the gates opened. On the road they went. 

Zelda only slightly speed towards the hospital - about 25 miles over the posted speed limit. Hopefully Nate wasn't too worried with her speed. "We should be there in 30 minutes, traffic isn't too bad since it's well the middle of the night." She paused, opened a pack of gum, and slipped one in her mouth. "Want one? Minty fresh. By the way, what's your name?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they got to the hospital, Zelda parked in her assigned parking spot. She hopped out of the car, motioning for Nate to follow. She walked around to the back of the car, opened the back, and began to pick her big bag cooler up. She paused, looking at several hoodies and masks in the back seat. "I'm not sure if you want to cover your identity, but... If you want, there's some masks there and a hoodie. It's what I make anyone who comes in to give samples wear, so the cameras don't see them or their facial features and such." She motioned for him to take them if he wanted and began walking towards the entrance to the large hospital. 

It was funny to think in fifteen or twenty minutes, Nate went from using his powers so he could basically haunt Zelda to strapping into the passenger’s seat in her car on a trip to the hospital. It was only getting later, but his curiosity was granting him a second wind.

He also found it hard to feel tired when Zelda was driving like a demon out of hell. Nate had met career getaway drivers he felt more confident about behind the wheel of a car, but he would keep his critique to himself. His hand was on his knee and he was trying not to grip too tightly or noticeably as she shot past another car.

Zelda casually offered Nate a stick of gum and asked for his name, prompting him to realize he had gone their entire conversation without introducing himself. It was likely a leftover tactic from his days of concealing his identity, but in the real world, it just seemed rude. He took the gum and popped it in his mouth. ”Thanks. And I’m Nate Holloway. It’s certainly a pleasure, Doctor Grey,” he added with a grin.

---

Any worries that Zelda was lying about herself were comfortably quashed when Nate saw her name written on the reserved parking sign. Confirming her legitimacy only increased his curiosity toward her work. They were playing for the same team; Haven might have had a “mutants first” philosophy, but that was only because of the disadvantages mutants started off with socially and politically. He and Dr. Grey had the end goal of peaceful equality between mutants and humans, and if her labors looked promising, he would have to consider what value she could provide to Haven. Their true membership was exclusively mutant thus far, but Nate was unsure if that was established as a rule or just a consequence of their message of equality.

They stepped out of the car and Zelda pointed out a hoodie and a mask for Nate to conceal himself, which was consistent with her explained process, but for him, unnecessary. ”I think I’m gonna be fine. At this point, the police, the feds, and most of the companies in New York know my face. I don’t have much reason to hide these days.” In a few years, he went from total anonymity to complete recognition and possible infamy. ”You kinda tossed out a guess before, but I was something of a career criminal for a few years.” Almost fifteen years. Definitely more than “a few,” but the truth sounded better with certain details softened.

>> ”Thanks. And I’m Nate Holloway. It’s certainly a pleasure, Doctor Grey,”

Zelda nodded and gave him a grin, "It is definitely a pleasure, Nate." She gave him a wink before a little yawn escaped her, "You can just call me Zelda, if you want." If he was going to be her partner in crime now, they mine as well dismiss the formalities. 

---

Zelda could tell from his facial expression that he had become more intrigued. That made Zelda fill with pride. She loved showing off her work and she really isn't able to do that with this research - in fact, unless something comes of it, it's going to be very vague in her resume. It's a bit depressing that more people won't know her work if something happens, but it's for the best. She couldn't risk anyone identities or well beings for this project and she wasn't about to do it for her name to be on a research article - she already had plenty out there, anyways.

>> ”I think I’m gonna be fine. At this point, the police, the feds, and most of the companies in New York know my face. I don’t have much reason to hide these days. You kinda tossed out a guess before, but I was something of a career criminal for a few years.” 

She shot him a grin and laughed a bit, "I figured as much. I mean, your a shadow guy. It's not too surprising for you have been involved in a more criminal element in your past." She gave him a wink, teasing him. Hopefully he wouldn't take her too seriously. It was just how her humor was. "Are you a teacher at the school now?" 

She scanned her badge at the entrance of the hospital door. She led herself and Nate around a few corridors, greeted a few of the nurses, before they finally arrived at the elevators. Once in them, they began to ride up to the top floor, where the research laboratories were. "No one else will be in my lab," she informed him, so he wouldn't have to worry about his guard. She leaned in very close to him, and whispered in his ear, her minty breath blowing over his ear as she talked. "This is a corporate hospital with several government contracts, so don't say anything loudly that might should be on the hush-hush. When we're back in my car, we can talk openly. There's a dry erase boards located over the room, if you have something you need to say, please write it down and angle it so it doesn't point up towards the ceiling, where the cameras might be are."

She moved in front of him and looked him in the eyes and waited for him to acknowledge this. She didn't think her offices and lab was bugged, but she wasn't sure. The CEO spent a lot of money for this lab of hers and she knew she couldn't trust the upper management. She was pretty surprised they even approved of a relatively secret research grant without asking for more details than what they received. 

Ding! She stepped off the elevator and began to lead Nate to her laboratory and office. 

Zelda took the revelation of Nate’s past in stride. It was unexpected to see some so casually handle the knowledge that they were conversing with an ex-con. Then again, she had stared him down as a living shadow, so the new information was really a step down in terms of shock factor. ”First of all, on behalf of all shadow guys, I take offense to your type casting.” Of course, he was the only shadow person he knew, and he was a former criminal, so as far as he knew, the stereotype was justified.

They moved on from the past and Zelda asked him about his current position. ”Yup, I’m the Mansion’s art teacher. It was a good way to translate my life experience as an art forger and thief into something less illegal.” Everyone eventually settled down from their mischief-making twenties; Nate’s path just involved fewer keggers and co-eds. (Fewer, not none, of course.)

Nate followed Zelda through the hospital, working to draw as little attention as he could. Zelda would occasionally wave at a nurse and Nate would offer a polite nod, but he kept his mouth quiet until the made it to the elevator.

Once they were alone, Zelda took the opportunity to get closer. Nate’s interest was piqued, but quickly mellowed when she explained the need to remain quiet in the lab. Nate was not a fan of cameras when their entire purpose was to snoop. Security cameras and criminals rarely got along.

Zelda stopped talking, but she did not move away. She was staring at him, like… oh right. ”Understood. Don’t say anything incriminating.” Nate had been distracted for a moment by how close she still was, but he recognized how seriously Zelda took security around her research. She needed his acknowledgement that she could trust him not to misspeak when anyone could be listening in.

It was convenient, at least, that she gave him gum. It would have been awkward to ruin such a serious moment with the scent of his steak sandwich from dinner on his breath.

Nate followed Zelda out of the elevator and into her laboratory, looking around, but above all, remaining quiet.

>> ”First of all, on behalf of all shadow guys, I take offense to your type casting.”

Zelda laughed, "Sorry, I'm sure you're the cutest one though." She wondered how many criminals he knew or if there was more shadow people. It wasn't very common to see someone with the same abilities, but you never know. Crazier things have happened in the world, like the huge space-time continuum RIP thing going on. 

>>  ”Yup, I’m the Mansion’s art teacher. It was a good way to translate my life experience as an art forger and thief into something less illegal.”

She smiled, "That's a noble profession - teaching. I'd imagine art is a pretty beautiful thing to teach." Personally, she was terrible at drawing and painting. She had a lot of talents but artistic ones was not one. She could only do basic dancing, no singing for the good of the world, and definitely no art. Granted, she thought she did make some cute stick figures every now and then. "Although, I do gotta say - thief become teacher? Did they run a background check?" She teased him. She knew the mansion wouldn't have hired him if he was still a criminal. Plus, not all criminals are truly bad - we all gotta make do with what life gives us.

>> ”Understood. Don’t say anything incriminating.”

She nodded. She decided to give him the grand tour of her laboratory - but first she needed to put her samples away. She quickly moved over to a large fridge. She quickly got out the coolers and took the lids off. She then punched in a 16 digit code and the refrigerator opened - she then put the samples into the fridge, shutting it. "Most of this equipment is to see down below, some of it is to make edits in their chromosomes," she pointed to a long machine. "Come here, I'll show you something cool." She walked over to a large microscope - it showed the genetic level of the cells. She loaded one of Doc Prof's samples into it and motioned for him to come over. 

She had to calibrate it first, but once she could see the white light glowing from his cells, she stepped back. "When you see the white light, that's the portion of the active X-Gene. Pretty amazing. It's different for every mutant." She smiled. She then moved over to a different microscope and pulled another sample out, putting it under another microscope. When he was ready, she'd motion him over. "On the left of this dish, there is an edited X-Gene from David," She winked towards him, hopefully he'd recognize it as Doc Prof.

"It is only the X-Gene - there is no other genetic code from David here, but is has been sliced into a harmless virus cell. You'll notice how small the light is - that's a big problem. It's too weak to actually do anything, at least based on studies with the rats. We'd inject them with x, y, z disease and it barely would make a dent in any introduced diseases. Of course, we had to fry their initial immune system so they had no initial immune system besides the modified virus. On the right side, you'll see it sliced in with another humans DNA. We've experimented with one volunteer human, but it also didn't take. Same issue with the mice. It's the issue all the research has - there's no real way to replicate the X-Gene for mass production & it pretty much doesn't splice the way it's suppose too. Like, they're using viruses as cancer treatments and it's working but this won't take." She spoke quietly, but not enough to really hide it. This was okay since there wasn't any major results - in fact, usually they don't care unless something promising shows up. She felt so bad having to use rats for study, which could easily was shown from her face, but it was for the greater good. 

She smiled towards Nate, "It's pretty amazing the technology we have now."

Nate scoffed at Zelda’s implication that he was hiding his past from the school. His offense was unjustified since, when he first took the position at Xavier’s, he did forge information to pass the background check. Had he not voluntarily turned himself over to the police, it was likely he would have been banned from the Mansion for the rest of his life. ”Hey, some people would say I have life experience to share with my students.” Going from orphan to criminal to productive member of society was a journey that certainly afforded Nate a few lessons he could share. ”But I’ll let it slide because it’s not every night I get a compliment from the prettiest doctor-slash-research-associate I know.” To be fair, that was a short list, and DocProf was not exactly Nate’s type.

The lab was filled with impressive machines and devices Nate knew absolutely nothing about. Being a conman taught him a lot about several areas of knowledge, but he never immersed himself in the medical world. Everything was too technical and varied, so his usual technique of BSing his way through conversations would hit a wall if he wanted to fake a medical conversation with an expert.

Zelda called for Nate’s attention, leading him to a large microscope. An old instinct kicked in and Nate estimated the cost of the microscope at four thousand dollars, based on his limited understanding of the market. It was large for what it was, but still entirely portable. It would not be his first target in a lab of priceless research, but who did not like walking away with more than they came for on a shopping trip?

Based on the winking, Nate was willing to guess “David” was the codename she assigned to DocProf; he was, after all, the only subject Nate was personally aware of. He looked through the microscope, seeing the example of white bioluminescence Zelda was talking about. As he examined the “edited gene,” he listened to Zelda talking about her thus far unsuccessful attempts at applying the X-gene for practical medical purposes. She was running tests on people and mice, and based on her tone, she was less happy about involving the mice. Zelda truly was a good person at heart; maybe even “do no harm” incarnate, if her first impressions were to be believed.

He pulled away from the microscope and offered her a warm smile. ”The world’s lucky you chose to be a wonder doc rather than a mad scientist,” he said, before adding sincerely, ”but really, your passionate, clever, and incredibly attractive. I’m sure you’ll find a way to a successful trial.” It was a genuine compliment, even if he tossed one noticeably unrelated quality.

Zelda arched a brow at his defense. Did he not actually tell the mansion? Did they actually not do a background check, actually? Oh well. Not her problem. She could see that he was a good guy - he definitely seemed to have sharpened up his act since his criminal days. It wouldn't have been fair for mistakes in the past to keep him from living in the future. One terrible thing about the criminal justice system of the world - you're trapped the minute you f*ck up. She shook her head, laughing only on the inside. Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to survive in the world. She could respect that, no matter what his profession was. 

>> ”Hey, some people would say I have life experience to share with my students. But I’ll let it slide because it’s not every night I get a compliment from the prettiest doctor-slash-research-associate I know."

She chuckled, giving him a playful grin, "Hey, I never said the criminal turn teacher was a bad thing. Who doesn't love a good redemption story?" Her chuckle turned into a laugh, "I mean, it's good to have someone who has experience about the real world as a teacher." She gave him a genuine smile, a genuine compliment regarding his sketchy past. Most people didn't have the real world experience that lots of people fall into.

She watched him take a look through the microscope. She was completely geeking out at the moment and realized she needed to calm herself down some. This guy probably was able to piece together what she was talking about but probably didn't completely understand. Or maybe that was her god-complex going off. She moved into her office with him and leaned against her desk, motioning for him to join her.

>> ”The world’s lucky you chose to be a wonder doc rather than a mad scientist, but really, your passionate, clever, and incredibly attractive. I’m sure you’ll find a way to a successful trial."

She smiled, enjoying the compliments that were coming from him. She really enjoyed getting praises and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. She gave him a fairly seductive grin, almost as if there was a hunger in her eye too. She was feeling a... certain way towards the man by this point. She sighed, "I hope so... Well, ummm... Do you have any questions?" She wasn't good at the endings it seemed like. 

Nate liked the way Zelda smiled and he seemed to have the recipe for making her smile. Compliments, praise, and flirtatious banter got him into her good graces, which was impressive when one remembered how recently he had scared the hell out of her as a ghostly shadow. He may have put his conman hat on the shelf, but he was not about to suddenly forget how to turn on the charm. He was not sure what he was expecting from his new acquaintance, but when her smile turned into something more… suggestive, Nate wondered if she had plans of her own.

While Zelda’s research was impressive, Nate could only appreciate it so much with his limited understanding. ”Zel, I don’t think I have the scientific knowledge necessary to have questions. But I think I got what I came for. You’re trying to save the world, and if you do, human and mutantkind might be closer for it. That’s the dream, right?”

Speaking of dreams, Nate checked his wristwatch and realized they found themselves closer to morning than evening. He had classes to teach in the morning and he was already well past the point where he could have snuck a restful nap before his day. If he was not going to sleep, he was going to need food and coffee to power through the workday.

He could have found some diner near the Mansion, but if he was going to be stuck getting breakfast anyway, why not enjoy the meal with company? ”Listen, I’m sorry about the horror movie routine back at the Mansion. I was just being protective of the school, but it was still rude as hell. I was figuring, since a certain someone has kept me up this late, maybe you’d be up for some breakfast, coffee, and shameless flirting?” Since his time in prison, Nate found a new value to honesty; he had a feeling Zelda would as well.

Zelda couldn't help but smile at Nate. She was glad she had impressed him - at least enough to trust her and to keep her work a secret. That was her ultimate goal in showing him all of this - that and to show just how amazing the human and mutant body is. Zelda was a total geek when it come to medicine and she was shameless when it came to giving others that type of knowledge. 

>> ”Zel, I don’t think I have the scientific knowledge necessary to have questions. But I think I got what I came for. You’re trying to save the world, and if you do, human and mutantkind might be closer for it. That’s the dream, right?”

Zelda grinned and nodded, "That pretty much sums it up. It could really help a lot of people in the end." She shrugged, "It could also turn out to be a dead end. But you never know unless you try... But now I have a little easier objective on my mind." She gave him a quick wink before stretching a little. She jangled her keys in her hand, thinking about how the night had transpired. Interesting turn of events to say the least. She really wasn't expecting that. She checked her watch and sighed - dang. "No sleep for the wicked, I guess," she muttered under her breath. Now she was glad she had that gum in their car ride earlier.

>> ”Listen, I’m sorry about the horror movie routine back at the Mansion. I was just being protective of the school, but it was still rude as hell. I was figuring, since a certain someone has kept me up this late, maybe you’d be up for some breakfast, coffee, and shameless flirting?”

She chuckled, remembering the voices, the creepy shadow grabbing. She arched her brow, "You could have just asked me what I was doing - it's not like I could have really ran away." She pointed to her heels. "But it's fine - I mean, I was kinda a b*tch to you. I did turn the light off and force you back into human form - I'd wager that wasn't the most comfortable, sudden feeling. Glad I got to see you in your human form before your clothes got on you, at least." She walked over and gave him a soft pat on the back, "alright, cute *ss, breakfast, coffee, and shameless flirting sounds like a great way to start our morning. Let me just change really quick, this is a relatively uncomfortable fabric." She walked over to a closet (as any stereotypical doctor would have, she had also had a couch, set with matching pillows and blankets.) 

She looked through a few of her clothing items before setting on this particular outfit. Soft fabric, fit her body well, and really just felt a lot better on her than the other one. She stripped with Nate in the room, really not worried if he saw her - she already saw him naked, so this gave him the opportunity to take a look at her body with her black lacy underwear. Fair is fair, right? Once dressed, she began to walk towards the exit of her office. 

She motioned for him to follow her as they exited her laboratory. She locked it with a key.  And she definitely gave his butt a little smack when they left the laboratory. Then, it was the trek back to the elevators.

Nate and Zelda’s first impression could have gone better on both ends. Nate gave Zelda a hard time and she replied by getting snarky and screwing with his mutation. She was right to think the forced shift was unpleasant, but it was not a long-lasting effect. Making a second impression in his boxers seemed to set them on a better foot, leading them to the hospital and a plan for breakfast that Zelda seemed happy to accept.

With a friendly pat on the back, Zelda made a detour to the closet to change her outfit. Since they were the only ones in the lab, she was apparently willing to get very friendly, changing openly in front of Nate. Politeness or chivalry would suggest turning away, but Nate remembered the looks she gave him when he was the one in a state of undress. With those memories in mind, he felt comfortable unabashedly watching as the attractive doctor stripped down to lacy black underthings.

She returned in a grey top and a sleek black pencil skirt; certainly, an improvement over her work clothes, but in Nate’s humble opinion, a step down from the matched bra and panty set.

Nate followed along, just as Zelda gestured for him to, and his reward was a quick smack on the butt. She had mentioned it more than once, so evidently it was making its own good impression. They entered the elevator and hit the button to send them to the lobby, which meant they had some time to kill on the way down. ”You know, if the cameras in your lab are spying, you definitely just gave the government and the shady corporations quite a show. And for the record,” he started, giving her own bottom a squeeze, ”I’m not the only one with a cute *ss.”

Zelda had a big grin as she changed her clothes - he was watching her change. She wouldn't complain about it - she knew she had a nice body and her underwear fit amazingly well with her body sculpture. She even decided to exaggerate her slipping on her pencil skirt, slowly pulling her top over her head, and getting her hair back into position. She was pretty sure he enjoyed the show.

He didn't seem to be upset over her complete objectification of him - she did like his personality, too. He did what he was told, which was nice. She didn't have to worry when they were in the lab about him saying something incriminating, at least. Zelda felt pretty comfortable with him. Despite their rocky start, they seemed to be have had a pretty fun night/soon to be morning.

Once she stepped into the elevator, it was going to be a long ride. The elevators needed to be upgraded - they were still older, but the hospital kept funneling money to improve the medical services. Neglecting the elevator seemed to be a bad way to do business, at least in Zelda's opinion.

>> ”You know, if the cameras in your lab are spying, you definitely just gave the government and the shady corporations quite a show. And for the record, I’m not the only one with a cute *ss.”

She let out a big grin and simply shrugged, "Hey, I mean, I'm sure whoever watches it will love the show anyways." She felt his hand give her bottom a squeeze and that nearly set her off. A good way off. She glanced over to him, debating on what her next action might be. They had only met but this was the 21st century.

So what the hell, why not? Her heartbeat picked up and she decided to take action. She grabbed his button up shirt and pushed him against the wall of the elevator. Her lips were nearly on his, not quite, but her breath went over his lips and skin. Her eyes were locked on his, then she whispered, "You know, I can give you a more... personal show, one where you can see more than just my cute *ss." Her eyes stayed locked on his - she wasn't sure if he really wanted to go all the way or if he was just all talk and no game. 

Zelda had a confidence that was appealing. She was well aware of how attractive she was and did not need Nate’s input on that front. Maybe she was even a bit of a show-off and who would hold that against her? She was a brilliant doctor, she was witty, and she was hot; she had plenty of reasons to strut her stuff, so to speak.

Nate was ready to make his comments on the “show,” but he barely had the chance. His small breach of personal space prompted a swift and aggressive counter-action. Before he realized what was happening, he was up against the wall. Nate never understood the way some men found a woman’s proactivity emasculating, because who would not find that kind of dominance and decisiveness hot as hell? Certainly not Nate, who was suddenly wide awake and acutely aware of Zelda’s proximity. Her body was pressed against his and her lips were lingering just out of reach of his own. ”That’s a mighty generous offer…”

It was natural for Nate’s hands to drift toward her waist. They slipped under her top, feeling the heat of her taught stomach beneath. He moved toward her ear and whispered low, ”I’d have to think of several ways to repay you…” His lips trailed from where her jaw met her neck down the jawline until he returned to her lips and suddenly, they had an excellent way to spend a slow elevator ride.