undergrounds | In fact I have been all over town

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In fact I have been all over town

I. Hoar's Head (Closed to Evie)

Who is Natasha to argue with good atmosphere? Evie described the place as Marie Antoinette's attic, which is both amazingly accurate and misses its exact charm. It feels private, which Natasha respects, and there's something about it that's not as masculine as a lot of bars. She doubts she needs to worry about fights breaking out over a girl or the latest football match.

As she walks toward the bar, she scans the room for Evie. She couldn't be the first one here, could she? It's five past ten now, and Evie didn't strike her as the type to be late.

II. Guilty Pleasures (OTA)

It's been a while since Natasha said she'd stop in, and it might be too late now. She's heard that Kenzi's not around anymore and that was supposed to be her reason, right? Keep an eye on the girl. Give her a friend, someone who knew what she was going through. Someone who wasn't her sire to help her adjust. Natasha considered not even coming in...

But here she is now.

If nothing else she's hoping to see how Cherry's doing, that she was safe and comfortable since Natasha and Evie rescued her last month. Make sure that she's back to normalcy. That's why Natasha comes in on Lady's Night. Or it's a good excuse to come in on Lady's Night. Either way.

It's well into the evening when she shows up, taking a seat at a table near the corner with a good view of the room and orders herself a gin and tonic. She keeps an eye on things from there, not asking after Cherry directly or looking for Jean Claude. If either of them actually want to speak to her, she imagines that they'll know she's here before long. Maybe it was a passive approach, but she was fine with letting them decide whether or not they wanted to talk to her again.

In the time being, well, she has plenty of money.

III. Dark Corners (Closed to Arthur)

Natasha tries not to think about how long it's been since she fed, but it's not very successful. The thirst won't let her forget it. Even if it's not at the front of her thoughts, it's always there somewhere in the back of her mind.

It's been about the same length of time since she's had sex. Not unrelated. The two things had often gone together for her, and while she'd played with the idea a little, even gone on a date or two, but it never went anywhere. Natasha wasn't in the place for a relationship, and she hadn't wanted to lead anyone on. But there's no reason she shouldn't have some fun.

Tonight, she doesn't intend to give anyone the wrong idea. She walks into the bar knowing what she wants. It's a little bit more upscale than most of the dives she frequents, and the dress she wears could be shorter, could be tighter, but she's dressed to attract attention rather than deflect it. If she turns heads, it's intentional.

She smiles when she spots a familiar face. She remembers Arthur from Lancelot's birthday. Their chat had been fine—and he was certainly attractive enough. Internally, she shrugs. Why not? She could do a lot worse. She'd even considered making a play for it at the time, but Arthur had left with another woman and no hard feelings that he had.

But if she's going to get a second chance?

Natasha sits beside him at the bar, crossing her legs pointedly as she swivels an eight of a turn toward him. "The accountant, right? You might not remember me..."

IV. Fresh Air (Closed to Eames)

On the street, panting warm night air and trying to calm a raging thirst: not Natasha's finest moment. She's not even sure what she left behind her. She thinks Arthur was saying something as she disengaged and chased herself away from the situation, but she hadn't registered what he was saying over the pounding in her ears. Perfect.

She leans back against the brick wall behind her, steadying herself.

"Shit." She is a mess.

And now she has an audience.

V. After Hours (Closed to Daryl)

Looks like Natasha is going to have a chance to do some of the tourist things after all. Maybe she should have begged out, but Daryl and asked her if she wanted to go and she'd said yes. It's not like she really had anything better to do. It's not like she doesn't want to spend more time with him. Daryl has been good for her, refreshingly nonjudgmental for all his awkwardness.

She waits for him to meet her on the street near near the Redbright Institute. She's still not entirely sure this is a good idea, but as far as bad ideas go, she's had a lot worse.

VI. Grocery Delivery (Closed to Alex))

Alex has been relocated to a nondescript little apartment in a bad neighborhood, paid for in cash by Natasha with a little extra to keep quiet. The landlady is a Russian woman in her sixties, and after a hushed, serious conversation in their native language, Natasha was confident that money wasn't the only reason she wouldn't mention the suspicious circumstances of her new tenant's arrival.

It was a good move, for the short term at least, and Natasha was starting to think that she might just be able to keep the werewolf alive through the end of the month.

After a few days in the new place, Natasha checks in again. She brings two bags of groceries, since Alex still shouldn't be outside where she can be seen. Even during the day, there were too many ways word could get back to the nest if she were spotted. Or that word could get back to the Night Council. Either way, the end would be about the same outcome for both of them at this point.

"I brought you a couple of steaks," Natasha says as she brings the bags in. "I wasn't sure what else you'd like, so I went ahead and guessed." Her tone is light, inviting Alex to let her know if there was anything in particular that she'd like in the future. "There's a book of sudoku, too."

Once the food is on the counter, she turns and takes in the flat quickly. No sign of trouble, at least.

"Anything else you need before I get out of your hair?"

VII. Choose Your Own Adventure

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Evie purses her lips at Natasha's confession. Not good, not good at all. "So this is your new normal, so to speak?" She places her arms on the table, leaning forward carefully.

"What caused this?" She drums her fingers on the table. She really needs to find out, now. "Do not worry, I'll keep your secrets safe."

Natasha's eyes drift away. She doesn't relish the idea of this explanation, but she does owe Evie one. Her actions put the other woman in danger as well. It's difficult, in the face of such concern, to admit she brought this on herself though.

"I'm not feeding," she says after a moment, her voice calm and detached, a smoke screen against her real feelings on the matter. "It's a personal choice—not a moral one." She's quick to add that last part. Most people misunderstand that part. "It's just something I need to do for a while."

Another roll of her crimson-painted nails. "I can respect that." She can. She won't question why, it's not her place, and Natasha hasn't opened herself up to field questions. So long as she obeyed the laws, it wasn't any of her business how she choose to feed.

The server arrives, bringing with them the two whiskys. Evie reaches for hers, and takes a sip before she continues.

"What I can't respect, however, is volunteering for a dangerous mission in that sort of shape. Especially not when someone else is counting on you." She wasn't upset, so much as Evie was removed from it, polite as ever. She'd already forgiven her.

Another sip and a smile over the top of her glass. "Next time, I'd appreciate you being at the top of your form."

"That puts me in sort of a bind. I can't say when I'll get off the wagon, but I can't promise there won't be a next time." Natasha takes a drink herself. At this point, Evie deserves the honestly so she doesn't let herself give in to the impulse toward dodging.

On some level, the two things weren't unrelated. She had a lot of blood on her hands. That motivated most of her choices.

"I'll let you know if it comes up again," she says instead, then adds—"Though I suppose I shouldn't assume we'll be working together when that happens."

Evie raises her chin,surveying her friend from across the table.

"I can understand that." They were vampires. They were supposed to feed off of human blood. Anything else didn't cut it. Natasha was hardly the first to go vegetarian. "In that case, you'll have to be extra vigilant." She pauses, and looks back over her conversations with the other woman.

"Unless you mean to remain out of our line of business." Almost a pity. Natasha would be a wonderful Assassin. A great way for her to make up for some of her past mistakes.

"Not very likely," Natasha admits. About as likely as her staying off human blood indefinitely. She was avoiding both for the time being, and for similar reasons, but they were both part of what she was. She couldn't stop being a vampire, and she couldn't change the fact that being a spy and an assassin was all she knew how to do.

"I guess it all depends on who wants to hire me. I'm feeling a lot pickier about who I work for these days." Now that she's not at the beckon call of the KGB or her nest. "There was a time that wasn't the case."

Evie nods, accepting this. "I think that's a good way to go about things." Hopefully that meant she would be sticking to helping people from now on, rather than taking any job that came her way. One of the good things about the Assassins was that they didn't have to deal with that sort of thing, unless they wanted to.

one of the reasons that Evie so often free-lanced.

"If you're ever interested, you would be more than welcome to work with the Assassins, as far as I'm concerned. You're good- extremely good and we work well together."

Both of Natasha's brows go up at that, an exaggerated expression disguising real surprise. That isn't an invitation she expected. That's not an invitation she ever expected. She had earned quite a reputation for herself during the Cold War, and the chaos that followed immediately after. It wasn't the sort of reputation that got you an invitation to work with the Assassins. She wasn't known for sparing the innocent, not at the height of her carrier at least.

"That's an interesting offer," she says, playing it off. "I really shouldn't be taking on more jobs right now though. I'm already probably overstepping my boundaries."

By which she means she is, and she knows it.

"But that's not to say I'm not flattered."

An invitation from Evie was different from an invitation from the council. She'd train her, learn about her, see if she was fit to go before the Brotherhood and beg her admittance. She'd seen others do the same, to varying degrees of success. She'd done it for Jacob, after he'd been turned.

But that was it- she thought that Natasha had something still to offer. And she wanted to believe that people could redeem themselves. To try to set things right.

She nods.

"I understand. It's an unconventional offer, I must admit. Our sorts aren't readily admitted, but I believe in redemption." It was something they all wanted, she thought, in some way or another. She thought her redemption lied within doing the right thing, ridding the world of those who wanted to do it harm. She would suffer, if it meant to see things brighter.

"I do recall you saying you were mostly out of the business...?"

Even just from Evie, it's saying a lot. It's more than Natasha expects—her reputation was what it was. And she didn't help herself by not letting her partner know she wasn't at her top performance.

Natasha has only just started to come to the realization that it's redemption she's looking for. Having it put in words like that, it seems somehow more fragile. Less realistic.

Clearing her throat, she lets herself shy away from the topic. "At least for now. It's not part of my current job. I intend to keep it that way. I made an exception for Cherry..." And in a way for Alex, though she doesn't voice that and she didn't kill anyone herself. "I might make exceptions again if I have to. But for now, it seems like a good time for a break."

Evie nods. "I understand. And what's more: I respect that. Just know the offer is on the table." She reaches for her glass of whisky, and holds it up to her new friend.

"I'm glad you're doing better, though. What have you been up to, in the interrum, if you don't mind me asking?" All this time, and Evie's still not the greatest at having actual conversations about things that aren't Assassin-or-work-related in one way or another. But she can try.

"I'll keep it in mind," Natasha agrees, a smile turning up her lips. It's not entirely honest, but the sentiment isn't insincere. Maybe one day she'll consider it seriously. It's not like either of them don't have time.

The next answer is a little more complicated. Natasha bows her head briefly as she considers how to respond. "For the moment, I'm working at the Redbright Institute," she says, starting with the simple facts. This particular bit hadn't made her too many friends, but she didn't regret the choice. It kept her out of Islington politics. At least to the degree she didn't let herself be drawn in anyway. "Trying to get back in the habit of dealing with people outside of nests."

Redbright. Evie nods, her lips tight. She wasn't a fan of Sylvia Redbright, but few people were. Still, at this point, it seemed a safer spot. There was nothing but turmoil in Islington's ranks now, in part thanks to her own actions. Not good.

"Interesting," she opts to say. "I'm sure that keeps you busy." She kept a close eye on Redbright as a human, but the Institute... That was there for a good reason. Being thrust into the underground here was a complicated, confusing thing, she imagined. Best to have a place to guide you.

Natasha couldn't fault Evie for her tact. She flashes a smile, accepting the other woman's reaction for what it is. And accepting the opportunity to build their relationship, such as it was. Natasha didn't have a lot of friends, and fewer still who she had much in common with. Evie and her might be very different in some ways, but similar enough in others that meeting her was intriguing.

And getting to know her better, tempting.

"It does. Apparently I still find a little time to work on the side," she says with a little bit of a smile. "Though at the moment, I'm spending a lot of time indoors."

Vampire problems in summer.

"I noticed you didn't have a charm yet." Or a necklace. Evie's own daylight ring was proudly on her finger, the lapis lazuli forming the setting for the gold Assassin sigil. She was quite fond of it, truthfully. And she did love the sun, even if night did agree with her better.

"With the Solstice approaching, it won't be long until the days are shorter again." It's meant to be a comforting thought. Not that Natasha doesn't know how seasons work. "But it's a problem I can sympathize with."

"But until then, my days are pretty short." Not that there weren't methods. Sometimes she didn't have the luxury of staying in for sixteen hours out of the day. She preferred not risk it, though.

She wasn't at her best during the day anyway.

"At some point, I'll probably want to do something about it." She glances at Evie's ring. "But for the moment, it's not in the budget."

"I see." They could be expensive, and you had to know a witch. But, if Natasha was working with Redbright, it shouldn't be too hard to find a witch. The question was, if with the new rules, any witch was going to be willing to give a vampire a daylight ring.

Honestly, Evie wasn't too hopeful about it.

"I was lucky, and got mine quite early." Bless Aleck. He was so wonderful, really. She missed him often. "But there is something to the midnight mystique."

"I had one back in Russia, but it didn't come along for the trip." She hadn't been trusted to keep it on her own. Unless she was using it for their interests, it was kept under lock and key. A precaution to help keep her in check—her and other assets. Red Room liked to keep their weapons under control.

That's more story than Evie needs, though. Sometimes it's better to keep the details light.

"For the time being, though... it's not so bad. Midnight mystique—I like that."

She pauses, taking another sip before she says, "Seems like you came back to town at an interesting time."

"A shame." It was, really. But her ring was a privilege, and it didn't do to forget that.

Evie looks mildly amused at the question. "I did. I heard there was unrest in the community, and I realized it was high-time I made my return. London is a very important city to me. My brother and I always like to watch over her, look out for the human population." She takes another drink, allowing herself to wonder where the hell her brother was, anyway.

"Unreast is one word for it," Natasha sounds amused as she says it. "Here and when I moved to London, I was hoping for more stability than Moscow."

And it did still offer that, she had to admit. Just not as much more as she might have hoped. Natasha doesn't regret the move, but the longer she's here the more she realizes she didn't really have a plan when she fled Russia and she still didn't know what her own end game was. It was a strange way to live.

"The human population can use it right now. I can't argue with your timing."

"Comparatively- if, say, it were the sixties." She gives her a fond, joking look. They all knew how the history went. Besides, history was something they had in common: they'd both been there for it all.

She nods. "Thank you. I wish they didn't need me quite so much- it's funny, really. A vampire working for the safety of humans, I'm quite aware." She tried not to be one of the monsters they all feared. "But I'll do what I can to keep them safe."

"Maybe I don't think it's so funny." Once she might have. Or less than funny—baffling. She remembered her sire—he would have hated the excess and disorder of the nest here, first the bloodfest and now the new leader—but he'd barely seen humans as better than animals. Only the fact they could become vampires and his nationalistic streak had elevated them in his mind. But he'd been dead for decades now, and whatever lingering sentiment she still held for him, it didn't mean that she agreed with his views.

It had taken her a while to figure that out.

She was still working out how she did feel about humans, exactly. "I'm not sure what it is, but not funny. Maybe it's admirable?"

"Admirable." She leans back, crossing her legs at the knees. The word had a good ring to it. "I'd say that, but I shouldn't be praised for doing what I think is the right thing." Evie shrugs her right shoulder, barely perceptible.

"No gold stars, as I think they're saying now." Every once in a while she tries out more modern slang. It never seems to suit her.

"That sounds American." Natasha shakes her head, a silent laugh in her chest. "I don't mean it as a compliment, though. Just how I see it."

"Doesn't it, though?" She makes a face.

"Well, thank you. I do appreciate it."

In fact I have been all over town

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