In fact I have been all over town

[outstandingbalance]

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

(Don't see anything here that strikes your fancy? Then let's do something else. Hit me up on plurk at sarosaron!)

Comments

[falsify]

"Maybe you should try someone who knows what they're getting into."

If it's an invitation, it's not an obvious one. Presented more as a casual statement than a come-on as Eames looks Natasha over — withdrawn, tired. Part of him wonders what it is that's even got her off blood for now, (because it's always 'for now', no matter what they want to think,) but he won't ask. Not because it feels invasive or wrong, but it also doesn't feel right. Certainly not at the moment anyhow.

She really is a curiosity though.

[outstandingbalance]

"Someone who knows what they're getting into but doesn't mind," she says, clarifying the problem with that sentiment. She's not blind to the fact that his statement leaves him an option, but it's also hardly volunteering.

A part of her wonders just what he is flirting with, if she's not reading too much into his behavior. Not her. Not specifically. But something.

On the other hand, who knew why fae did anything.

"Those might not be so easy to find. Though I mean, if you know where to find someone like that..." She ends with a dry laugh, not quite humorless but no less worn out.

[specifiercity]

It took Arthur a few minutes to settle up with the bartender, and his disposition as he leaves the bar is significantly different to when he was talking with Natasha over drinks. He's about to walk the other way when he glances back where Natasha and Eames are standing, and he has to do a double-take.

Great.

His shoulders drop forward as he realizes that they've seen him and they've seen him see them and now there's no pretending it didn't happen.

[falsify]

Initially he doesn't even pay any mind to Arthur, ready and armed with some comment that's halfway between an innuendo and advice for Natasha to take however, but he realises Arthur's stopped before the comment makes it out of his mouth. More than that, he sees the slump in his shoulders and it takes everything in Eames not to dissolve into hysterics as he looks between the two of them.

And to think, he almost opted to stay in tonight.

"This is who you ran out on?" He claps his hands together and squeezes, almost as though praying in thanks to some higher power for a brief moment, utter delight stamped clear across his face, "amazing. Truly."

[outstandingbalance]

If Arthur's slump isn't damning enough, Natasha's wince as she catches sight of him would be all the confirmation that Eames needs. She's not the most expressive woman in the world, but she regrets running out on Arthur and it shows.

At least for an instant.

Her expression closes off at the laughter, though. The way Eames' expression lights up implies a whole lot here.

"You two know each other?"

[specifiercity]

He presses his lips together when Eames shows such glee at whatever he knows. Clearly it's enough to see that Arthur was just on his way home alone and that Natasha's the reason for that, and that is far too much information for him to have.

"Unfortunately," he says, some barely concealed anger in his tone, all directed at Eames. "And you two...?"

[falsify]

The outward joy passes relatively quickly, though he's still enjoying this a lot. It's the sort of thing he won't even remember a day or two from now, but for the moment? Hilarious.

"We've met before," Eames answers, "small world, apparently."

[outstandingbalance]

"We've run into each other before," Natasha says slowly, measured. Her attention shifts back to Arthur. Eames' amusement might sting, but ultimately her ego will survive. On the other hand, this strikes her as a point against the whole just an accountant theory. Knowing Lancelot could have been nothing, but both one of the Guardians and one of the fae independently se me like less of a coincidence. What was more, she was confident he wasn't fae himself. A werewolf or a shifter would have made what she was by scent. That left relatively few options.

Not that she holds it against him. She wasn't advertising either.

"Sorry I ran out like that," she says instead of asking the next obvious question. "But it's better this way."

[specifiercity]

He waves her off, his tone softening just a bit to show he's not trying to be dismissive. He even takes his suspicious gaze off of Eames to look at her as he says, "it's fine, you don't have to explain yourself."

Eames, on the other hand. Arthur doesn't say it but he'd love to hear what Eames finds so funny about the situation.

[falsify]

Well Arthur missed the conversation about Eames and schadenfreude, so he'll never know. His delight in seeing Arthur fail to get any in such an (he assumes) embarrassing way for everyone is multi-faceted and he's not going to explain any of it.

He is, however, not interested in this conversation and takes a moment to inspect his nails out of boredom.

"Well it's nice to see you both being adults about this."

[outstandingbalance]

"We're both very adult people," Natasha comments dryly. Her tone isn't obviously guarded. She's too professional for that. But the tiredness and any air of vulnerability is replaced by a sort of reserved playfulness. "Is there a reason why shouldn't be adult about this?"

[specifiercity]

Arthur has a sneaking suspicion that there's something very supernatural about this. He knows Eames has human contacts but he doesn't imagine he has much use for them very often. Only when they're already involved in supernatural affairs, like Arthur is himself, so he fixes Eames with a stare as he wills him to give some hint as to what's going on here.

[falsify]

The funny thing is, vampire or not Natasha really is just someone he met in a bar once. And Eames pays no mind to the stare Arthur's giving him, lofting ab amused eyebrow at Natasha instead.

"You mustn't know Arthur very well yet."

[outstandingbalance]

"Would have said I know him about as well as I know you," she says, still wryly joking. It's a pretty specific wording—implying that she might not say that now, and that he probably doesn't know her even that well.

[specifiercity]

"Maybe you should illuminate both of us as to what about me makes this so funny," Arthur says, like he's starting to lose his patience. He really thinks he should walk away, but there's a mixture of curiosity and frustration keeping him put until he gets a little more information.

[falsify]

"I don't think it's quite so funny to anyone who doesn't know you, dear" Eames answers as a casual aside, almost like he's talking to an unruly child instead of someone who's annoyed for a very understandable reason. "Or your impeccable sense of timing."

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha clears her throat at that. She's getting a strange picture of the relationship between the two of them, and the more they say the more clear it becomes that it is some kind of a relationship.

She's at least half serious when she asks, "Are the two of you together?"

If they were, she could at least see how one of the fae would find it funny.

[specifiercity]

"What?"

Arthur's so thrown off by that that he can't properly react at first. It's such a ridiculous idea and he can't actually conceptualize where she would get that idea. They're clearly being antagonizing right now.

"No, we're not - of course not."

[falsify]

If Eames were drinking, he likely would've spat it out, so let's all be glad that didn't happen. He barks a sharp laugh, equal parts actual humour and surprise.

"No, god no." He shakes his head, "I'm not sure I've ever heard a worse idea."

[outstandingbalance]

She looks between the two of them, not exactly skeptical but their mutual antagonism still seems very familiar to her. At least it seems to have got their attention. Maybe that can be a first step to an actual answer.

"Well, that rules out one possibility. Should I keep guessing?"

[specifiercity]

"We're just..." Arthur starts to insist, trailing off as he tries to come up with an appropriate way to end that sentence. There's definitely something going on here but he doesn't want to take a chance on being wrong and having to explain away a lot of things he doesn't want to bother with.

"Colleagues," he finally says, not all that convincing. He keeps his gaze trained on Eames. "Maybe he can enlighten me as to why that's relevant."

[falsify]

"He is, unfortunately, very good at what he does." Eames answers more smoothly than Arthur, and shrugs a shoulder. He's never actually hired Arthur as an accountant, but it's probably a fair assumption he's good at that too. He's the kind of person who loves numbers and niggly details, because apparently one needs to come up with their own boredom in life.

[outstandingbalance]

"So he balances your books." Now she does sound skeptical. Natasha doesn't know Eames's work, but that seems unlikely. And while she doesn't have a problem with secrecy, this is getting frustrating.

She turns her attention to Arthur instead; at least he doesn't find the situation any funnier than she does.

"You know what he is," she says, not quite asking a question. That seems like a good start. It's vague enough that if she's wrong, she can still walk this back—but she sincerely doubts she's wrong.

[specifiercity]

Arthur pauses a moment, studying her expression to make sure this is what she really means. She's asking if he knows that Eames is fae, and after that pause he nods.

"Yeah, I know what he is."

[falsify]

So is everyone just gonna pussyfoot around it then? Eames rolls his eyes — there's nothing to be gained and it's annoying.

"I'm a fae, he's a human, she's a vampire. Just so we're all on the same page." Eames shakes his head, "and even the long-lived among us need an accountant from time to time."

Centuries of accumulated wealth doesn't manage itself, you know.