undergrounds | 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

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

sarosaron!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm sorry to hear that," Natasha says. Sorry, but not surprised. "I wish I could have helped her more with that."

It's not something Natasha will dwell on, but she admits it. Hard to say if her sympathy will be welcome, but she doesn't think it will hurt to express it. Maybe misery does love company?

"How's the dancer been?"

Jean-Claude shrugs slightly. "You and I both, mon amie," he admits, regretfully. He does not like the fact that he had failed her. The fact that he had very little chance to try for that matter.

He shifts in his chair at the mention of Cherry. "Ah," he says, "Cherry. She is well. She's still on a reduced schedule so she's not working tonight, I'm afraid. But if you like," he adds, tilting his head at her, "I can check the schedule to see when she is to be here next."

Natasha offers a smile at the offer, a little self-conscious. Maybe she should leave well enough alone? Cherry's probably had more than enough vampire lately. "You don't have to," she tells him with a shrug. "I don't want her to think she's got a stalker. Just wanted to be sure she wasn't worse for the experience."

Especially when Natasha had almost endangered the mission by not feeding. But if everything was all right, if Cherry isn't traumatized and Natasha has healed, then maybe that will stop nagging at her.

Jean-Claude shrugs slightly. He doubts that Cherry would mind. There are plenty of others who follow the schedules of the other dancers. Albeit they have much more regular schedules.

"Then I just suppose that you will have to keep coming back," he replies, quirking a smile in turn. "If you would like to 'happen' to run in to her, that is. I am certain she would enjoy seeing you again. And I would not mind your company in the meanwhile, for that matter."

"Well, with an invitation like that..." She returns the smile, almost shyly. Natasha's not part of the nest, and she's been more than a little bold about going in territories where she should be more cautious, but she doesn't regret what it's led too. "I wanted to see her doing okay. Since that's the kind of thing you need to do yourself, I guess you're right. I'll have to come back."

She may not be part of the nest, but that certainly will not stop Jean-Claude's interest in her. She is an anomaly, to be true, standing outside the lot of them. He wants to understand why she does not ally herself with the vampires. And even if she does not ally herself with them, he wonders whether he can find a way to assure her alliance with him.

"Would it be so terrible?" he asks, offering her something of a smirk in turn.

"I can think of worse things." She says it light, a little arch, as though she's joking. Her tone hides some seriousness, though. It's becoming clear to her that she doesn't have the space to stay away from vampires entirely. It's foolish to think she can avoid it, and with what's happened lately, she doesn't entirely want to.

And maybe she wants to be able to talk to others like herself. There's something to that, though she justifies it to herself as needing friends in the nest if she's going to have an influence at all on the direction the nest takes.

"I mean, I can't argue with the view."

Jean-Claude quirks something of a smile at her, and looks as though he means to speak up to make the comment somehow apply to himself but at the last minute turns to glance up at the latest dancer to take the stage. "Nor can I, mon amie," he agrees, with the quirk of a smile. "Nor can I."

He turns back to her with a laugh in his eyes as he leans back in his chair, crossing his legs at the knee. "But enough talk of my club and my dancers. You must tell me of yourself. How has the city been treating you?"

"Must I?" Natasha asks, a bit arch. In her line of work, she's more than happy to let other people talk about themselves. Being in the spotlight doesn't sit well with a spy.

Sometimes there's no way around it though. Giving a little information will get her more in the long run. His trust, maybe.

"I'd say London's been treating me okay so far. I could ask for a little less excitement, but compared to Moscow..."

There's no open war between vampires and werewolves here, so she'll take it.

His trust for one, yes. Though Jean-Claude enjoys the spotlight, he would know of the people he has close to him. He is not a fool, after all. He will not let her too close without knowing how close he can let her.

He lets out a soft noise of acknowledgment at that. "You will find this city creates its own unique problems," he replies.

"It's a unique situation. That's part of what brought me here, though," she allows slowly, giving a slight shake of her head. "I don't hate it, though. I think I'll stay for a while, if things don't take a turn for worse."

Jean-Claude inclines his head at her. "Let us hope that they do not, then. We have lost enough talented young vampires in recent days as it is. Someone who has been around for as long as myself? It might start to get depressing, after a time." He offers a smile, as if he were only playing fun, and perhaps he was to some degree. But only some.

"I do hate to see an old man cry," she teases, but the message is fairly clear. For one reason or another, Natasha doesn't intend to leave. That doesn't mean she won't, if things get worse, but they'll have to get much worse than this before she lets herself be chased off.

In fact I have been all over town

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject