here we go again

[iwasrussian]

Who: Natasha and OPEN!
What: Getting settled
When: First week after returning
Where: Various
Warnings: Will update

It was like déjà vu, only of another world and not her own, though she knew exactly what the fate of her outcome was there. Now she was caught in some kind of middle plane that no one quite knew a lot about. Even the ones who'd been there years and before that somewhere else that had all of the same uncanny similarities.

Natasha woke up in her old suite at Magnolia and found the basket at the end of the kitchen island. In it were the same items from home and the same invitation to a party at the Tower. Everything was so damn reminiscent of the last time she had arrived that she had to look at the date on her phone to understand why she felt so unsettled. And that's when she saw it. The date. Last she remembered, it was February. Now it was July 1st.

So, where the hell did five months go?

She spends her first week passing through each of the districts, refamiliarizing herself and taking note of what was still there and what wasn't, all the while keeping an eye out for a certain Atlantean King who she steadily lost faith would be returning as days wore on. But, she spent time at the shoreline down at the end of Chicory Way where she had her modest-sized bungalow kept waiting for her.

In the second half of the week, Natasha connects with other Chosen and willingly engages with anyone she remembers or with those who look slightly out of sorts. If she's not dining in at one of the various restaurants or stops in to grab a drink at The Blind Beggar or The Lounge.

Comments

[iwasrussian]

Natasha makes quick eye contact with the gentleman who takes the seat near her, mostly from the practice of knowing her surroundings at all times. But since her arrival, that tendency is heightened ten-fold, even if she's drinking. After a quick assessment, she decides he could be trouble, but is most definitely a Chosen, like her, despite the obvious fact of him being a vampire.

She tips her beer bottle against her lips and sets it down before turning her attention fully to him. Her tone is quietly curious, but there's something in her tone that says she's not at all frightened or cautious. "Are you here hunting?"

Green eyes pointedly glance down at his glass, suggesting that it's a fair question to ask a vampire who's drinking wine instead of blood.

[doesnotsparkle]

He had been doing the usual scan of patrons, both looking for familiar faces, and praying to not see familiar faces.

When Natasha turned her attention to him, he could tell, and looked to her just before she spoke. He'd seen her eyes shift in the mirror behind the bar. Red meeting green, he chuckled with the question. Almost smiling, but not quite. "Right out with it?" He asked, impressed, before shaking his head. "No, no. There is no need to here. There is a lovely substitute that my body does not reject."

He knew he was a bit of a cliché here, a vampire drinking wine, and yet. He took a drink anyway and offered that light smile anyway. "I'm Michael, and you?"

[iwasrussian]

The City had been full of every kind of person, but she can't say she'd had the pleasure of meeting a wine-drinking vampire before. And if she had, they didn't announce themselves as such. But he seems nice enough, even if Natasha isn't ready to call him a friend. She's not in the habit of trusting people right out of the gate.

"Natasha," she returns, leaving her last name off for good reason. "You arrive here recently? Or you part of the population that Chosen are warned about?"

[doesnotsparkle]

He was a disappointment to classic vampires with his wine drinking ways, but he was a living vampire, and that living part was important. He still had to eat and keep his body going. Trusting people out of the gate was never wise.

"A pleasure, Natasha." He replied with ease. Which would have vanished if he had heard her last name. Even Morbius knew of the Black Widow. "Yes, just days ago with the others. I am not one of the demons that roams the streets. My appearance is due to a mistake in science. No need to worry."

[iwasrussian]

Her brow creases curiously. "Your appearance is due to a mistake? How so?"

Was he saying that he was a vampire created in a lab? If so, there's a story behind that one that she is most definitely interested in hearing. No judgements.