After years in the anti-vamp movement Natalia’s life had become a strict routine that kept both her mind sharp and her body honed. While she was well aware she was no longer being trained for war any longer and that perhaps the rest of her ‘family’ had been murdered that night it was often the only thing that kept her from falling into a black pit of despair that desperately called her name. Just a few months ago all she had left of her old life was the falling snow on her face and the smoke rising from the place she called home. Amsterdam had been such a culture shock, vampires and humans sharing the streets without aggression, even…fornicating in some places. It both fascinated and disgusted her in equal measures and it was this confusion that led to the routine’s implementation. 

Her days were spent training, burning off the energy she accumulated through the night shifts she worked. It still made her skin itch to work so close to vampires, to pour and serve them the blood of some poor human from god knows where. How much did they [b]really[/b] know about the source? In her training Natalia had learned that the best place to find our information was often the targets own turf. What better place to look for her mysterious green eyed monster than in a bar run by his people and frequented by both them and their silly little walking, talking blood bags. Though the shifts often left her frustrated in one way or another and so as to not carry it into the next day her training schedule was necessary. Monday’s were kick boxing, Tuesdays’ were Jujitsu, Wednesday’s were pole dancing lessons –for leg and arm strength-, Thursday’s were her day off but she’d run or swim usually, Friday’s were bag work and the weekend varied depending on her mood.

She’d been working her bag for half an hour, her knuckles, shin’s and knees red as she went over and over every drill she remembered. Open fist fighting, palm strikes, heel strikes, her hair slick with sweat and sticking to her forehead but despite the labour in her breathing and the concentrated movement of her styles she was not fully aware of her environment. Her mind had been allowed to roam as her muscle memory carried her through elbow strikes and knee lifts, she had yet to find a trace of the green eyed monster that had, for some reason, spared her that night in the snow. Not so much as a rumour had filtered to her ears in that bar for the walking dead and their meals on legs. Of course she wasn’t there [i]just[/i] to find that man but to find herself, even now she was both fascinated and disgusted by vampire culture. Though did that confusion mean she was a traitor to her family? Or simply that she thought she ought to know more about her enemies? She hadn’t given up on the idea of revenge but neither was she in a screamingly urgent desire to find and kill those that had murdered her kin. 

At the beginning of every shift she was glad she didn’t see the man she was looking for, her mind embroiled with the various things she’d do to him if she found him but by the end of the night she found her heart ached at not having found him. What had been the point in saving her if he didn’t show his face to her again? Most of the people in the gym she frequented had learned not to approach her when she was working a bag, the first and only time someone had they’d been left with a dislocated shoulder coupled with profuse apologies but every now and then someone new arrived at the gym. Due to her short stature and lithe frame they often misjudged her, taking her for some form of dancer rather than a fighter and such was the problem then. 

There were only two bags in this part of the gym, one was being used by a well known MMA fighter and one by her, so the man had sauntered over with the intention of some quick quip and a little intimidation to run the mousy girl off. In her sports shorts and tank top, hair in a pony tail she looked as unthreatening as a woman could possibly get and so he went to tap her shoulder a rather smug grin already on his face. Sensing the movement her mind recoiled from its thoughts as she grabbed the thick wrist and slid a step diagonally back and behind, twisting she sent a trainer into the bag of his knee’s making the unsuspecting man topple and fall, her arm twisted his one eighty degrees and up until his wrist was well above his head and her foot on his shoulder blade forcing his face toward the ground and pressure onto his arm. The look in her eyes was likely rather concerning, the woman –who was still pulling herself back into reality- had a blank gaze upon her features, even as the downed man cried out. In fact it was only when he tapped his other arm on the mats that she fully regained her senses and released him.

As the guy rubbed his arm and got to his feet Natalia brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, “You startled me.” Mother Russia accenting her words, “I’m sorry.”
“No no, my fault.” The guy confessed, muttering some choice words beneath his breath before laughing it off. Turned out he was a bouncer at one of the seedier clubs in Amsterdam and had almost lost against a rather stuck up vampire client so thought he’d come do some physical training. He did tell her his name but she had only feigned interest and carried on the conversation until certain he wasn’t going to press any charges. He wasn’t which was good, with a sweet smile she apologised again and hit the showers, the water relaxing her tense muscles.

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It was around Nine when she arrived for her shift, Downstairs in Red, for the vile cesspit it was, was better than nothing. When several of the higher class bar’s had turned her away for insufficient paperwork or a permanent address all that ‘The Red’ had asked of her was if she knew how to mop up vomit, pour a pint and the difference between the two. Of course she doubted old green eyes would come to such a low brow place, there’d been something about him, though she was uncertain if that was just a child’s fantastical spin on things. It had been an invaluable learning experience and tongues here were often loose for a bartender who had a little cleavage and a pretty face. In fact sometimes the money she made in tips was more than she earned that shift and she certainly wasn’t complaining. 

Her idle spot though was The Burlesque, if anyone knew who Green eyes was, or of him they’d likely be there with the other movers and shakers. The rather plucky greeter had turned her away the last time she’d paid it a visit, not dressed properly or some other poor excuse to keep her out. Which had lead her to the rather desperate move of hand writing a CV and posting it to the Burlesque for the Attention of the bar owner. That had been a day or two ago and she entertained herself with the knowledge that just maybe the rich bastard who owned the club would be reading it over now. 

With a sigh she slipped around the side of the building where the staff entrance, bins and loading area were all crammed into the thin alley. As there often was one of her fellow bar tenders was out on break but not alone, some nameless vampire attached to her neck and she was moaning like one of the whores upstairs. Perhaps she was awaiting a promotion? Natalia ignored them and slipped inside, gauging her reflection in the smudged mirror that hung nearby before heading towards the bar. Today she’d opted for the more neo gothic look, PVC pants hugged her legs, slashes ‘fashionably’ ran horizontal every inch or so from the top of her thigh to her ankle. She’d opted for a Red satin blouse to be held in place by an under bust corset that lifted and framed her chest for those ‘extra tips’. It was a sleazy way to get more money perhaps but she had to fit in and most the women here were as undressed as they could legally be. She’d pulled her hair up into a high pony tail, the ends brushing her shoulder blades and with smoky eyes and a dark red lipstick she fit the bill for the bar.

“About fucking time.” Came the call from her co-worker, Jenny, Jasmine? Something like that, currently wearing what Natalia called a ‘belt’ with some fish nets, bitch boots and a tube top. She had a tray balanced on her hand and immediately wiggled passed their boss to hand over her key, “See you tomorrow night and good luck it’s heaving tonight!” Natalia hiked a brow as the woman pulled crumpled noted from between her breasts and wiggled passed to get her coat. Jessica –wasn’t much need to know co-workers names- was right, as Natalia stepped onto the bar floor she was met by the sort of noise she’d always associated with locusts. The prog rock band playing at the other end was drowned out by shouting, laughing and god knows what else as they all struggled for room close to the action. The band were rubbish, they couldn’t really sing, were not very good at playing but humans and vampires alike were head banging or dancing along to every out of tune number. 

The bar was the other centre of action, people pushing to get close enough to scream their orders and others holding their drinks above their heads and struggling back out of the way to the only relatively quiet middle ground there was. Grabbing a glass she briefly span it back and forth in hand before making her way into the fray. “What can I get you suga’?” She shouted over the band and ambient noise, a meek looking guy met her gaze and quickly looked away. She started pouring him a vodka, “Ah shit hunny, this ain’t no bar for you. Get this down your neck.” The undiluted liquid was held over the bar to him and her other hand indicated with index finger for payment. The little nerd smiled shyly and handed over a note which he didn’t get to see the change of as he was swept away by one of the girls, Natalia shook her head and moved swiftly onto the next customer.