[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/35e1a5b9684ee4f8535e10e6c149afc1/tumblr_ogzbegzVV31rx2wkro2_250.gif[/img] [h2][color=darkmagenta]Natalia[/color][/h2][/center] [b]Ring! Ring! Ring! Ri - [/b] [color=darkmagenta]“Mother, was expecting you an hour ago. Unless the Richards got into another argument?”[/color] Her tone was nonchalant, almost distracted as her light eyes remained narrowed in concentration. “Natalia, have you made it to Salem?” Her mother ignored her last jab, remaining firm and on topic. Pale lips quirked up. [color=darkmagenta]“Made it yesterday morning, on schedule. The house is lovely, by the way.”[/color] Her mother’s tone was noticeably more clipped. “And am I correct in assuming that you haven’t contacted Corwin yet?” A pause. [color=darkmagenta]“No, I haven’t spoken to Chris yet.”[/color] Natalia responded firmly, eyes narrowing even more as her brush carefully moved along the canvas. Her mother let out an exhausted sigh. And if it was a younger Natalia, perhaps she would’ve asked what was wrong or would’ve at least stopped testing the woman. But, that’s not really her style these days. “You’re painting, aren’t you?” [color=darkmagenta]“It calms me.”[/color] Natalie stated simply, pushing away from the painting to look at it from a farther distance, head tilting a little in contemplation. “Just get started.” Her mother retorted sharply, hanging up without a goodbye. [color=darkmagenta]“Love you too.”[/color] Natalia muttered, only half paying attention, removing her phone from her ear as she studied her painting. A small sigh escaping her, pale blue eyes drifted closed as Natalia slowly rolled her shoulders, stretching in place after being hunched over for nearly an hour. Finally looking at her phone, she took only a brief glance at the time before finally nodding to herself. [I]Guess it’s time, huh?[/I] Long fingers quickly and deftly un-buttoned the oversized paint-splatter shirt she was wearing, revealing a surprisingly clean and normal [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ef/b6/00/efb600ca193fd5a2c5fdfa75a780a2c9.jpg]outfit[/url] underneath. Carefully folding up the shirt, she set it down on her stool before leaving the room, with only a quick glance around the room as she did so. Silently closing the door, she proceeded to hum under her breath as she wandered around her small one-story house, tidying up a little before eventually grabbing her purse from it’s place near the door, throwing it over her arm as she looked around once more. Every room in her house was done deliberately, designed to be warm and inviting. Nodding once, she slipped out of the front door, leaving quietly, like with everything. [center]I N T E R L U D E[/center] [I]“Come on kid, you can do better than that.” A younger Natalia was bent over, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. A somewhat stern looking man with crossed arms stared down at her, eyebrow raised expectantly. After a moment, Natalia looked up at him with darkened eyes, glaring all the while. Seeing this, the older man nodded, seemingly pleased. “There we go. Actual emotion. Real emotion. None of that bullshit you use on your folks and the rest of the world.” Natalia stood up straight, body tense as he took a few steps closer, staring down at her while she glared up at him. Lips curling up into a smirk, he tugged on her ponytail once, Natalia not flinching away, staring him down. Chuckling, he bent down, hands on his knees in a mockery of her earlier position. Being a very tall man, this put them eye to eye. “That. That right there. That spark. That fire inside you. I can see it. You’re not some little kid living off of mommy and daddy’s money, you’re in the game. Have you gone on your first hunt yet? Have you killed one?” Her eyes narrowed a little and he hummed in surprise. “You have killed one? Or...” He trailed off, a brief look of realization flashing on his face before he stood up straight and took a few steps back, eyeing her closer now. Natalia raised an eyebrow, not even pretending anymore, head tilting. “Oh, you haven’t just killed one.” He deduced, crossing his large arms, an unreadable expression on his face. “You know what it feels like to have blood on your hands alright. But, you’ve done more than that. You cut the son of a bitch open, didn’t you? Cut him open to see what made him tick?” Natalia stared back expressionless, face having smoothed out as he went on. But, the look in her eye silently asked him, ‘And what are you gonna do about that?’ Looking at her in a different light, the man nodded, scratching at his stubble, looking away for a moment. It was silent for a few moments. “Alright, let’s go again.” Natalia’s blank expression broke a bit, genuine surprise appearing. [color=darkmagenta]“You aren’t gonna tell them?”[/color] He chuckled again, shaking his head. “No point. I know your folks, have known them for years. Killing is one thing, but you? You’re something else. Something they aren’t ready to deal with. And when they do find out... well, I don’t think they’ll take it so well.” As he spoke, Natalia stared at him with a glint in her eyes, something like... respect. Natalia didn’t say ‘Thank you’ and she never would. She simply bobbed her head in thanks, clenching and unclenching her fists. Moment over, Christopher Corwin straightened, arms by his side as he hardened once more. “Now, let’s go again. And don’t do that shit you do for your parents. It may look good for them but I know you can do better. Show me.” Eyebrow arching at the challenge, Natalia’s lips quirked up into a smirk, eyes darkening in delight. They both moved into position, the distance between them seeming not so far. [b]“Now!”[/b][/I] Blinking quickly to snap herself out of her own memories, Natalia glanced around the familiar environment, having been walking in the right direction. Shaking her head to remind herself to focus, Natalia kept walking, her surroundings become more and more memorable as she did so. And her good memory paid off as she arrived at a nice little house. [I]Then again, I’m rather biased,[/I] she thought dryly, lips quirking up a tiny amount. As she approached, she noticed a girl opening the garage. Head tilting, she briefly toyed with the idea of this being June. But, it was gone before it even partially formed. [I]Is this...?[/I] She’d seen Mary once the last time she was Christopher all those years ago. A small little thing with big eyes, ‘Little Mary’ Natalia would call her, just to see her puff up at the name. Natalia had never really liked kids but had always found her to be pretty decent apart from the whining she used to do. Natalia imagined the girl had grown out of that. Some idle curiosity at seeing the girl again caused her to open her mouth, speaking up to be heard. [color=darkmagenta]“Little Mary?”[/color]