[hr][CENTER][color=silver][h1][b]Natalie Ellis[/b][/h1][/color][/CENTER][hr]

[color=silver][i]Location:[/i][/color] Freckles', Argyle Boulevard
[color=silver][i]Time of Day:[/i][/color] Late Afternoon


'Charming' was the opposite of the word that Natalie would have used to describe Vinnie. Luckily, he got called away before she had to go through the trial of turning him down carefully. She gave a pained, clearly irritated fake smile-grimace at being called 'dollface'. Natalie didn't even know there were still men left who talked like that. At least he rightly got chewed out by his friend, and the girl who Natalie didn't know by sight. She wasn't at the house yesterday, at any rate. After a brief conversation that they couldn't hear, everybody bar Vinnie left the restaurant, and he returned to pick up his order, as well as ask her if she could get out early. Without the context of last night, if she was being hit on by this creep, she'd have told him where to stick it, but as she knew that this wasn't a coincidence, or even if it was, there were still sinister schemes at work, she decided to spring the trap.


[color=silver][b]"It's pretty dead right now, so I don't see why not,"[/b][/color] she sighed. All the acting in the world couldn't let her muster enthusiasm for Vinnie's sake. [color=silver][b]"I'll be waiting at the staff door."[/b][/color]

Once Vinnie left, Natalie told her coworkers that she was heading out early and for them to cover for her, and slipped into the changing room. She didn't carry a change of clothes unlike some other staff members. She was more the type to keep her uniform at home and travel to and from work in it, though wearing it under a coat. As she slipped her coat on, she felt a buzzing in the pocket, telling her that she had a text message. Her heart skipped a beat when she wondered if it was from Archie. Of course she wanted to talk with him in general, but more than that, she wanted to tell him about today, about seeing those two men again at Freckles'.

But no, the text was from Ellara. Natalie was initially disappointed, until she realised that Ellara texting her was quite rare. It was probably going to be asking her to pik up something. Speaking of which, Natalie made a fresh mental note to pick up some coffee on her way home, as she opened the text.

 
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[sup][i][color=00a99d]7:24 pm[/color][/i][/sup]
[code]Me: Hey, if u r home 2nite, can I get ur help with sumthing? [/code]

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Natalie typed a reply and sent it back.

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[sup][i][color=00a99d]7:27 pm[/color][/i][/sup]
[code]Nellis: I might get tied up at work, but if I make it back at a reasonable time, sure![/code]

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With that taken care of, Natalie hesitated, then took a deep breath and headed out the staff door, without a hint of fear. Just nerves. 

Time to face the music.

[@Lord Wraith]