Private Finished Discovering the Strip

Having overheard a group of young women chatting animatedly and in loud whispers, like they were doing something naughty, while going on about the "Strip" and how it was some kind of wild hedonistic playground, amused Natasha to no end, and made her very curious about the place and all it supposedly had to offer. Natasha was extremely doubtful that it was as wild as the women had painted it, in fact, she was pretty sure that they were exaggerating a bit with their rumoured to be "true stories".

As she followed a small group of young men, who were obviously looking to get lucky, Natasha smiled to herself as she listened to them talk about how they were going to do it all night, and that all the lucky women would be swooning at their feet when they got there.

"Ah, the arrogance of youth", she thought with an amused shake of her head. Young men today were nothing like the men of her day, and for all their supposed openmindedness, she found that she often missed the courtly behaviour and chivalry. At least men back in Catherine's court were better at the game of love and pursuing a woman. Now it was all about cheap thrills and a quick romp in the back of an alleyway.

Signing, Natasha realized that she was reminiscing again, and that it always made her a bit sad when she did. Maybe it was because she had nobody she could actually relate to. There were very few vampires or witches left from that region, and none of them were courtesans like she had been. Yes, she was certainly a different sort of vampire, or semi-vampire...

Feeling something suddenly pinching against her left foot, Natasha stopped and removed one of her high heeled black shoes and shook it hard until a tiny rock fell out. Standing there in the street, on one leg with a shoe in hand, in a short dark velvet corseted long sleeved dress, she heard someone suddenly whistle and catcall her, turning her head, she gave the offenders a dirty look and decided to just ignored them, though she had been very tempted to flip them off and curse them out.

@EmiRose

Natasha slowly looked up at the tyoung looking and very attractive man, surprised to see him, she hadn't expected anyone to approach her actually. Frowning slightly, she put back on her shoe while sensing he was different somehow, yet not being able to pinpoint exactly how he was different. In fact, as she took in his white hair and skin, noticing immediately his very striking eyes, she came to realise that she had never before met a person or being like him. The vibes he gave off weren't undead, or vampire, human, or any other creature she had met on the island.

Hearing his polite but rather odd request, Natasha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a tiny bit skeptical at his words. She had never had anyone try that line on her, and as she let herself relax, she noticed his sketchbook and had a funny feeling that he was being totally serious with her. "You want to sketch me? But whyt?" she replied in a rather confused way, "And... Like here, in the middle of the strip, with all these loud rowdy people going by? "she asked him as she glanced uneasily around her, still not entirely sure that it wasn't some kind of joke and that he wasn't pulling her leg.

@EmiRose

“I’m a painter…” was strangely enough the one thing he said that made Natasha believe the man before her. Not even his sincereness or the vibes that she was getting from him - vibes that she now slowly noticed that she was feeling. She shouldn’t be, she took a potion to mute those feelings cause she knew that other people’s feeling of arousal, want, desire were emotions that an empath didn’t want to be bombarded with. And yet, here he was standing before her and she could actually sense him… so very odd. His presence was not menacing, at least not to her, it was, if pressed to say what she felt, it was almost overpowering feeling of power and light.

“Alright,” Natasha said simply, “You can sketch me, or even paint me, if you want.” she added, studying his placid expression and catching the spark of excitement in his eyes and the tiniest of smiles at the corner of his mouth, and understanding his need to capture a moment. She, herself, painted - landscapes mostly. A passion, or hobby some might say, she had picked up somewhere in the 1860s when the long, dark English winters set in and she needed something more to do than attend parties, read books, flirt, or make love.

Natasha almost laughed when he said she fit in here among the depravity, but at the same time was above it. Once a courtesan, always a courtesan… that was what many had murmured about her behind her back in the days of the Czarina. She had know it was often petty jealousy, but at times, even knowing why the words were whispered, had still bothered her. Now, 200 years later, they amused her and in a way, she was proud of the fact she had been a lady of the high Russian court and had been the lover and confident to many powerful people.

“That’s alright, I prefer men too…” Natasha remarked with a grin, not surprised at all that he was gay. The man was just too beautiful, or as he put it “aesthetically pleasing” to be straight. Stepping aside as a man tried to grab her, Natasha gently pushed him forward. “There you go. Keep looking.” she said and rolled her eyes. Maybe the Strip was as wild as they said.

@EmiRose

Natasha could actually feel the man’s genuine delight when she accepted his offer. And sensed that he was more a person of action than expression which was often more honest in her experience. Words and even expressions could be faked, but actions and reactions usually were more truthful and said a lot about a person.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind really, I don’t”, Natasha replied honestly when he thanked her,.”I just never expected such a request in the middle of all this.” she said with a wry grin, gesturing to the madness around them.

“And I can totally see how you might be inspiration by the strip,” Natasha confessed as she stood back a step and cocked her head a little to one side, observing everything around her with new eyes, putting herself in his shoes… She knew that a dying tree or a parched landscape could be just as inspiring and beautiful in it’s own way as one in full bloom… sometimes, it was a mournful beauty, that made you appreciate life and wish for something better. “There is a certain charm here isn’t there? I think Dante would have enjoyed the Strip.” Natasha remarked playfully.

“A pleasure, Eve.” Natasha said nodding her head almost respectfully, feeling for some reason that it was the right thing to do, “I’m Natasha,” she said, “Natasha Lockwood.”

“Unwanted touches for you, or me?” Natasha asked teasingly as two men came their way with their arms out in greeting, obviously very drunk, and to which she ducked down under their arms, spun around as they passed and pushed them away. “If there is one thing I learned in life is how to avoid unwanted advances.”

“How about we walk, decide if we want to go somewhere… “ she suggested as she noticed how many more people there were now than an hour before. “It’s getting later, busier and we seem to be magnets for the horny and drunk.”

@EmiRose

“Oh, the perils of being pretty..” she remarked teasingly after they had both dodged the drunks with a sort of practiced elegance of avoidance. She had also noticed that Eve had taken the same instinctive approach to the impending gropers.

“Then let’s walk. And don’t worry, I’ll protect you from all the lustful leeches of the Strip while you sketch.” Natasha offered with a grin, “And later on, maybe another day, I can teach you the delicate art of avoiding unwanted advances with skillful tact and or diplomacy so that you can sketch in peace.” Natasha offered, her tone playful and teasing, yet quite serious too.

“In fact, I can teach you the swoop and twirl in a tight corseted ball gown without even spilling a drop of French champagne from a almost overflowing and very delicate crystal flute.” she said with a wink, though the memory of the long hours and days of training she and the other girls had endured, and the punishment they had received for snapping a flute, that was delicate as a tiny bird’s leg, or staining the expensive silk organza of a dress with champagne - or worse, spilling the champagne an unwanted suitor, could still be felt if she closed her eyes and let herself remember. There were ways to beat a person so that welts weren’t visible, and they were crueler than if a whip had been used on your back.

Considering Eve’s suggestion about talking while they walked, Natasha finally said, “What would you like to know about me? It might help you get a deeper perspective of your subject, add further depth, perhaps… “ she said as she quickly and firmly slapped away the hand of a young man who was about to touch Eve. “Wow, you are quite popular tonight.” she joked, ignoring some serious catcalls from a group of pretty young men, no,they were actually women… stunned at this, Natasha couldn’t help but actually be very flattered. She had never had THAT happen before.

@EmiRose