"Slipped on my way down the steps of my apartment, sharp edge of the railing caught me pretty bad."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that... Maybe you should get medical treatment, because that looks pretty bad. I mean, you must live pretty near, because, why would you even try to walk that far? I mean, I heard that there was some commotion down here... Oh no, you didn't get attacked by a vampire, did you? Not... uh... not to say that I believe in them, but that's all that they've been saying on the news..."

Nat was talking too quickly... There's no way he could know about my... my thing, she reminded herself, Natalia Wallace, you've gotta chill out! She shut herself up.

She looked down at her belongings, and her eyes widened to see the switchblade showing. She quickly crouched down and swept her belongings into her bag, zipping it up and hoping the man hadn't seen. She straightened back up, slightly stiffly. Bending down in the bulletproof vest was difficult, but she was sure it was well-concealed.


"Dressed ready for a fight?"

She feigned a look of incredulity and looked down at her formless dress. "Hah. Uhm. No... No, not for a fight. Just dressed to, y'know, grab a bite to eat!" She tugged the hem and shrugged. There was something a little suspicious about this guy, but she didn't have time to worry about it... She should've been past the paranoia, anyhow. She'd been at this for so many years. Why the butteflies now?

"Here, let me buy you a sandwich or something."