For Natalaya there were a lot of things going on in her head right now. The main thing being the love of her immortal life was halfway across the globe after spotting Himiko's killer. She knew his mind was in a weird place right now. After seeing the funk he got into after Keith's death she didn't even want to imagine what he was like now. Granted Susan had been keeping her informed and she had been calling Owen almost everyday and he seemed fine. But he kept this bit of history next to his heart for so long she knew better. And wished she was there to help him through this.

Once he finally told her what happened to Himiko she was going to get on the next plane and go home to help him in any way she could. Then he asked if Evelyn was ready for life in a different country yet. It was a low blow using her student like that and she called him on it right then and there. But part of her was afraid Evelyn wasn't ready yet.

Okay she loved the girl, she had that small country charm that somebody who wasn't her could easily take advantage of. The fact she didn't immediately drop her jaw in amazement the first time she took her to one of the bigger cities Malaysia had to offer made her a little proud. But she was still radiating uncomfortable when she was in a crowd, and that was with Natalya around. With the situation Owen was in being uncomfortable wasn't going to work, and she couldn't just dump her to go to him.

When did she become this responsible again?

As it was she took Eve on a work assistant for her cover job. Not exactly a secretary, but not exactly a gopher either. Natayla like to think of it as an internship in a way, she was just teaching her two things instead of the usual one. Like today for instance she was authenticating a bed used by a prince from some European country that didn't technically exist any more. The fact she recognized it almost immediately helped a lot but personal experience wasn't always the best indicator. Especially when you weren't technically supposed to have been born yet. Still she knew enough tricks of the trade that she could usually appease those who had the objects in question. As she exaimed the headboard she found what she was looking for, "Here they are."

Evelyn noticed what had to be a slightly devilish smile on her face, "What are you seeing?"

Glancing back to make sure the current owner of this particular bed wasn't close enough to listen in, although he did quickly turn away when she caught him staring at her ass, she pointed out some small gouge marks in the detail work. Softly she told her, "Every time this particular Prince had a 'conquest' in this bed he always marked it, secretly of course and when he thought they were sleeping. In fact this is me right here," she said pointing at one particular flower petal. "And over here, and here and..." She straightened up a bit as she put a finger to her lips, "I apparently slept with this guy a lot back then. He wasn't even that good." And it was a good thing Owen was halfway across the world and didn't hear that particular admission. Because he would be saying a word out of a habit she broke him of and she would be forced to kill him.

"Is there anything wrong Miss Carter?". the current owner asked.
"Oh everything is fine," Natalya told him. "Based on my primary inspection I would say this bed here is authentic. Some further tests will have to be done, from discreet locations of course just to make sure." It was total BS of course, no other test were necessary but she knew what to say in situations like these to help assure the potential client. "But I do think we can do business here."

"Excellent," he said clapping his hands together. "Would you like a drink to celebrate."

"I personally would love to have one but my assistant Eve here gets a little uncomfortable about the alcohol. She is the best assistant I've had in years and I want to think of her feelings, I'm sure you understand."

"Completely," but he said it in a way that implied he didn't. "But years? You must have gone through several in such a short time for somebody so young looking."

Being in an immortal nineteen year old looking body had that effect, "Then you see why I want to keep her so badly if she's willing to put up with my particular quarks. No if you will excuse me I do believe I have another appointment for the day, thank you."

Once they were in the hallway Evelyn looked at her PDA and whispered, "What other appointments do you have?"

"Anything that gets me away from here," she explained. "Because I've seen that look he was wearing to know he had more than drinks on his mind and I'm loyal to my boyfriend. Although making me stay here when I want to be there he's going to owe me such a fuck when I get back home." Evelyn started to go a little red in the face. So naturally she decided to take a step further to really make her go red, "I'm talking doors locked, room shaking..."

Natalya eventually took pity on the girl, going so far to buying her lunch at a local cafe with a lovely outdoor patio. But that was full but there was just as lovely looking park across the way. It had been a few months but she thought she had gotten a decent bead on the girl. Like now she only paid that much attention on her food when something was on her mind. "What's on you mind kiddo?"

"The way you talk about this Owen..." she trailed off.

"I have been toning it down for your sake," she told her. "Which has been cramping my style, so I hope you appreciate that," she added in jest.

"Not that," she said. "They way you described him before, he sounds nothing like the man you've been talking about lately."

"Since he found his wife's killer," she said in understanding. "Owen once told me he's only been that in love with a person three times in his life. Fortunately for him I just happen to be one of them. But seeing her die right in front of him," she shook her head. "He held on to that for so long I'd be surprised if he wasn't acting like this."

"Why did he seem so, I don't think excited the right word."

"Probably isn't," Natalya told her as she tried to figure out the best way to explain it. "You heard of a bucket list right?" She nodded. "Well hon, this is basically the immortal version. You wouldn't mind dying tomorrow if you knew this person was dead today. I don't have such a list mind you but some of us do."

"If it was so long ago why can't he just let it go?"

Natalya didn't have an immediate answer for her. In fact right then she was thinking about her father's own decent into madness after thinking she was dead for so long. "Sometimes you just can't,' she ended up saying. "If you really loved the person you lost then it just eats at you if you don't get it under control. How much or for how long depends on the person and those around him." Like she should have been around her father.

"Do you think he would go through that for you?", Evelyn asked.

She smirked, "He'd better if he knew what was good for him. Not that I'm planning on losing my head anytime soon. And like I told someone we both knew for too short a time I'd tracked down his killer if it was the last thing I did."

"It must be nice to have someone care for you like that," she said a little sullen.

"I'm sure you'll find somebody like that as well," she assured her. "In this strange life you're in now I'm sure you'll find several somebodies. Just don't do them all at once, even I never went that far."

"Natalya," she said while making sure nobody else was close enough to hear that comment.

"Hey if that gets you off who am I to judge," she said just to tease her a little further. "I am going to give you a thicker skin even if it breaks something in the process, so you better get used to it."

"Hey there pretty."

"Oh here we go," Natalya groaned as a group of teenagers, if you could call three a group, tried to circle around them. Mainly around Evelyn she noticed. She also noticed they watched way too much American style TV based on the way they were dressed. She held up a finger to keep her student in place and to keep calm. She had seen enough vultures like these over the years to know what was going on in their head.

The leader tried to lift Evelyn's to make her look at him, "What is somebody like you doing here all by yourself."

"Didn't realize I learned to become invisible," Natalya said dryly, making sure she was in eye contact with this apparent leader. He seemed confused that she wasn't backing down from his gaze. Obviously a little boy used to people being afraid of him. Even more so as she forcibly removed his hand from Evelyn's chin. "And I didn't hear her say you could touch her either."

"And who in the fuck are you you fuckin' bitch?"

"Her mentor, boss, unofficial older sister. Please take you pick," she said with a slight grin. Not one with any mirth in it though, one she picked up from Susan when she taught her the ways of the game.

"Shut this crazy bitch up."

Natalya moved as soon as they did, elbowing the one by her back in the face as she got up. Then she spun around with a back hand that dropped him. "Oh my," she said so innocently that it made the other two blink in confusion, "what is this poor defenseless little girl supposed to do now?"

The leader snapped out of his daze, but he pushed the other guy toward her, "Get her!" The push caused him to came at her more than a bit unbalanced, she easily grabbed him and tossed him to the ground. On top of the other one in fact.

Evelyn was smart enough to get out of her chair before the leader realized he could use her for a shield. he realized a moment too late as he got nothing but air and the back of the chair. Natalya looked over her shoulder just long enough to see his two "friends' get up and run. Yeah they don't come across many "Crazy bitches" around these parts. As it was she was lucky none of them had a gun, she hated waking up in a morgue no matter what part of the world it was.

"What are you are going to do now chief", she asked him, cocking an eyebrow just for the hell of it. Something she picked up on her own when she was done training with Susan, sometimes you had the fight won if you got under the other guy's skin. especially if you were female. He ran at her and she kicked him under the chin. As he laid there she walked up and put a foot on his crotch and slowly put her weight on it.

"Get off!", he cried as soon as he felt the pain.

"You know you're lucky my boyfriend has been calming me down these past couple of years. Because I could so wreak you right now." Just to prove her point she leaned forward a little more. "Now what do we say if you want out of this situation?"

"Get offa me you crazy bitch...Ow!" She wasn't even pretending that she wasn't enjoying this at this point. "Get off me please!"

"Close enough," she said as she let up the pressure and backed away. He quickly got, well as fast as he could while he was holding himself, and hobbled out of there." Men," she blew out a breath, "they grow a couple of hairs on their chin then they suddenly think they're invincible."

"He'll be back with more," Evelyn said as she walked up next to her.

"Which is why we'll be somewhere else," she told here. Looking around she commented, "We didn't do too much damage so nobody will have to fix anything."

"You weren't afraid of them?", her student asked.

"I was a little afraid what they would do to you if they were a little smarter and I was a little slower," she admitted. "But a little fear is a good thing. Helps keeps you motivated. Remember that, you'll live longer."

"I didn't think you became afraid after you became," she looked around in case somebody was walking by but still whispered, "one of us?"

Putting an arm around her she walked them back to the street, "Eve, you show me 'one of us' that doesn't have any fear in 'em and I'll show you one who's going to be a head shorter before too long."