"Common folk?" she repeated. "What is that supposed to-" But she cut off in mid-sentence, as Cornelius walked off inside the mart. She waited until a minute or two later he returned, holding a pack of cigarettes, her brand.

"Thanks," Natalie said, taking the package from his hands.

Natalie looked at Cornelius as he walked away, at the cigarette box in her hands, then back at Cornelius. She waited until he was just out of sight to go after him, though not entirely sure as to why she was stalking him. He was just... interesting.

Once she could clearly see him again, she slowed down. But she never let him out of her sight.

Someone's following me. Cornelius thought, blinking at the road in front of him. The footsteps are a little heavy, but judging by the way they fall, I'd say it was a female. Maybe it's that woman, Natalie, that I just met. He smiled, but didn't look back. Even though he couldn't complete his mission with someone following him, he didn't mind. Natalie was a pretty woman, after all.

Cornelius blinked up at a sign. It didn't matter what the bar's name was, as long as it was a bar. I'll just get a drink here. he thought, stepping inside the bar.

Natalie squinted, noticing him step inside the bar. Her hand automatically drifted to her back pocket, where her wallet was located. She slipped it out and opened it, then searched for her fake I.D. Got it, she declared to herself as she closed her wallet again, but left it in her hand to carry it. She wondered why it was even in her wallet. Didn't I take it out last night... she thought to herself as she reached the bar.

 The Swedish teenager stepped slyly inside the bar, and her eyes scanned the bar, looking for the abnormal male she had run into earlier. There he is, Natalie thought as she went to the counter and chose the farthest seat (also the least seen seat). She kept watch on Cornelius as she asked the bartender for a martini.

 "I.D., please?" She flashed the fake I.D., then replaced it inside her wallet, still looking at the adult across the bar as the bartender gave her her drink.

"Cornelius Pace!" exclaimed a man, and Cornelius' eyes widened.

He turned to him, using his hand to make a slashing motion through the air, as if he had thrown something or cut something off. "Shut your trap, man! The rich people at bars usually know who I am,"

"Fine," the man shrugged. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Cornelius cocked an eyebrow. "No. Why would you want to?" he asked.

"Well, you...shall I say, got rid of that man for me." the other male said in a somewhat quiet voice. He grinned almost devilishly. "I really appreciate that."

"You payed me quite enough," Cornelius muttered, taking his drink and stirring it with the celery in it. "I don't need anymore from you."

"Cornelius Pace!"

Natalie turned when his name was called, noticing a middle-aged man approaching Cornelius. Couldn't be his dad... she thought, wondering how him and the strange man were connected. She listened more carefully as the man lowered his voice, closing her eyes. All she could catch was "you", "got rid" and "man".

Got rid of a man? she pondered. That could only mean one thing.

Quickly, Natalie chugged down the rest of her drink, got her bag, and rushed to the bathroom. She used an eye-makeup remover to remove the eyeliner, which took a while. Then, she got out the makeup case and searched for the wing-tipped navy liner. She found it, and quickly applied the makeup onto her eye. Then she got out a gold eyeshadow (which she didn't wear often, cause she doesn't use eyeshadow much, and the colour. But it was given to her by a cousin before she died) and applied it wholly. Then, Natalie rubbed the lipgloss she was wearing off with the back of her hand and got out a deep red colour, putting it on her lips. Getting out a dark rosy-coloured blush, she applied it plentifully onto her cheeks. Then she got out a contact case that had green contacts in it (which she was supposed to deliver to her friend who performed in plays and such) and quickly put them on.

Natalie looked at herself in the mirror, and she looked quite different already. She smiled at her handy work, then got out some black extensions from her bag (which she carried around quite often) and put them on, and there was quite a lot. The black overrided the blonde. She got out the emergency shirt she carried around quite often in case of an emergency, put that on, and got out some shorts (same case as the shirt) and replaced the jeans she was wearing with them. She took off all her jewelry (including the nose and lip) and put them away. Then, to top it off, she got out her expensive Chanel shades and put them on. You may say this defeats the purpose of the contacts, but she would only take them off if she was asked to, and you can sometimes tell who someone is by their eyes.

She stepped back outside, without her sweater and bag (she hid them; dont ask where cause I don't know o3o), and approached Cornelius and the man. "Hey boys," she said in a very cliche way, like a mysterious, seductive woman thing, without her accent. "What are we doing here?"

Cornelius' eyes flickered to look at Natalie through the corners of his eyes only, as he was more interested in the conversation he was having with Johan Whales. "Talking," the other man answered, giving Natalie a sly smile.

Of course, Cornelius had no idea who Natalie was, due to her change in appearance. His first thought on her was, What's with all the girls that are suddenly dressing...oh, like Natalie, I suppose? After a quick examination of the female that required turning his head, he thought, Wow. She's wearing a lot of make-up. Oh, well, that's her choice. I could care less.

"It's nothing you should bother yourself with, dear," Cornelius said in a smooth, rich voice. He flashed her a smile, then turned back to Johan, hoping that the female would leave. But, for some stupid reason that probably had something to do with the woman's body, Johan kept talking to the female.

"Say, what's your name?" he asked, eyeing her almost hungrily.

Disgusting, Cornelius thought.

( Lol. o3o
Don't ask about the guy's name. >-< I just randomly came up with it last night. )

Natalie noticed Cornelius staring at her, and felt herself shrink back from the heaviness of his gaze, but quickly bounced back.

"It's nothing you should bother yourself with, dear."

"Oh, I believe it is," Natalie said sweetly, enticingly. "I believe that-" She was interrupted by the man speaking once more. How annoying... she thought angrily, but responded with, "It's not important." She thought for a moment, then said, "Laura. Laura Parker."

"A lovely name for a lovely woman," Johan said, grinning even wider.

Cornelius rolled his eyes and stood. "I'm going now. I've got things to do." He looked at Johan and said, "You wanted to buy me a drink? Pay for my Bloody Mary." and then walked off. When older males flirted with younger females, it was really creepy and disgusting. At least, it was to Cornelius.

Freak. he thought, blinking his black hair out of his eyes. I'd rather do my job than watch someone like Johan flirt with young girls.

"Wait!" Natalie instictively grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "What were you two talking about, though? It sounded... intriguing." She looked down to see her grip still on Cornelius, then quickly released him.

Cornelius stopped, then turned to Natalie, smiling gently. "Business," he answered calmly. Why is she so interested on what we were talking about? Maybe she knows exactly who I am... He swallowed, but not audibly.

"Business?" Natalie's eyes narrowed, then asked, "What kind of business?" She blinked, expecting an answer.

( Fail. D: )

( You're a fail. :c )

"Oh, you know," Cornelius shrugged. "Art and such. Nothing important, really, unless you're into art." He gave her a mocking smile, but he didn't mean to make it seem that way. It happened naturally.

 ( I know. ;-; )

"Is that so..." Natalie smirked, turning to Johan. "What kind of art were you two talking about, hun?" Of course, the uncl*censored*y middle-aged man wouldn't know a thing about art. Or would he... she thought, hoping to find out the truth soon; she liked playing detective, and she was always very curious of everything and everyone.

(  Nuuuu. )

"The...kind of art he does." Johan replied, looking slightly bewildered.

Cornelius almost laughed out loud. "I like to do abstract paintings, but I'm more into realistic art. Or the kind of art that was done during the Renaissance." he explained, smiling wide. "My art technique is a little wild, I must admit, but people really like it. At least, the people who actually pay attention to art."

Cornelius blinked, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?" he mumbled to himself, turning away from Natalie and back to Johan. In hushed voices, they continued to discuss another job for Cornelius. Of course, it was to "get rid" of another man, and of course, it was for Johan's benefit.

( Lol. What am I supposed to do? )