тнє тнιєƒ тнαт ѕтσℓє... ωєℓℓ, єνєяутнιηg

[~echo~]

(I love his fury xD)

As he remained in her personal space, Vanessa had to be a bit intimidated- but inside. She never let it show on her face and continued to meet his eyes. But something made her look sideways- someone had just entered the store and was staring intensely at the pair of them. She stared back at this woman and then whispered to Conner. "Hey.... there's a person staring at us. Look." She gestured very slightly with her shoulder.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner turned, but discretely. He swiveled on his stool and cut his eyes in the direction she'd indicated.

[~echo~]

Vanessa's mind immediately went to the worst possible situation. "What if she's from ANEW? What if she knows I'm a...."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Shhh!" Conner hissed. Because he knew the woman, knew that she was indeed an agent of ANEW, but he also knew that she wasn't after Vanessa. She was looking for him. The young, beautiful woman smiled as she locked gazes with Conner, then strode toward them. She hardly even glanced at the girl beside him.
"Conner," she said. Her voice was silky, a habit of hers to be flirtatious, but something strained lurked under the surface. "I was wondering where you've been. Having fun?"
"Always," he replied coolly. "What do you want?"
Her gaze finally slid to Vanessa, and instead of answering him she said, "Who's the girl?"

(Sorry if I hijacked a plan there. Just thought I'd roll with it)

[~echo~]

(Nah, I like it )

Vanessa realized it was too late as the woman headed over to the pair of them, and she forced her gaze down to concentrate on the condensation on her glass. She listened as the two spoke for a moment, then sensed the woman's gaze on her. Afraid that she would sense something of her power in her eyes, somehow, she kept staring down for a moment, then realized she was being obvious. She looked up and gazed at her steadily.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The woman's smile turned wicked for a moment. Conner shifted, not quite able to put his body in front of Vanessa, but the message was clear: Back off. She's mine. "Perhaps another time, Nicole," he said. "Though I'd prefer if you'd stay the hell away from me."

The woman, Nicole, shrugged. "I would be happy to. You're a pain in the a**. But my... employer insists on recruiting you. What my employer wants, he gets."

[~echo~]

Vanessa's brow creased somewhat when the woman smiled like that but it wasn't obvious. She sensed Conner's movement, and looked at him. She then looked back at Nicole and studied her as she spoke to her companion.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner narrowed his eyes. "Tell your 'employer' to f*** off."

Nicole raised an eyebrow and glanced at Vanessa, seeming amused. "Foul language to use in front of two ladies," she said.

Conner snorted. "You're not a lady." But he glanced at Vanessa, wondering if his language had upset her. She had, after all, been cooped up her whole life.

[~echo~]

The language had bothered Vanessa a little bit, but she wasn't about to show that in front of this other woman. It would be like showing weakness. Instead she shifted a bit in her seat and took a sip of water.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Nicole, rather than turning her attention back to Conner, kept studying Vanessa. She thought of that boy she'd met, the one who could sense other's powers. She wished she had someone like him around. Not for ANEW's benefit, not to help Winson find mutants, but for her own peace of mind. She spend a lot of time glancing over her shoulder, wondering who was a mutant and who wasn't. She was nearly certain Conner was what he seemed--full-fledged human. This girl, though, set her natural instincts tingling. "What's your name?" she asked. She ignored Conner when he shifted to the edge of his seat, eyes narrowed angrily.

[~echo~]

Vanessa forced herself to remain calm, her face passive and uncaring, almost. "Elizabeth. What's it to you?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The corners of Conner's lips twitched. Nicole narrowed her eyes, and she clearly knew 'Elizabeth' was lying. She'd gotten very good at reading people over the years. "No reason," she said. She glanced at Conner, who quickly wiped his expression back to impassiveness. "I'll see you around, pretty boy," she said.

He gave her a mock salute. She simply scowled before leaving the bar.

[~echo~]

Vanessa watched her leave over her shoulder, blinking and then releasing her breath. "Who was that? How do you know her?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"She's been following me for weeks," Conner grumbled. "Nicole Stark." His eyes flickered to her, momentarily uncertain. "She works for ANEW."

[~echo~]

The word "ANEW" made a shiver run through Vanessa's body and she looked over her shoulder again. "She knows I was lying," she muttered. "She knows what I am." Vanessa's whole body spoke of tension.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"No, she doesn't," Conner said. "She can't. Relax." Despite his words, he seemed on edge too. Something just didn't feel right. He stood and placed a hand on her arm. "We should go."

[~echo~]

Vanessa looked down at his hand on her arm and then back up at him, nodding. Her face was clearly worried. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. Let's go."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner led her out of the bar, his eyes scanning the street as they stepped onto the sidewalk. Nicole was gone. "You should probably go home," he said quietly.

[~echo~]

Vanessa heard him suggest that she should go home, and she bit her lip. She was upset, though it might not have been clear on her face. "You're right... I should." But she hadn't had the chance to see much of the city...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner raised an eyebrow at her. "There's a very resounding 'but' there," he said darkly. Stubborn, stubborn girl. He had to admit he kind of liked it, frustrating as it was.