Our story begins in the mansion of two bored ladies. They sit in their study, surrounded by artifacts and books, sipping whiskey in a state of ennui. Juliette finally announces that she is bored and requires an adventure. Margaret declares they’ve already traveled the globe and seen what the world has to offer. They could perform another social experiment, perhaps. Turning another street urchin into a member of high society? Juliette sinks back into her chair and despairs. They’ve already done that and the premise has been fully explored. Margaret thinks and says that they could try the reverse. Take an upstanding member of society and bring them low. A posh woman to street walker. Juliette bolts to her feet, invigorated. Yes! But even better! What if there was more of a role change? What if they imposed a greater challenge for a more thrilling chase. The ladies clink their glasses and summon a maid. They have plans to set in motion.
At the local branch of the J&M Bank, the manager, Reginald, sits in his office reviewing paperwork and reports. He moves through the stacks and files before his door bursts open and in marches his boss. She’s livid and waving a stack of papers. A wealthy client is upset with Reg’s division. This is a huge foreign account and will cause serious financial and reputational damage to the bank if they pull their money and holdings. In a panic, Reg agrees to personally handle the issue and collects the files from his boss’s fist. She says that the client’s contact is Natasha, but Reg pauses. He doesn't know of anybody with that name in the division. Rather than assuage, this angers his boss even more and she chews him out for not even knowing his own employees, how can he manage the customers’ business!? Reg says he'll pose as this Nastasha since the deal is just over the phone, until they can sort all this out. This personal responsibility pleases his boss and she nods before turning away. Outside of Reg’s earshot, the boss can be told telling two figures that he’s accepted the game.
A panicked Reginald reviews the paperwork before him. The normal personal information is missing, obviously fake names and addresses are used, and the lone picture with the file is of a rather stern woman flanked by two goons that are rather even more stern. Their holdings and income stamps are rather dubious as well. Reg grits his teeth and grimaces. After practicing a few soft voices, he places a call to the contact number on file and offers his best demure and apologetically flowery voice to the grunting thug on the other end.
From them on, Reg’s personal office phone receives multiple calls per day from unlisted numbers of stern people, sometimes gruff and sometimes speaking in hushed tones. They seemed pleased with Nastasha’s efforts to handle things and it’s best for everybody that their boss stays pleased. One day, the voice says that their boss wants to come in and thank Natasha personally. It’s a great honor for the bank and she’ll be by tomorrow. Reg panics and runs to his boss with the news that they need to hire an actress immediately. The boss thinks and then declines. There’s no way to teach an actress the ins and outs of the bank and everything about this account in a single day. Reg will just have to admit his ruse to the clients and deal with it. Reg panics further, these clients don’t seem like the forgiving type. What if- what if Reg posed as Natasha for the visit?! The boss thinks long on this as Reg shivers, before finally agreeing. Reg is to report to the bank at first light tomorrow and she’ll have somebody here to manage the disguise. Reg thanks her profoundly and then runs away.
Reginald arrives at the bank before the sun is up, and true to her word, his boss is waiting there with a woman at her side holding a quite hefty crate. The woman looks suspicious, almost like a maid that works into a mansion we saw earlier, but Reginald wouldn’t know about that. The boss introduces her as a theater worker that will be able to craft a fine disguise. The trio move inside the bank to a small office that will serve as Nastasha’s room for the day. The woman wastes no time before unpacking her crate, removing bottles and jars of unknown substances and multiple packages of folded clothing. She directs Reginald towards the employee room to strip, spray himself all over with a substance from an unmarked bottle, and change into these robes. Reg has many questions, but a glare from his boss silences him and he scurries off.
Back in the room, shiny and smooth after spraying and washing off the honey-like substance from the bottle, the woman goes to work. Painting, spraying, prodding, Reginald is exhausted and all he’s done is sit in a chair. He yelps when she pricks his lips with a tiny needle and a substance is forced into them. The woman shoves him back into the seat and scolds him for his thin, weak lips and this will help. Reg groans and can’t help from touching his now sensitive lips, feeling like they’re so puckered they might burst. He tries to lament that she injected too much, but there’s so much filler that his voice comes out distorted, a breathy moan that Reginald feels is rather unbecoming. His complaints are ignored. The morning session ends with Reg being squeezed into a corseted bodice, then stuffed with hefty padding, and his head being sprayed with a sticky substance before the wig is attached in place. The glue is just barely dried when the first employees start to enter the bank, surprised to see the boss there so early. The ladies are re-introduced to Natasha and after some murmurs of confusion, one comments that they think they met her at the last holiday party, before the rest of the staff mumble in agreement that must be why her face is familiar. The boss sees the artist off and Reginald totters back to his office to await his appointment.