Playing Russian spy was definitely more fun when the good guys were around.

Sveta looked at the building, lit up like a Christmas tree. Whoever lived there had a lot of money to throw around. In fact, the whole thing felt like she was walking into a live-action version of Clue.
There was someone in there that she needed to find. She just didn't know who they were, what they looked like, or exactly what weapon they might use.

Svetlana straightened her dress. It was the same red dress Sam had gotten for her on their last mission, complete with a mask, because let's face it, these people were tacky enough to throw a masquerade. No wonder, probably more than one of them were hesitant to show their face in public.

Sveta had been following leads for months now. Leads on mutant crime, leads on anti-mutant crime, and some old leads on human trafficking that she had picked up despite the fact that the X-man/Vigilante never contacted her again. Eventually, all clues pointed to the city's most notorious underworld social event. All drinks to be pre-tasted, all deals to be made.

Now she only needed to get inside, and find the person she needed to beat up later. It was going to be a needle in a haystack. Full of needles.

He had a mustache.

It was a fine mustache, grown in earnest when he had borrowed the aging power to change his appearance for this mission. Because that power made everything run in hyperdrive rather than just face-changing. Face changing, for the record, was easier to deal with, but did not give him a fabulous pony tail to accompany his most fabulous mustache.

Dressed in a traditional tux with a soft, dove gray vest, Jude was unrecognizable as himself. Instead, for tonight's soiree he was...

"Mister Black?"

He'd almost chosen the name Bacchantes in honor of his most glorious cookie duster, but the name "whiskers" sounded far too much like the name of a cat.

He hated cats.

Jude smiled at the woman who'd called him by a pseudonym based on his mask, feeling his cheeks shift his solid and plain black satin that veiled the area around his eyes. The women got all the pretty, delicate masks. Maybe he should have shifted to be a woman? Nah. He'd never mastered the walk. Instead, he'd nabbed the whisper power from a girl almost old enough to graduate from the Mansion. He would miss her and her power to hear secrets when she was gone.

'Cheating on my husband. Credit card debt. Looking for a replacement. Looking for a way out of debt. Want more. Grasping. Clawing. More. Always more.'

Her secrets whispered most intimately through Jude's mind. Benign, compared to some of the secrets he'd heard tonight. Of course, he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be listening for. They'd just had a vague tip that the X-men would want someone here tonight.

"Ms Peacock." He purred a name for her based on her mask for the evening and pulled her hand up to lay a gentlemanly kiss across her knuckles. He had a British lilt to his words that flushed Ms Peacock's cheeks. In the future, he'd lived most of his live in England. It wasn't a stretch to slip into the accent. "Would you care to dance?"

"O-of course." She let Jude lead her to an open space and fanned herself with her other hand. She would make for good cover and allow him to gather a few secrets as they moved around the dance floor.

The whole shebang was a cross between an orgy and a business meeting. Not like anyone was naked or anything (yet), but there was definitely an air of decadence, with the masks and the cleavages and all. Sveta moved through the crowd, smiling. She remained silent. A red dress and a Russian accent would have been suspicious in the New York underworld scene, since her vigilante career had taken off, so she decided to play it mute and mysterious. Men loved a quiet woman anyway. She worked the luscious red lipstick instead, smiling around as she walked.

She mostly ignored the dancers and the flirters. There were as many reasons for people to be here as guests; she was not looking for the man-woman kind. The guy she was looking for was tied to human trafficking; that meant he would most likely seek the company of other men. Talk business, over drinks. Sell women.
Sveta kept up the smile.

Sam would be so proud.

Such cleavages. Many stare. Wow.

Jude coughed and adjusted the level of his eye's focus. He was catching snippets from his power as they twirled around the other dancers.

'Want two of them.'
'I like it wild.'
'Need someone new between the sheets.'

The secrets on the dance floor were not helping. Ms. Peacock's small talk wasn't useful either, nor was her heaving cleavage. That bustier looked a scoch uncomfortable. Uh. Not that he was inspecting it in detail or anything like that.

As the second song of their dance ended, Jude bowed to his partner and bade her farewell. He'd caught a hint of something unusual, but he'd been a bit too far to read it properly. He scanned the faces at the edge of the dance area and got a wash of partial secrets in response.

'Lovely—' 'Jewel—' 'Girls—' 'Nosejob—'

Something red caught his eye, drawing his attention more toward the drink table.

—be proud.

Well that was a bit different. Everyone else seemed to have a negative focus to their secrets. Jude sidled that way, curious. He doubted he was there to learn about someone who was trying to do good, but it was something different, at least.

No one gave a crap about gender equality around here.

There was a web of power dynamics that Sveta couldn't even begin to decipher, but could feel anyway. It involved very powerful men, and women would do anything to get what they wanted. It wasn't as clear cut, but the scales definitely tipped that way.

Which is why she could not pin down the man she was looking for.

There were other parts to the mansion. Other than the dance floor and the bar and the buffet. There had to be a guy's club, a salon with cigars and scotch or something. That would be tricky to get into. Sveta milled around, holding a glass of wine. She just needed one of the guys to wander out of their locker room comfort zone.

In the meantime, maybe she could get a better sense of the layout of the place...

"Cigar?"

Jude had just selected the most manly looking drink he could, something brown with a giant round ice cube. It smelled like paint thinner when he'd pretended to take a sip. And when his nose was no longer in what he was guessing was whiskey, a man had approached him cigar first.

'Wouldn't mind saying hello to the girl in red. Business first. Pleasure later. Even if he didn't get to know Ms. Scarlet, he could find someone like her from the stock his boss kept.'

Ah. Jude thanked him and took hold of the cigar, not even sure of which side was which. He did see the other man give his a sniff so he did the same. It didn't smell all that bad even if the one it'd come from was despicable.

"Cuban. Lovely what dropping the embargo has done for domestic trade, don't you think?"

"Quite right. I've never had a Cuban before." Jude blustered along, baffled by the sharkish smile that the other man displayed after his words. Did he say something wrong?

"Why don't you join us in the drawing room for a bit? Unless you're prepared for round two with your lovely divorcee?" A motion over Jude's shoulder had the Frenchman looking back at Ms. Peacock who was standing on tippy-toe, obviously looking around for someone.

"She's not exactly what I was looking for." That earned Jude another sharp smile and he was herded through a door to a smoky, man-only lounge.

Of course the guys were let right in. Sveta lingered across the hallway from the smoking lounge, taking a peek in whenever the guy in the door was not staring her down (or sizing her up, either way). He did not take on an official pose, but it was clear he would bounce her if she tried to get in. Or maybe she would bounce him, but not without a scandal.

Sveta swirled her drink in the elegant glass, trying to figure out a way to listen in. She watched some men arrive and some leave. She shifted along the hallway as they did, and eventually ended up at a marble staircase that led deeper into the bowels of the mansion. Some women were definitely being escorted there, giggling and flirting all the way.

So there was a place for men and women to mingle, other than the ballroom.

"Sorry Ms Scarlet, invitation only" smiled a graceful hostess at the top of the stairs "Maybe you and your date could come back in a bit? I am sure a lady like you is not here alone, now, are you?"

So she needed a guy to get in there too.

Sexist pigs, the lot of them.

Sveta flashed a knowing smile at the hostess, and turned around to sweep by the smoking room again. Maybe one of the men would catch a glimpse of her, and decide to be her chivalrous escort for the night. A girl could hope...

The secrets in here were disgusting.

Girls were for sale here. It was a casual meat market. Every great once in a while, a man would make a motion with his hand and a girl would be brought in, lead past each leather seat like a show animal, and then lead back out without ever saying a word. Their eyes were glazed like they weren't even really all present. Their clothes, if they had any, were more an accent to their nakedness rather than a cover.

He couldn't believe this was happening in this day and age.

Jude took a swig of his drink and let it burn the whole way down so he could fake a smile. He wasn't usually a fan of drinking paint thinner, but he felt like he needed to be punished for even finding himself in this place.

His escort into this smokey den elbowed him as a latin girl was paraded around.

Never had a Cuban before. The words he had spoken haunted him now and made him feel sick. This whole place was making him feel sick. He had to get out of here.

"Any chance she's available?" Jude tried to put a bit of hunger in his eyes, tried to sound as much a predator as the others had who'd made inquiries. He stubbed his cigar out despite never having taken a drag.

"Staircase in the hall beyond the bar." He smiled, so casual in his knowledge of what was about to happen. Jude beyond glad to have tuned out the secrets of this room. "You can make your transaction with the man there."

This time, the smile was genuine. Jude was sure the X-men would approve of the type of transaction he was planning. He excused himself and left the drawing room in a waft of smoke.

This was supposed to be reconnaissance only, but he'd seen enough. Jude straightened his jacket and went to go find the man beside the staircase.

Some girls were paraded inside the smoking room, but from what Sveta could tell, nothing sordid was going on there. Other than staring at scantily clad women, that is. The girls were then led outside and down the stairs. So what the smoking room a selection thing? Sveta pulled on her dress, but she was fairly sure it wasn't skimpy enough to get a walk-around in the boys' club.

She saw one of the men stand and walk out. He looked... less comfortable than the others. Maybe he was new too? She didn't see him select a girl, and he did not participate in the friendly conversation all the men were having.
Maybe he was the weak link. Maybe he was her way in.

Sveta sipped some wine and shifted so she would catch his eyes before he got to the stairs. It was a gamble; she was nothing like the girls, so if that was his type, she was not going to make a difference. She also couldn't talk without giving the accent away, so she tried something else; she smiled her most alluring smile, flipped her hair away from her bare shoulders, and nodded slightly towards the stairs, giving him the bedroom eyes, hoping it was not actually bedrooms down there.

Come on you pervert, get a clue.

Before he found the staircase, Jude found Svetty. Or rather, Svetlana found him. Blonde. Red dress. Red lips. There was no way with her current hobby that this wasn't his Svetlana. Oh. Jude was definitely seeing red. He was pretty sure he'd never been so angry in his entire life.

She was here in this awful place giving him bedroom eyes. Not because he was himself. Not because of love or even like.

He took an aggressive step forward before he'd even registered the movement. His hand moved like it was a snake, quickly capturing Svetlana's chin in his hand.

Her power flared his.

'Weapons under the dress. Want to mark the faces. Take this place down.'

If someone kissed her. If he kissed her like he wanted to... This would only go downhill. No. His anger wasn't with her. At least. It wasn't only directed at her.

"You'll do."

He took Svetlana by the glove-covered wrist and pulled her along like property. He had to be despicable to get past the man at the stairs and right now, his mood suited. This could be good, though. He now had an ally for what was already an impossible task.

He hoped they burned this place to the ground. It was that thought that let him smile to the man at the banister and the look in his eyes that probably prompted the man to comment.

"You break it, you buy it."

His barking laugh haunted Jude as he pulled Svetty down with him.

Jude.

Out of all people that could have been in this sorry pit of hell, it was Jude.

Older, not as in, "not a teen anymore," but older than he'd been last time they'd met as adults. And wearing a mask, but once their eyes met, that did not change a thing (suck it, all superhero secret identities ever).

Jude was pissed.

"Oh, shit."

Sveta froze, even dropping her silence as he marched up to her and grabbed her chin. Her breath hitched, waiting to see what happens next. He wasn't dumb enough to blow her cover, right?...

>>"You'll do."

He had her wrist in his hand, and Sveta followed along. She was wearing her usual long gloves. She hoped he'd keep his power, whatever it was at the moment, in check. The last thing they needed was a feedback loop.

As the first shock subsided, Sveta started feeling anger of her own. This was Jude, "I want a childhood" Jude, "I can't let you be a vigilante" Jude, playing spy in this disgusting place, and he had the nerve to be angry at her.

>>"You break it, you buy it."

Oh, something was gonna break all right.

At the bottom of the stairs was another vast space. It felt more like a bar than a ballroom, all nooks and crannies, veils and booths, music, drinks, and women. There was also a hallway with doors, which Sveta assumed led to more private activities, although the people in the bar space were certainly not shy either.

She tried to note as many faces as she could. These men were buyers, not sellers, but when the ship went down, they needed to go down with it.

He wasn't sure if she would recognize him, but it didn't surprise him when he saw it in her eyes. They had a lot to not say right now so it was better to focus on the problem at hand.

It was like a love motel crossed with a dive bar. There were seedy, disgusting nooks and crannies and he was pretty sure the "seedy" bit was literal. None of this was helping his temper. He'd been hoping it was all rooms. He wanted some place private so he could shout and throw things in peace, but he didn't want to go to the hallway with doors. Not yet. There was another layer of muscle between them and those doors.

The dive-like area, however, was like a shadow of what was happening directly above them. Well, after he'd heard the secrets he had, maybe this was just a more honest version.

It occurred to Jude that he would have had to pay to get down here if he hadn't found Svetty. He wasn't prepared to fork over any amount of cash. The X-men had sent him here because of a tip, only to listen and watch.

But there was no way he could sit by and let this happen.

Jude exhaled and steered Svetty toward the best looking vantage point. He molded himself around her body and pushed her against the wall allowing her to both be hidden and still see over his shoulder. It also came with the benefit of his lips on her neck and ear. He put his hands in slightly less polite places as he held her. Places where someone down here might expect to see them.

"You want to know their faces?" He nibbled at her ear and let his mustache tickle the sensitive skin there. "I want to know their secrets." She smelled so good. It had been so long. His power, of course, reached out for hers, but he kept a tight grip on his current set. He needed it to make these kinds of events end.

The slap and tickle was just a side benefit of their cover. He wasn't going to say he didn't want her here. For now, they needed each other. "I think we can have a mutually beneficial partnership."

The whole place was nasty. Sveta could feel her skin crawl. No boost came from Jude yet, which meant he was keeping a grip on his other powers. Good. She hoped he didn't walk into the mansion with an ageing power. Him reverting back to a sixteen-year-old in here would just have been the worst.

She got pushed into a corner, but the fact that she could still see a lot was not lost on her. Jude leaned into her and she let him, although she could feel anger burning in her stomach.
She'd yell at him later. Possibly in Russian.

>>"You want to know their faces? I want to know their secrets. I think we can have a mutually beneficial partnership."

She tilted her head, pushing the body hear and the kisses to the back of her mind. She counted the muscle and the staff. Tried to see faces. Most of them were wearing masks, though.

"Dis is not a game" she whispered, eye half closed as if she was saying nothing in particular "Why are you even here? Did Sam think it was a good idea to send you?"

She was not even sure who she was angry at. Sam was definitely on her sh*t list now anyway. Just for good measure.

"It's not a game." They at least agreed on that point. There was a fierceness to his voice. Just enough to let her know how he felt about this kind of business. Plus, the thought that she might have tried this with someone else made Jude's hackles rise.

"The X-men sent me." Which pretty much amounted to Sam doing the sending. Jude wasn't privy to all the reasons why, but right now that didn't matter. The Frenchman leaned back enough to show Svetty his serious eyes before diving back in to her other side. She could scan the other half of the room now. "But I was just supposed to watch. Now hush. I'm trying to listen for something useful." And he was making decent progress on hiking up her dress just in case she needed quick access to those weapons. He wouldn't take her hem above the knee.

He rested his lips against her skin and closed his eyes, using the boost to focus in on the others in the room without having to actually focus on them with his eyes.

"Shotgun. Under the bar." He relayed anything useful as it came to him. "Ugh. One of them's a priest." It wasn't like anyone was thinking directly of their identity or payment methods. They needed physical proof. A payment ledger. Receipts. Something more than mask-covered faces.

Jude tensed. "And one of them thinks you might be as tasty a morsel as I am." The Frenchman leaned back and tugged his mask into a more comfortable position. "Fancy a threesome?" It could be their ticket into the backrooms, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

>>"It's not a game. The X-men sent me. But I was just supposed to watch. Now hush. I'm trying to listen for something useful."

The incredible, unbelievable hypocrite.

Closeness, body heat, and kisses aside, Sveta felt like slapping the lights out of her ex-boyfriend right now. Also, Sam, but Sam was not at arm's reach. Jude, on the other hand, was in the middle of the crime underworld, parading as an adult. Again.
Sveta took a fistful of his hair as he leaned back in. She'd hurt him more later.

>>"Shotgun. Under the bar. Ugh. One of them's a priest. And one of them thinks you might be as tasty a morsel as I am. Fancy a threesome?"

How was he telling all this? He said he was listening. Super hearing, maybe? Or did he borrow Evelyn's powers?... Neither of those would prove very useful if they got in a fight.

"No I don't" she muttered, looking around to see who might be the wishful third person "But it might get us information. We only have one shot. How about one of the girls?..."

If they went into a room with one of the men, she might just end up killing him. Girls were more likely witnesses.