She'd heard about him. He'd been helping Roach. A fairly new addition to the Order, his power was a useful one, and one she figured might have some applications beyond those he currently knew. Lenna was crafty, always thinking of how best to use the tools with which she was presented. This was but one of the many occasions. So, she called Ty up.

They were set to meet in the early morning, around 8, in the war room. She'd made sure Lisa had given the boy directions in addition to the time and general purpose of the meeting. She wanted to talk shop. Business. It was now quarter to 8.

Lenna waited.

Seven in the morning. Christ, people were awake at this hour? Ty, used to sleeping until 10:30-11 at the earliest, was having a little trouble wrapping his mind around this concept. Sure, he'd fallen asleep this early before, but rarely was awake unless it was important, or if he didn't sleep.

Today, it was important. Lenna's was a name Ty had only heard a couple of times, and never officially met her, but from what he gathered, a summoning from her had to be of great importance. So, after showering, he got dressed in his usual garb consisting of jeans, tee shirt, fingerless gloves, and green-laced black sneakers and downed three cups of coffee.

He'd gone with a purple shirt with a white eye drawn on it, just thinking it looked cool. His gloves were black, with studs on them, a pair he'd rarely gone with. Seeing his old black leather jacket on a chair, he grabbed it and put it on. He missed how it felt, but even moreso he missed the memories that came with it. Shrugging it off, he made his way to the meeting point, relying heavily on the directions Lisa had told him.

Five til eight, and the door to the war room opened and the post-cog stepped inside. "You must be Lenna," he said, groggily, yet as politely as he could at this ungodly hour. "Ty Fisher. You wanted to see me?"

She rose in her black pencil skirt and gray top, gesturing politely to a chair on the other side of the large circular table with a smile. "Please, have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about something I could use your help with."

With some mutants, flattery helped, and 'your help' was more tactful than 'your mutation'. 'Your expertise' might also have been flattering, but 'help' was so much more so.

As he moved, she slipped back into the seat she'd previously been in, smoothing her skirt as she did. Her hands found themselves clasped on the table. She waited until he'd sat down fully, then asked him "What do you know about the afterlife." She paused a beat, then clarified. "More precisely, spirit mediums and the type of clientele they bring in."

With a nod, Ty sat down in the indicated chair and listened. His facial expression seemed more than a little confused as she spoke. Afterlife? That seemed something way out of his league.

"Uh...very little, actually. Ghosts and spirits are a little out of my reach, though I know some people who'd shell out big bucks to communicate with them, or go out of their way to avoid them. Me, I'm not too sure. I'm not that kind of psychic," he replied, still somewhat wary of the situation.

"But are you a good liar?" She asked. Clearly, she'd shaken him. The question had been out of left field. Mediums? A laugh. Except in very specific cases, where mutation was involved, communication with ghosts was a farce.

"There's someone I need lied to." Lenna explained. "He's very superstitious, and would believe any convincing con artist who tried to bilk him out of his hard-earned cash, so far as the paranormal is concerned. Great businessman, regarding everything else. Terrible, when it comes to moans and rattling chains. With your mutation, you can see the pasts of objects. I feel like you could adequately lie to this man to get him to believe practically anything. What do you think?" A lopsided smile perched wryly on her face. Now, what would he say to that?

Ty gave a small chuckle as she elaborated. This whole ordeal was shaping up after all. It sounded interesting, and simple, if someone was that foolish as to throw money at the first person who claimed to speak to ghosts.

"Heh, well...I prefer taking money the old fashioned way, but, I gotta say this sounds promising. Though not the world's best liar, I can if need be," he replied, a mischievous smirk on his face now; the kind of smirk that should likely be plastered on his face 24/7.

"True, I can see the past of objects. The way I see it, lying about it really just saves me a headache. I think it'd be something worth going after," he said, not really thinking about things like why she was asking him to do this in the first place. Hey, there was money in it, right?

Oh, he'd gotten the wrong impression. He'd thought they were after money. No, not really. Well, not initially. What they were after would lead to it, but that certainly wasn't the main goal. Money, she had in spades. No, what she was after was far more important than that.

Lenna let him finish answering her before she made things clear once again. "What we're after isn't just money, Ty, but connections and territory. You see, this man is a mob boss. I want him to affiliate with the Order. He's been hesitant, up until now, but subtle words of encourage from a dearly departed loved one might change his tune. Still interested?" She asked.

A small smile curled her lips as she waited on his response.

Okay, so it seemed Ty was thinking small. Well, small in terms of the way Lenna saw things. Of course he should have known she'd have it all figured out, and he probably did. But it was still early in the morning, and the redhead wasn't quite awake yet.

"Power to go with the bankroll," he murmured, thinking this over. "So, all I have to do is convince him that a dead person he was close to would want him to back us. I'm in." He gave a grin, brushing his hair out of his face.

It took him a moment of murmuring, but he reached the appropriate conclusion. Lenna nodded, content with his answer. "Exactly right," she said. And since he was in, she continued. "We have a little information on-file about him and those close to him, but there's no way to know everything, or who in his life would be most important to him, so it's up to you to figure out what he needs to hear. It has to be perfect, otherwise he'll get suspicious. I said he was willing to toss money at ghosts, but he doesn't do it blindly. You'll have to put on a good show."

She let him take in that flood of information as she sat there, contemplating their next move. The man's name was Jose Leguardia, accent on the e, and he controlled a small chunk of downtown. He was balding, middle-aged, with strong Mexican roots. He came from a long line of people in the mob business, and while he had inherited his current position, that was not due to family ties. As she'd said before, he was bright. A good businessman. He'd earned the position through clever business dealings and cutthroat practices. It wasn't likely Ty would need backup if the guy figured out he was lying to him, but they'd cover that next. They'd also cover the cover Ty would get to use. She was adept at making them, and Ty was lucky to have her on his side.

"I can use my abilities to gather more dirt if need be. That way, I can gain his trust because he'll know I'm telling the truth. Then, when we enter uncharted territory, I'll have him." He thought over every bit of information he was given, much more careful about minor details than he usually was.

After all, this would be the most important thing he'd do to date. And it wasn't for himself, but for something much bigger than that. He knew the day was coming when he'd be more than just some punk off the streets. Now, he'd have to prove it.

"Okay, I think I'm with you so far. So how exactly are we going to do this?"

He made some suggestions, and she didn't stop him. If he wanted to, those things would work out just fine. When he turned the conversation back over to her, however, she had plenty to say.

"I'll get a background set up for you, complete with a reliable cover and shop location. That'll help him trust you. I've got connections that will get you onto his RADAR, so he knows where to go, and when. And we're going to have him bring a loved one's old possessions, to help you 'communicate with the deceased'." She made cavalier air quotes. "This should take a bit of time. You could look into finding out some background on him, if you wanted, so long as you don't get caught. We'll have to have you work a few days as a psychic in the shop's location, though... so you might not have time for that. I'll have some 'customers' come in and out, so if he checks on you with hired goons, we have something to show his spies."

She took a break to breathe and let him download all of that.

Ty nodded as he chewed on the information given to him. He had to admit, this was much deeper than anything he'd been involved in on his own, but he wasn't exactly alone here. Now was his chance to prove himself useful and to be something more than just some punk off the streets.

"Sounds like a plan," he replied thinking it over. "I don't really need the extra information, though it could give me more to go on. Since time is a key factor, I can do without." he gave another nod, scratching his chin.

"Sounds good," Lenna agreed, nodding at him. He seemed a smart kid, if relatively new to the con game. He would learn. And if he was as good as Roach had said, it'd be worth it to train him. One didn't always have to go out and buy help from the best. Sometimes, an investment paid off far more than any of that. She didn't see Ty as just an investment. He was a member of the Order. And as a member of the Order, he was both ally and friend, as well as a partner in crime. Or, as Lori would have said, 'Family'. And family didn't leave family alone when they needed help.

"One last thing," Lenna stated warmly. "I'll be supervising you on this mission, watching your back and helping you out. I have faith you'll live up to Roach's shining reviews. If you have any questions, suggestions, or need anything more, I'll be glad to listen to your thoughts."

That said, she went quiet, so he could respond.

Ty raised an eyebrow at the one last thing, then nodded upon finding out what that was. Lenna herself supervising him? On the one hand, it'd mean he'd have backup should things go wrong. On the other, it encouraged him not to screw this up. But no matter. He would do what he was told, and live and learn as he went along. A decent learning method, if the redhead did say so himself.

"Heh, Good to know Roach thinks decently of me," he joked lightly. "Let's see...Use my abilities to convince a mob guy to support the Order. I'll have a shop and a cover, and you're overseeing the mission personally. Yep, I think we're good to go here." He grinned, giving a nod as a slight twinge of nervousness set in.

"Sounds like it," Lenna replied dryly, returning the action of the nod. They were set. Rising, she set the plan in motion.


~*~

Time passed. It had been a few days since Ty had assumed his cover, a few customers deep, and plenty of cups of coffee later. He'd handled a few hired hands, communed with their loved one's spirits, and laid it on thick. He'd also handled a few easy targets and took in a few hundred dollars profit. Who said the Order wouldn't take money that fell into their hands? They'd even handled a few she was certain were snoops for her man.

She'd casually and surreptitiously gotten their main target and his people aware of the shop. Redd Goldscale's Medium shop was a popular place (according to sources). And professional. Very professional. It was legit. His snoops had thought so, as well. Her information told her that. And she told Ty. She'd also told Ty they'd probably be getting a visit from the big man himself today.

From her spot behind a one-way mirror within easy access of a hidden entrance to the Medium shop, she watched every move the boy made. If trouble came up, she was there to barge in and stop it violently.

The bells on the front door of the shop jangled as someone came in. Lenna looked up from her magazine and coffee. Sipped.