In the Sanctuary dining area, there are no small tables. Long family-style tables forced the inhabitants of the golden doored sanctuary to get to know each other, to forge friendships and bonds and learn to look out for one another.

At least that was the idea, anyway.

Even among their own kind there were minor kinks and squabbles to be ironed out. That was why Lori tried to eat in with her family as often as possible. The kids were less likely to fight when mom was watching.

Lori pulled her brownie off her tray first followed by her main plate and double insulated cup. She arranged each piece of silverware meticulously on a napkin in front of her and let one of the employees come by and pick up the tray.

She was a bit on the early side for dinner today which wasn't wholly unusual. She liked to spend the majority of her time chatting and watching. Eating was just a necessity that had to be taken care of before hand.

She started with dessert because today she was supposed to meet a friend of Meld's. A friend called Worms. It didn't leave a lot to the imagination and after her meeting with Roach... well, she really wanted that brownie. If her dinner was likely to be spoiled anyway, why not make sure to get what she wanted?

Worms was led to the dining room by one of the Sanctuary Security goons. He whistled as he walked through the lair of the so-called Order.

"Damn, I could get used to this" Worms said as he ran a hand over the back of a genuine leather couch. He was always on the lookout for food/hiding places for his worms; leather couches could easily hide a worm or two, his friends enjoyed wooden furniture. The walls were mainly concrete and steel however. Pity.

Finally, he was shown the dining hall. Sitting at the head of one of the tables was a woman. Worms already knew her to be Lori Faust. A sly smirk on his face, Worms walked quickly over to her, a pace somewhat surprising given his slightly protruding gut that looked much out of place on his lean frame. In a fluid motion, he pulled back the chair to the right of Ms. Faust and leaned towards her, resting an elbow on the table, grabbing a glass of water that was currently being unused with the other hand.

"Heeeelloooooooo. You must be the Madame Faust, eh? Didn't expect a blond, no offense." Worms winked and took a long sip of water. Something...odd...surrounded his presence. A sense of creepiness, but not of ugliness or disgust. Simply a crafty, sneaky bearing was held by Worms as his slicked back his long brown hair.

"I'm Worms."

The mutant waited, seeing the woman's response to the blond comment. He hadn't truly meant it, but he wanted to see how she handled herself. See how she ticked inside. He took a sip from the glass of water.

He wasn't what she was expecting either. She'd been expecting a little less slime and a little more worm.

"Meld spoke highly of you, but if your head is too far up your own assumptions to answer to a blonde than you can march right back out those golden doors." Wink or no wink, if there was one thing Lori did not appreciate it was appearances. People were always trying to figure her out. They assumed things about her because she was small, because she was blonde, because she seemed too young and kind for her enterprise. Sometimes it worked in her favor. When making a first impression, it did not.

"No offense." She added with an arch of her brow. Because that never made things any better, but people always tagged it on at the end as a catch-all get out of jail free card.

Was she mocking him? Yes.

If he really knew who she was she would show a little more respect. She nibbled at her brownie until it was in a cute little heart shape. Where Worms exuded otherness, Lori seemed very much the girl next door. A kid fresh off the bus from cheer camp. Except for her cutting words, she didn't seem to be bothered by Worms in the least. In fact, she smiled at him and put her hand on top of one of his.

Her body and body language said welcome. Her words and tone said that he had better watch his step. This was essentially a job interview and he just might be screwing the pooch with his probing forced familiarity.

"What can I do for you?" As soon as she could get a read on his audio center, she would take her tiny, soft hand off of his. Lori's first impression? He looked a lot like a pregnant cow. All gut and wiry legs and arms.

Worms smiled at Lori's response. Just was he was hoping. She may look like a small, innocent-looking woman, but under her skin lived an entirely different person. Worms also took note of the mocking attitude, and took it in stride.

"I'm sorry Ms. Faust, didn't mean to upset you." Worm said. Lori then asked her how she could help him, and put a hand on one of his. He paused, speaking to his worms as he usually did, using them as a subconscious wall to talk to.

>>Okay, the hand is strange. Dare not let go though. She seems interested in what we have to offer, yes? Must be careful. Could be someone who could make life miserable. She's a CEO after all. Part of the job requirement.<<

Worms slicked back his hair, the slime from his worms acting as an effective hair gel. "Well, I'm sure Meld told you about our recent job? Why I'm here?"

Upset? If Lori were upset it would have shown visibly. Not that he knew that. Nor did he know the depths of just how miserable she could make his life.

But... what we have to offer? "I would like to hear it from you. Why don't you grab something to eat and we'll discuss it after that." Lori pulled back her hand to let him go. He had said 'we' hadn't he? In his thinking? He was thinking plural.

Most people did not have such direct thoughts. It was as if he was used to someone being in his head. Used to someone who could respond in kind, mentally. Who did Worms talk to inside his own head?

'Please, please not another insane one.' She was getting so tired of babysitting the inept and the insane. Meld had said he was competent. More than competent, he could be useful. She put a lot of stock into what Meld said, but so far Lori just wasn't sure.

If Worms left her at the table she would close her eyes and listen harder until he returned. She didn't want to miss a thing.

Worms shook his head, finishing the glass of water.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't eat." Worms set the glass down and picked up the pitcher. As he filled it to the brim, he spoke.

"I've been in the crime business since birth pretty much. You ever heard of the Bogdanovich family? Ukrainian Mafia based in Boston. Anyway, my cousin is the head hancho. Big dog. Large cheese, if you will. Been working in and out with him for years, even after my mutation took affect." Worms finished pouring, patting his gut. "I don't eat."

Leaning back, he wore a sly smile on his face. He loved telling half-truths. They weren't lies, nor what he didn't want to reveal.

"After years of working solos, I found how boring humans were. Useless. Pathetic, at times. Then, I learned that there were not only more like me, but LIKE ME. Criminals. Those who lived outside the law, because it was the law of man. We aren't men Ms. Faust. You literally, but you know what I mean right? We're truly Homo Superior. My contacts have told me you run a little shindig that agrees with me. So did Meld. Good woman, by the way. I hope you trust her. I don't think she understands the meaning of a lie." Worms laughs.

"But now I'm off topic. Let me get to the point. I've heard you're in need of people like me. Is this so?"

Worms drained the entire glass again, and waited for an answer as he refilled it.

He... didn't eat...? With that belly? At least he didn't talk crazy outside of his own head. Which was... interesting. Good help was so very hard to find.

"What was your position in Boston?"

Homo Superior. She was a woman. Yadayadayada. Did she need help? Yes. Did she want help? No. But she didn't always get what she wanted. Usually she got men who were part bug and all kinds of useful. It had already happened once. Why not now? Why not again?

"I need you, Worms." She just couldn't finish her meal. Lori set it down and arched her brow at the man in all his slimy glory. "You and your worm army." Was it a guess? Yes. But he was worms in the plural. He'd even said it in his head.

Worms simply laughed. She'd figured it out slightly faster then he'd hoped, but he'd been prepared for it. As good as a liar he was, he knew that someone who could lead an organization such as The Order would see through him eventually.

"Well, aren't you a smart one. That's good. Been in some gigs where the so called brains," Worms said, leaning in towards Lori, tapping his head rather hard "couldn't have been smarter then the mortar between two bricks, much less a brick itself."

Turning his head slowly, Worms lifted an arm. As his head turned, a worm slithered out of his belly and up his sleeve, clicking blindly at Lori. Slime dripped down from its tooth-filled mouth and onto Lori's unfinished plate of food as it's host ran a hand down it's body, gathering the ooze in his hand and slicking back his hair. Worms then licked the last remaining bit of slime off his hand, then licks his lips with a soft, malicious chuckle. He then spoke in an almost whispered tone to Lori.

"My position? I learned things that people didn't want to be known. I squeezed people to tell me things they didn't want to say. I killed people that didn't deserve the air in their lungs." As he spoke, Worms leaned forward until he was inches from Lori's face. He then grinned ear to ear, speaking in a sing-song voice.

"I'm-the-one...that-got-the-job-done...so-consider-me-in...and-lets-have-some-fun..."

He got close. Just a couple of breaths away, really. It was just close enough for Lori to realize that Worms' nose was crooked. The tip pointed ever so slightly to his right as if in some point in the man's past it had been broken. Mafia involvement often came with battle scars. The Order leader gripped her hands tight and tighter and the skin made sounds like leather. She could make a fist now. It was not always so.

Even in his praise of her he was condescending. He probably didn't even realize it. Many did not realize their inherent prejudices.

She caught the mental command before the actual action. Had she not known something wicked this way was coming, the electric user would not have been able to remain so calm. Worms was an apt description of the man having seen the creature... check that, creatures in the plural.

And he was so damn lucky that goo fell into her food and not onto her skin.

The blond blinked at the man. Hearing what was being said before it was said made for a very odd round effect to his singing. It took the edge off.

Admittedly, Lori did not enjoy the worm. It's appearance was grotesque and the man it... came from... was equally off putting. That was the idea, though. To incite fear. To create emotional distance.

Lori smiled the faintest of smiles. Seeing underneath the underneath proved useful at times. What a useful creature this was that had been dropped into her lap. She would have to thank Meld at a later date.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing?" Lori poked Worms on his skewed nose and bat her eyelashes at him. She showed him the most touching, adoring eyes she could muster despite the slime and walked her finger up to his forehead. "I think you'll be quite useful after some training." With the last word she jabbed a single finger into the goo in his hair. The slime made for an excellent conductor which meant she was helpless to keep her electricity from traveling out of her body where it was stored.

The former cheerleader pulled back her finger, but not too quick. Worms had likely jumped out of the way anyway. The residual goo crusted, sparked and flaked. Unappetizing.

"I have a friend joining me for dinner. Her name is Lenna and she'll take you out hunting." Lori leaned her elbows on the table just outside of the range of her plate and its goo. She made happy, loving cheerleader eyes at him again. "Let's call it a test run."

"GAAAH!" Worms shouted as he was given a shock by Lori. His worms shrieked as well, instantly retreating back into his abdomen. Flinching backwards, the chair he sat on tumbled over. Worms hit the ground not too softly, panting. The crusted slime in his hair smoked slightly as a shaky hand ran it's fingers through it. The other hand pushed up, and Worms stood quivering slightly as Lori gave him the "cheerleader eyes."

"That...wasn't....nice..." Worms said, glaring at Lori both angrily and slightly fearfully. He would have to watch out for this one. She was the boss, and she had a power that made even Worms a bit unsettled.

Quickly shrugging off the shock, Worms reverted back to his fluid, slimy self. He picked up the fallen chair and put it upright, sitting back down again and grabbed the pitcher of water. A glass wasn't enough right now.

"A test run you say? Sounds fascinating. I think I'd be of service...just no more tazer treatment." Worms chugged the water from the pitcher. A small stream ran down, missing his mouth and dripped onto the floor below. The pitcher was empty in seconds, and Worms wiped his mouth with a deep, satisfied breath.

The Sanctuary residents were really nice. Ask one dashing young mutant man to get you your dinner, and with the appropriate smile, the right wink, and they'd oblige. Today's target had been a black mutant in gold jewelry with a mohawk. She'd met him before, and he was nice. He'd brought her coffee and a jelly doughnut. It hadn't quite been what she'd wanted, but... oh well~

"Thank you, Trevar." She smiled, waving the doughnut in a napkin at him. He waved off her thanks with a discrete smile. Taking a bite of the baked good, she turned away from him, just in time to catch sight of Lori pat a man on the head, and see him tumble. It looked like he'd gotten a shock out of that. Lenna smiled, and walked her meal over to the table. She slid in next to Lori with a small nod.

"So, who's your friend?" She asked, taking a casual sip of coffee. She knew, of course, that she was to meet Lori and a new recruit for some reason. She didn't know his name yet. Lenna focused on her doughnut while someone answered.

Her eyes drifted to Lori's tray. Jelly... Someone had made a mess.

Hmm...

> "That...wasn't....nice..."

"I'm not a nice person <3" Little hearts were practically floating up from Lori. It was fun to play with your food. Even more fun to play with potential employees who thought they could throw around their weight. Worms would likely be a great asset for the Order. His experience made him incredibly attractive to Lori... despite his actual appearance.

She only made a cute little amused noise at Worm's request for no further tazing. She couldn't promise anything and that was really part of her charm. Like it or lump it.

>"So, who's your friend?"

"Oh Lenna!" Her chair scooted closer to the other woman, the soothing helping hand to wrangle in Lori's power was always so appreciated. "This is my new pal Wormy. Isn't he cute?" She shared a conspiratorial smile with Lenna. The fastest way to emasculate a man? Confront him with two strong-willed women.

Worms might have been a man, but he was a man who knew he was ugly.

"Thanks Lori, I appreciate the compliments, but it ain't working." Worms smirked, but something in the back of his mind irked him.

>>Something is amiss my friends. You seem trapped. Isolated. I barely feel you there...is everything okay?<<

Worms' contact with his worms was weak. He just knew it had to be something this new mutant was doing.

"I heard you have some hunting that needs to be done, Ms. Lenna. Care to fill us in?" Worms leaned forward, a deadly glint in his eyes as he waited to hear what he needed to do to join the Order.

>>"This is my new pal Wormy. Isn't he cute?"

Lenna smiled right back, and shook her head jokingly. "I dunno, Lori. I think he's a little too crunchy to be cute..." And slimy. And fried? And... putting her off her doughnut. Lenna let the pastry sit, while coffee took center stage. He couldn't put her off coffee, could he?

He asked her a question, and Lenna swung that smile over to Lori. "Boss?"

She had two party poopers at her table. "Are you not getting this whole get up? The smile and slime and talking to worms in his head thing... I dunno. Maybe the whole package is just too match-y match-y. Maybe you're right." As Lenna was so often. Lori was just glad to pat the girl on the hand. Her just being around was the best way to cut off the crazy once she'd tapped into someone else's head.

> "Boss?"[/color]

Lori had just been leaning back in her chair and folding her hands behind her head. Now she paused as if caught. Sigh. Ah well. "You know. The thing with the deal at the place at that one time?" My, she was in a silly mood today. Blah. Being a grown up wit responsibilities really sucked sometimes.

Sitting forward in her chair made her five time more boss-like. "It's important we get our pet project running soon. If you don't know the one maybe Meld has been rubbing off on you." If Meld's memory loss was contagious the Sanctuary would have been in a lot more trouble long before this.

To Worms she explained. "I'm sending my precious Lenna with a team. She's a partial null so you can quit freaking out now." Not that she could hear into his head anymore sitting here with this sweet little partially adapted. "She's my acting second until I can find a proper replacement so you'll treat her with more respect than you have me." Or she would find his worms, wherever they were hiding and do her worst.

The acting second part might be a bit of a surprise to Lenna, but Lori was both afraid for the girl in mutant company and glad to have her around the Sanctuary. The mutants didn't much approve of keeping pet adapteds, though they made for lovely tools when it came to exacting punishment around these halls. It was the fear of them and Lori's love of them that probably would keep Lenna from retaining the status of second. There was just something iffy about sharing your plans with a plain old sapien when there were plenty of capable mutants at hand. Lori just needed to know who was most capable. Until then Lenna was in.