2 hours earlier...

“Ya want meh ta WHAT[/b]?!”

One year. One year gone from this place and already the madness was starting. She'd been trained, taken in by one of the largest guilds in New Orleans and taught in a fashion usually reserved for the movies. In her mind it was almost like a montage, the time she spent with The Cat's Paw Thieves Guild coming in going in chunks. The time spent on her was enormous, a proverbial army of people to make her who she was now. Years of training condensed down to a merely one, her (new found) art not perfected by a long shot but, as her trainers said, the potential was there. She was a new person, not the dingy little street rat with no connections like she was before. Now, she was somebody, somebody who had the power to actually change things, someone who could make the person that stole her past pay. And what was the first thing she was hired to do when she got back to New York?

'I want you to steal Isabel Duskmoor's panties.'

“Ya say tha' like it be somethin' so simple ta do,” Rhythm slammed a palm into the steering wheel of her car, a slight pout on her lips as her normally pale face went slightly pink in the cheeks. “Me an Izzy ain't exactly on speakin' terms, savvy? In fact, ah got it on good authority tha' tha next time she lays eyes on meh, she gonna gut meh frem da groin up!!”

'Well it's a good thing you look different form the last time she saw you, isn't it?' A beat. 'You're getting paid good money for this, Snow Black. Isn't this what you do? The Cat's Paw told me you'd do it, after all, since you're in the area.'

“Ah be positive ya can jes go out an' steal dem from a girl whose threat level be below red!!” Rhythm cried out, indignant, her face in full on tomato mode. “Dey just be panties, man!! Panties!!”

'To you, maybe. To me...' A breath, one that made Rhythm cringe it was so slow and...perverted. 'I'll go ahead and assume that this is a mission you're accepting. You're uniquely qualified, after all, having direct contact with Isabel and been inside Sanctuary. Waldo out.'

Rhythm wasn't one to argue with the customer, not usually. But really, she'd expected at least a couple of weeks of silence and slightly boredom before her reality kicked in. Time spent using her contacts and money to find an actual lead on her case. But no, barley a day after settling into New York's familiar setting was she being thrust back out into the madness. And while she was certainly concerned for her safety, Rhythm always picture her death being quick, painless. In her mind, the death that Isabel offered was anything but. Their last moments together were...well, awkward. After all, what do you say to the woman you came a breath away from marrying?

“Buncha sick perverts, tha lot a ya.” Rhythm grumbled, looking out into the New York night and sighing. She was glad to have her roof apartment back, happy to see how very little seems to have actually changed. Except the craziness, of course. “God damned panties...da hell...”

---

Now...

The one thing Rhythm remembered about Sanctuary was that it wasn't exactly a fortress if you were a mutant. They welcomed one and all of her kind with open arms, and she was no different. She wasn't exactly sure how they could tell who was human from mutant, but she didn't ask questions. In fact, the first part of her plan involve on blending in as well as possible before she went on to the second phase of Operation: Panty Thunder (so coined by the imbecile that wanted the damn things), in where she'd do her best to find Isabel's room again. The place did bring back some pleasant memories for her, as Isabel was actually quite cute and adorable when she wasn't being a murderous psycho bitch. Packed a hell of a punch too.

'Snow Black, you copy?'

“Ya, Echo, ah'm here.” Rhythm grumbled, rubbing the side of her face and touching the ear piece that was expertly hidden behind her earlobe. “Tell meh ya weren't tha douchebag tha' said ah could do dis job.”

'Nope, not me.' Echo replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. 'And relax. You're all good here. This is home now, dig? Easy like Sunday morning.'

“Easy fer YOU ta say,” Rhythm emphasized the word as strongly as she could without appearing to be talking to herself. “Ah be in da lobby, ya knucklehead. Off ta find a place where ah can slip outta sight and den do lookin' fer Izzy's room. If'n she be findin' me Echo, ah'm comin' back ta haunt ya bastards, ah frakin' promise ya.”

'No one's gonna find ya, Snow, swear to god.' Rhythm could almost see him holding a hand to his heart. It comforted her slightly, as Echo was an honest guy when it came to his comrades, but the comfort was brief as she reminded herself that she was waist deep in Isabel Territory and, like in The Crow, there ain't no comin' back form that. 'Now, focus on your task, just like we taught ya.

A deep breath later and refocused red eyes glowed slightly, determination and stubbornness making her clench her jaw. She could do this, she could. She'd done things that were ten times riskier, conned bigwigs that never saw her coming. Sure, it'd only been a few times but she garnered results, and a simple freakin' pair of panties wasn't going to be the end of her, no frakin' sir. The last thing she wanted was her tombstone to say 'Rhythm: Murdered Because of Panties' or some stupid shit like that. Surely her guild wouldn't do that...would they? She was about to voice her concerns to Echo, when sex walked into the room.

'Eh, Snow? You gurgled there for a sec. Ya okay? Your vitals...'

Okay, so maybe she wasn't sex. But she could have been, if she'd wanted to. Rhythm had seen pretty women in her life, but this one took the cake, the pie and the pudding too...then didn't offer to share as she ate the whole thing in front of you before finally offering you the crumbs, crumbs you gobbled up simply because you knew it was probably the closest you'd ever be to having her near you. From the sultry walk and to the sashaying of the hips, the woman owned the air around her and if she didn't she made that sumbitch pay rent.

'Snow!! Stay the course!! Snow, answer me ya bitch, Snow!! Snooooooow!!'

A light tap to the device silenced the screaming of Echo in her ear. Rhythm's training only saved her from drooling outright, but a mental slap made her avert her eyes before the woman caught her staring. Momentarily she forgot her mission but, stupid as it was, she knew she had a job to do. And if there ever was a question on how The Order ever got people to even walk into Sanctuary, the answer was as clear as a summer blue sky now.

“Jesus Christ on a pogo stick...” Rhythm breathed, coughing once to clear her throat. “Aight...panty time...”

Ugh, that didn't even sound cool in her head.

An eyebrow arched. Had that person just said...?

"Sorry. I missed that." Lenna usually had good ears, but she couldn't have possibly heard right. "What time was that, again?"

She hadn't really been paying attention. Just talking to Lisa, walking around in her new black pencil skirt. She was dressed for a business meeting later. There'd be a business meeting later. It hadn't been something she'd expected, hearing someone say 'panties' in the dead of day. Even under a cough.

The blond secretary behind her was completely unfazed by anything going on currently. She didn't even have a witty comment to drop. Or if she did, Lisa didn't care to share it. She was professional like that. And she knew the woman could handle herself.

Being bored Syn thought of having another chat with Lisa and see if any new prospects had come to Sanctuary. She enjoyed the conversations as Lisa had been continually brining the dark woman up to date with everything. They would sometimes even talk and joke about the days when Sanctuary was still new.

When she approached Lisa’s work area Syn made note of the two other females and her pace slowed as one was already talking to the secretary. The other wasn’t far off, but didn’t seem to immediately be engaged with Lisa and the first woman. Guess chat time will have to wait she thought.

Stepping up to the side of Lisa’s desk Syn looked to other two women over. A strange feeling was gnawing at her. She felt like she should know the woman closest to Lisa. For now she decided to let that information come up on its own. “Hello ladies.”

Apparently she was being spoken to.

>>[/b]"Sorry. I missed that. What time was that, again?"[/i]

Sex was talking to her, and for one scary moment Rhythm felt like she did a year ago, with her brain screaming words but some...thing was blocking anything from coming out coherently. It was hard, after all, when the walking personification of Sex itself was talking to you, after all, and it was only then that Rhythm actually realized that Sex had heard her say 'Panty Time'. Her cheeks darkened, unusually bothered by this but was saved from actually saying anything when another woman joined the three (including the secretary) present in the lobby.

>>[/b]"Hello ladies."[/i]

This woman...well, if Sex was barley keeping her from drooling, the manifestation of all that was sinful made her momentarily gape. It was only by sheer, herculean effort that Rhythm actually managed to snap her jaw shut and take a nonchalant pose. Still, she averted her eyes because at this point her nose was about three seconds away from bursting with an anime style nosebleed. The newest addition to the gathering party in the lobby was well toned, not at all hidden with an ass that looked like it would make chiseled marble weep. While Rhythm felt the training she'd put herself through in the past, as well as her recent training in New Orleans made her feel slightly boyish with her amount of muscle, Sin here still had that hard body that Rhythm wouldn't have any problem worshiping without losing any of the femininity she apparently had in spades. From the sexy, come hither forest green eyes to the perfectly handled dyed hair, Rhythm was using every ounce of will not to just fangirl out and start humping legs.

How the frak did that secretary just look bored[/i]?!

“Time, sorreh...” Rhythm cleared her throat, her whiskey-on-the-rocks voice a tad deeper from her inner struggle in the presence of such beautiful women. “One fifty two, cher bebe.”

And even if Sex was talking to her, Rhythm couldn't keep her gaze from Sin. At the end of the day the thief wouldn't mind having both for dinner and desert, but something told her that such a scenario would probably be left to the porno studio in her mind. She wanted to say something, anything that would catch this woman's attention, but the slight buzzing in her ear told her that Echo had managed to override Rhythm's mute on it and was mere seconds away from screaming in her ear about her current panty stealing mission.

“'Scuse meh, gal lovelies.” Rhythm spoke, her tone now stronger then she would have imagined it being while being around such mind numbing beauty. “Rhythm here's gotta use da lil' girl's room. Bein' new an' all, ah dun suppose one of ya'll can't be pointin' meh in da right direction?”

There was another voice, another person on the scene, and as Lenna's eyes shifted, recognition slid into place. She'd seen this face before. Read the files. Heard from others. She knew who the woman was. She didn't notice the gaping the other person was doing. Her eyes were square on Syn.

She didn't even hear the other woman clarify what time exactly it was. At this point, it really didn't matter.

"Hey," She said casually. As casually as she could manage. Which was pretty casual, considering all the acting lessons a former assassin gal had to take from life.

There was a buzzing. Someone else was talking. Like a fly on her neck, unwanted. Something about restrooms? She broke the polite smile to nod her head to Lisa, who stepped around the desk.

"I can show you," she said. Escort. Show. Same deal, really. Helpful secretaries didn't come every day.

Now that that was handled, Lenna turned back to the current focus of her attentions. "Syn, right?" She asked.

No sooner had Syn spoken up than the other two ladies turned to her direction. Syn immediately focused on the closer one first and gave her a look over before moving on to the second lady. For a moment the goth girl thought she saw the second woman with her mouth open. Maybe it was the tail end of a yawn or perhaps something else.

Either way she didn’t get a chance to find out anything further as the woman requested aid in finding a restroom. This was when Syn picked up on the nod to Lisa in which Lisa got up to show Rhythm was it to the restroom.

The gnawing feeling inside her finally stopped as everything clicked. She had heard plenty from her former underlings as well as the conversations with Lisa. Syn smiled subtly and nodded. “I take it you’re Lenna.”

Rhythm felt better after she left the presence of the two goddesses in the lobby. The secretary (named Lisa) was a professional little thing, dressed as most secretaries were (in movies) and still managed to have hips worth killing for. Not that Rhythm mentioned this, as the thief was still blinking her eyes rapidly and shaking her head as if doing so would make the blush go away and make the slight dizziness go away.

“They do that, you know.” came a rather bored, cut and dry voice. “Those two. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

Though there was something to be ashamed of. Rhythm's thoughts strayed towards her time in New Orleans and her training for such scenarios. Well, not this specifically, but the training in seducing and charming and avoidance when coming across someone who was just as good as yourself in those fields as well. Which was hard, really, because during her time with The Cat's Paw, Rhythm hadn't been laid once, not even during her cons. Sure, touching, feeling...that was all good. But what marked her as a true 'natural' was the ability to con some lonely trophy wife out hundreds of thousands of dollars without sex. So, needless to say, her libido was...well, a bit wanting. But being able to control that wanting was a pride of hers. To have it shattered so easily was kind of a blow to her pride.

“Easy fer you ta say, darlin'.” Rhythm muttered, rubbing a hand to the back of her neck and looking away from her hard stare, red eyes looking around their current location. “Yer around it all de time, am ah right? Folk like meh dun get ta see such unearthly beauty ev'ry day. Ah'd almost say yer lucky, but ta look 'n not touch? Must be torture.”

“Yes. Torture.” Lisa rolled her eyes, stopping and sweeping her arms. “The bathroom. I have you all signed up, but please come back to the lobby when you're done to fill out the rest of tour paperwork.”

“Dere be more?” Rhythm sagged a bit, which made a half smile appear on Lisa's face. “Aight...ah'll be quick.”

“Do that.”

Lisa gave a nod and sauntered off, Rhythm taking only a quick moment to admire the hourglass figure before popping into the bathroom. The crackling in her ear grew more pronounced before a clear voice cut through it, though it went to jumbled garbage a moment later. Rhythm smiled; despite Echo denying that he wasn't the one that sent him in this mission, she was damn sure he had some part in it.

'God damn it Snow, answer meh!!'

“Ah'm here, ya louse.” Rhythm grumbled, opening all the stalls in the bathroom to make sure she was alone, which she was. “Sorreh babe, had ta...take a moment fer mahself. Ya underastand, yeah?” Visions of Sin's perfect ass swam in her head, and Rhythm shook her head as if to physically shake them out.

'The frak ever, just get back on business. Oh, one more thing...' Rhythm head the deep intake of breath and felt a sense of dread, a iron weight fall into the pit of her stomach. 'Yeah, the panties? They...uhhh...gotta be used. Worn. So, that means ya don't gotta go to her room, right? Just head on to where the laundry room is!!'

Rhythm sighed heavily, hands going to support herself on one of the elaborate sinks. It only really just hit her that the bathroom she was in probably cost more then most of the neighborhoods Rhythm had been in while in New Orleans, but she quickly brushed that line of thinking aside. She really held no loyalty to the state, only her guild, and now that loyalty was being stretched because of the idiot on the other end of her comm.

“Echo...da ya know how many women are in dis buildin'?” Rhythm said slowly, enunciated each word to convey just how displeased she was at the moment. “Ta find a single pair o' panties among all dem...dat shit's not possible. Not in da least. Ah hafta go to her room an' find o' pair. Dere be no otha option.”

'Well lookit you, all noble and wanting to accomplish your goal honestly.' Echo chuckled. 'Didn't you say he could steal any girl's panties and use those? Why not do that?'

“Principle.” Rhythm grumbles, slamming a fist on the bathroom counter. “Just...just gimmie a momen', kay? Ah...ah need ta get my thoughts all straight.”

'Forward. Gay girls don't say straigh-'

“Shut the frak up, Echo.” Rhythm pursed her lips, her fingers inches from shutting off the comm again but deciding against it. “One minute. Den ah be headin' out and possibly endin' mah own life fer a pair o' panties. Hope yer happy, dipshit.”

The silence on the other end of the line was indication that she could at least mute the comm before the thief turned her back on the mirrors that showed the slightly desperate look on her face. She didn't want to see that, not after her confidence had been built up to what it was now. Rhythm was all brand new everything, from look to personality. But Isabel...well, no matter what she still considered the bonemancer a friend despite the other woman's feelings. Stealing her panties seemed wrong, and while Rhythm usually didn't care about 'wrong' anymore, she still didn't want to slight her friends, even those that wanted to kill her.

“Aight Echo. It be go time.”

The knowledge of her name didn't throw her, because why would it? They were both playing it cool, and that was nice. Better than anyone tearing out any throats. She nodded. "I hear you've been busy, lately." She commented casually.

Busy with certain endeavors. For a past Order leader, Syn's interests could have been construed by some as a desire to take back control. But that wasn't going to happen. Lori hadn't seemed to worried by the notion, either, and honestly, if the woman was interested in getting back to the basics, Lenna figured it might not hurt to have her at their side. One didn't waste good.

None of this got said aloud. She could be tactful. Sometimes.

“Is that right?” Syn nodded subtlety. “If by being busy you’re referring to bringing in more mutants as well as making new connections to expand our reach then yes I’ve been busy. Oh! And by the way…the troops are restless in case you weren’t aware, and I’m not one to sit around either.” She was solely focused on the Adapted before her. Her tone was one expressing disapproval as well as a hint of anger. Hearing what the others had told her as well as the length of time it took for either of the current Order leaders to address her seeped out in her voice.

Rhythm prided herself in never being scared.

Nervous, sure. One didn't walk into situations planning on throwing their lives away, o course...not unless that was the intended purpose. Rhythm knew that, sometimes, she would be...apprehensive about something, and not look forward to doing it. It came with the territory of being a con artist. A thief too, but mostly it was the con that made Rhythm...shall we say, twitchy. There were a lot of things to remember when it came to cons, and having your whole tale straight was only just the beginning. Remembering mannerisms and thought patterns, what to say and how to say it. Clothing, walking, how you kissed...and that was just the beginning. The actual execution of these skills outside of a controlled environment was nerve wracking. But that...that was small potatoes to her current situation.

The events leading up it were ordinary. The trip to Isabel's room was quick, uneventful. She'd heard tales of the bonemancers room being guarded but at the moment there wasn't anything hindering the thief's way inside. He informed her that the camera that were in Sanctuary were more clustered in the 'high risk' areas of the place, focusing around the entrance, vehicle bay and the like. It was pretty easy to walk around the place after her exit from the bathroom, though her mind was still more then a little focused on the woman she'd left behind. She didn't even know their names and it was crazy how...invaded her mind felt. And while Sex was hot, no doubt, it was Sin that grabbed her attention in a vice-like grip. Rhythm did always like her more gothic girls, after all.

Such thoughts flew from her mind as she approached Isabel's door. She stood back around the corner, looking at the (thankfully) empty entrance as Echo reiterated the fact that Isabel wasn't in the building and was spotted somewhere downtown murdering some poor hapless folk in the park. The police had been dispatched as multiple calls were being taken about the entire situation. Well, thank the gods for small favors, right? Rhythm breathed a little easier, but the art of her being light on her feet was still so ingrained into her body that the steps she took to that (somehow imposing) door were quick and silent. She felt like there should be music, but that was silly. Of course there should be music, but at the moment she felt as if such a thing would disrupt her super sneaky ninja walk to Isabel's door.

She slipped inside easily, and closed the door gently. She turned and looked about the room, admiring just how little it's changed since she was here last. The place screamed the personality of the woman who owned it, and Rhythm didn't even bother to stop the smile that came to her countenance when she thought of that first, impassioned kiss she laid on the smaller woman's lips. That led to a whole other slew of problems, but Rhythm didn't want to remember those memories. She liked Isabel, she just wasn't fond of her murderous attitude towards...well, everything. She took a step in, sniffing slightly and holding it in. There really wouldn't ever be a chance like this again, and a (very) small part of her was glad to get this opportunity. Isabel was a good memory for her (which most would call her crazy for), and to be here again, if unknown, made letting go of the fact that they could probably never be friends, no thanks to her own disappearance when she went to New Orleans. Their last...'adventure' was one for the record books, after all.

Rhythm slowly walked along the room, her eyes adjusting to the dark rather quickly. She looked for anything that would resemble a clothes basket, something to hold laundry when it was ready to be done in whatever fashion the people in Sanctuary do it. Her eyes fell on something by the bed and she smiled. She took a step forward, her foot brushing against something on the floor. A slight tilt of her head off to the right and down showed that it was a small stuffed animal that looked to be impaled on a bone spike. A small “huh” escaped her lips, barely audible, when a nanosecond later a bigger 'WHOOSH' made her freeze, barely allowing herself to breath.

There, on the bed, was Isabel. Her arm was extended out, looking as if she had just thrown something, her eyes wide open and looking, staring right into Rhythm's red orbs. A thousand, million excuse and reasons flew to Rhythm's head as those hard chocolate orbs froze the thief on the spot. Nothing came out, her throat seemed to refuse to form coherent words in any fashion. For almost a full on minute, Rhythm was a statue, and it was only at towards the end of that minute that she started to wonder why Isabel hadn't said anything yet. She certainly wasn't one to beat around the bush or be, you know...subtle. Rhythm was pretty sure that if she looked behind her she'd see a large bone spike protruding from the wall. Her look of confusion was priceless, and said confusion only increased when Isabel's lidded eyes closed and, with absolutely no grace to speak of, flopped back on her bed and began to snore.

Rhythm sagged, emotionally exhausted after having to endure such an ordeal. So, Isabel was here. Also, she apparently stabbed things in her sleep. That didn't surprise her, though her very presence did. She seethed for a moment, seeing red before she managed to close her eyes and calm herself down. The soft whisper of static in her ear told her that Echo was trying to get through to her, and after eying the still snoring Isabel, Rhythm slowly tapped the device behind her earlobe. Echo's voice came through loud and clear, though thankfully only Rhythm could hear it.

'Oh...hey Snow...' he sounded nervous. 'I'm...I'm kinda glad you picked up. See...as it turns out, and this...this is just crazy, turns out Isabel isn't out there doing anything.' A beat. 'Ummm...far as I can there was some kinda flash mob that decided that would be funny. Gored themselves with pig blood up and such. Someone reported a woman who looked like Isabel running away. And, you know, it's kinda funny when you think about it, right? Cause, like, that happening right when this is going on...just, so odd, ya know...Snow? Hey, you there Snow?'

Rhythm breathed in deep and clicked her com device off. She didn't have the time to deal with him because when she did...well, her choice words would probably make the most hardened marine blush. She waited a moment, then two before she let herself start to breath normally again. The telltale sign of attempted communication, the soft sound of static, didn't come again. Echo was probably looking for planes out of the country. Despite his being in New Orleans he knew that Rhythm would come for him. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...

The thief reached the basket and fumbled through, Isabel's face not far from her own. She stood up a moment later, a ruby red pair in her hands and it was only now that she had the thought of bringing gloves. She controlled her breathing still, slowly letting it in and out, the pace of it making her lungs beg for air. Her eyes fell on the person she once had a ginormous crush on and smiled. Some said that people looked peaceful when they slept, almost content with the world as if all their problems were off in another land. No so for Isabel Duskmoor. She looked just as angry and irritated asleep as she did awake, and the various holes her blanket had told Rhythm that in no way possible was Isabel a cuddler. Shame, really...she looked so small (despite being only just slightly shorter then Rhythm herself) that the thief could only imagine her being the little spoon.

When she finally closed the door behind her, Rhythm breathed easy, deeply. She was lightheaded, her vision swam but she was alive. No thanks to that bleein' idiot Echo, but enough of that. She needed to get the hell out of here. She stuffed the purloined panties in her pocket haphazardly before soldiering back to the lobby. Maybe she'd catch a glimpse of that smoldering hot gothic girl before she left. At the moment she would settle for undressing her with her eyes and watching the porn they made inside her head before she left for home.

All this...for panties. Seriously? There were times when Rhythm wondered why she even bothered.

On principal, she disagreed with the term 'troops'. Cortez had had an army and a drug war on his shoulders. He'd used troops. But that was closer to a war, with mob violence and civil strife. The current situation of the Order had never struck Lenna as a war on anything, as long as Lori had been in charge. Perhaps, in Syn's day it had been something different. Perhaps nothing, actually. That was a fact.

She sensed the woman had thoughts about how this 'war' had suffered in her absence. Sensed Syn wasn't aware of the subtle shift in goals.

"We've been focused in many places, in many ways," She replied coolly. "Not all of them evident to the average passerby. I like your initiative, though. If you've got ideas, Lori and I could use you. Make it more official. I know you used to lead here, and the people liked you. I'd rather us be allies than enemies." That was better than any 'sitting around'. Plus, there was the fact that it was better knowing what the woman was doing, and giving her information to steady her hand and focus, rather than let her operate blindly in the dark.

This was not prostrating one's self in front of the previous Order leader, oh no. It was understanding what resources one had available, and taking efforts to make use.

She did not notice the person with the panties when she made her nerve-wracked return. Her focus was on the woman in front of her. The woman whose response interested her deeply.

Lenna’s response was exactly the one Syn had hoped for. “Thank you. I would like very much to know more of what exactly is going on. A meeting with yourself and Lori would be delightful.” Syn finished with a slight smile. It was about time the current leadership talked with the former. Maybe now Syn could get a better look into things.

Movement caught the attention of the goth woman and her emerald gaze moved to identify it. The other woman who had run off to the restroom was returning. An initial look of relief was on her face, but the look in her eyes was something else. Wanting or hungry perhaps? Syn’s eyes scanned over the woman’s figure and enjoyed what they saw, but something was slightly off. “I believe you forgot to put something back on my dear.” Syn pointed directly at the red strap of a pair of panties hanging from the woman’s pocket.

She sauntered back into the lobby, secure in the knowledge that, despite almost being killed by a sleeping Isabel, she'd gotten the mission done. And it didn't matter how stupid it was now, because it was done and the only thing she needed to do was walk back out of Sanctuary and into the open world where she could get these stupid panties delivered to her client and this whole entire thing she could chalk up to 'just another day in the life of Ashley Aran'. She felt emotionally exhausted, though the whole ordeal had taken only a scant few minutes (minus the walking there and back), and Rhythm was looking forward to going home and watching Dr. Who on Netflix.

...except her way was barred by Sex and Sin.

She hadn't thought that they'd still be here and for the first time in...well, ever, Rhythm was cursing her ability to get in and out of target areas with the quickness of a ninja rabbit. Lisa was back at her post as well, but she was hardly a problem compared to the two other females that seemed to be talking serious business if their facial expressions had anything to say about it. Well, except for just now, when Sin's face lit up with what seemed to be a rather artificial smile at something Sex had said. Rhythm frowned at that, her mind immediately noticing just how fake it looked. She was positive that most others wouldn't even notice, not considering the current dress of the woman before her, but Rhythm noticed.

>>[/b] “I believe you forgot to put something back on my dear.”

It took the thief a moment to realize that her feet had automatically taken her to the women she'd been trying to avoid in her escape from Sanctuary. But now she'd taken notice, and now she was blinking as if surprised. The gravitational pull the gothic looking woman had on her was quite alarming, but Rhythm fought it, instead berating herself on leaving the evidence of her time spent in Sanctuary hanging out of her back pocket. The blush came full force though, and the only thing that came to Rhy's (slightly addled) mind was to save face and deflect notice.

“Well, sometimes business be pleasure as well.” Rhythm's deeper voice dipped lower as her eyes noticeably wandered over the woman's enticing body. “Ah'm sure ya understand, sugah.”

An eyebrow arched, but it hardly stayed there long. Her focus slipped easily from the weird girl back to Syn.

"I'm sure we can work something out," She stated.

If not a meeting with her, Syn, and Lori, she could do fine in Lori's absence. She had all relevant data Syn would ever need.

Looking back to Lenna and hearing her reply Syn nodded. “I look forward to it.” The possibilities were now open to the former Order leader. Getting back inside the heart of things was what she had been waiting for since her return.

Turning back towards the woman with the under garment item dangling from her pocket Syn then noticed the woman’s face turning red as well as her eyes looking over Syn’s figure. The reply from the woman was rather unexpected. “It can be at times.” Her response was truthful enough even though she was referring to some of her past business ventures. “Are you a resident here or are you only here for business my dear Rhythm?”