Jonathan
Andromeda flashed onto the scene from out of the stars above, the green particles of her breaker form shining across the mirror image of the waters of the lake before ultimately flickering away. True to her word, she came alone, with no intention for harm. At least, no intention to harm her soon to be business partner. 

She'd contemplated before leaving whether or not she should tell Kurt about her plan to contact this stranger, but she didn't want to complicate things, he was still adjusting to life in the city. Her eyes focused on the road leading our from the forest into the clearing around the lake. She stood on a wooden dock made for fishermen to cast from, leaning against one of the oak rails as scanned the treeline and enjoyed the silence while it lasted. There was still so much to think about, but here and now, in the beauty of the lake's shining visage, she could forget about it all, for a moment's time
Mary
Vex, already present, watched Andromeda for a few moments, pleased to see the cape not noticing her. Despite knowing that it shouldn't be any different with capes, Vex had been harboring some concerns about her ability working. She considered making a big show of her power, but resisted the urge, instead banishing her unnoticeable quality with a soft clearing of her throat, intending to allow Andromeda to assume she just hadn't noticed the dark suited woman against the dark of the night.

Vex projected herself currently as she saw herself, a slender, curvy figure with glittering emerald eyes and long, neatly ponytail'd black hair beneath a ruby hairband, wearing a black on black pantsuit, shiny black dress shoes, and a dull red tie. Not far off from her usual look, aside from perhaps some extra affectation on her eyes, though she certainly doesn't *Look* 'in costume.'

She smiles at Andromeda, a smile somewhere between sly and genial, blinking politely as she waits to be noticed.
Jonathan
She still took a second to even notice, only finally catching Vex out of the peripheral. _"W... Wha!?"_ She spat out under her breath She just about jumps, a noticable jolt back just a step likely ruins her entire guise of stoicism. Still she crosses her arms and clears her throat rather, awkwardly.

" _a-ahem._ Vee. Didn't see you there. Take it that was the point, huh?"
Mary
Vex leaned casually on her cane. "Not in particular, but I won't pretend it isn't fun to watch you jump. You can call me Vex." She gave Andromeda a look over, then, considering that she may be a dangerous striker, projected into Andromeda's perception a view of Vex extending a hand for shaking, so that that is what Andromeda would see as reality. Her actual hand, of course, rested at her side, but the perception manipulation would even extend to the senses of touch and proprioception, should Andromeda take the offer, making the projected hand shake seem entirely solid. Any observers closer than a couple meters into the treeline, besides Andromeda, would likely just see Andromeda speaking with and shaking hands with an older guy with an unruly red beard, dressed like a lumberjack.
Jonathan
Of course she hadn't the slightest clue of Vex's own power herself, she almost felt compelled to shake her hand with Vex's stunning beauty. Andromeda shook the trance that was befalling her and raised her hand close to her side to decline the offer for a handshake. Looked real enough to her, and so she was worried too of a potential striker power.

"To business then, vex. I explained the type of individual I'm after, woman in the drug trade, a manufacturer. Someone I suspect is working for the tophats, possibly a different alias than what I know her by, though the name I know is Sophia Lindberg. I need to know one, if the rumors are true, and two, if so, what her current alias and location is."
Mary
Vex certainly hadn't been projecting stunning beauty, at least not intentionally, so that would be all Andromeda.
Vex lifts her cane to tap the head of it against her chin thoughtfully. It's a striking snake head, fangs bared, cast in silver. "Sophia Lindberg..." She repeats, as though that alone will bring the information to her. She looks Andromeda up and down. "I feel like that isn't the whole story, though... You have allies who could help with this, or The Vanguard. The fact that you're coming to me, after your opinion about my online methods, if that was you, means that you need discretion, so either she's a prominent cape who could cause problems if your questions are traced back to you or..." Vex's emerald eyes glint as they meet the holes in Andromeda's mask. "She's important to you." She stands very still as she watches Andromeda, scrutinizing her body language.
Jonathan
Andromeda's postured had fixed it's self since a moment ago, she was standing taller, more confident, in sincerity this time instead of embarrassment. The intense glare of the mask she wore could bore a hole through someone's head, of course, with vex's power, she may not really be giving Vex direct eye contact. Still her stoicism returned to her in full, she didn't budge on exactly who this Sophia was to her.

"Will you do it or not." She finally grumbled out in a low tone, close to a growl. "I'm willing to put up two and a half grand to start, and another two and after completion, Seems like a more than generous offer for the position I'm in."
Mary
Vex's eyebrows raise with genuine surprise and she slowly lowers her cane to rest on the ground. "Very important indeed, then." She muses, then grins. She's silent as she works it out in her head. "Someone from your past then. Someone who is in a situation bad enough that you don't trust the cops or vanguard to not view her as a target, but not so bad that you think it's impossible for a villain to find her. Involved with gang activity or drug use. The Songbirds, perhaps? Or do you not know for sure?" 

She watches Andromeda's body language for tells, but waves dismissively, cutting her off before she can respond. "I propose a counter-offer. Two-thousand five hundred up front still, to fund my fledgling business and go towards finding this person, one-thousand after completion, and, also after completion, you owe me a favor." 

She offers her hand to shake again, this time seeming somehow more genuine, trustworthy, and also somehow more binding. This is because it is those things in Vex's mind, as she is extending her actual hand. "I will, of course, still need more information, but as a show of good will I will not pry for anything not directly pertinent."
Jonathan
Andromeda's hands fall back to her side, resting on her hips as she stares at the hand in front of her. It would be cheaper in the long run, but the Idea of oweing someone like this a favor was... Risky. Still, Was that a risk worth taking? With Kurt on her side, she wasn't entirely sure she needed it, but if anything happened, and this stranger died, it was just a loss of capital. If they succeeded... Well one favor couldn't be that bad, right?"

Her hand was in vex's before she spoke again, her grip tight and firm. "Fine. She's important to me, and you'd dead right about her standing with the cops, or the heros for that matter. I need to get her out of the situation I'm sure she's in, for her own good. I'm pretty sure she's with the top hats, like I said, but I don't care who she's with. Just find her, And i'll owe you that favor. As for the cash..."

Andromeda took her hand back and opened two pockets on her utility belt, pulling out two wads of cash, 50s and 100s totaling to 2,500 pounds. She offered it up with one hand, her grip on it tight, glaring at her. Andromeda was perhaps a little distrusting still, but this was a good shot at getting somewhere with her search. Couldn't pass it up.
Mary
Vex eyes the money. "Right, you did mention that, apologies." She had been focused on the flexing of her power and let it slip, a rookie mistake she would have to correct. She doesn't reach for the money yet. "Do you have any details? Last known location, aliases, position within the Top Hats, or at least a physical description or photograph?" Her tone is more curt, less playful than it has been so far, her green eyes no longer sparkling, her expression neutral. Her arms fold across her chest, dangling the cane from one hand. No more boasting and games, this is business.
Jonathan
In response, Andromeda opened another pouch and pulled out her phone. The screen was cracked, and the body looked worse for wear, but she made it work. She had five thousand to sling around, but couldn't get herself a new phone huh? Strange girl.

In moments, a ping to vex's account marked what she'd done. Vex now had an __edited photo of Sophia Lindberg__, Another figure in the photo was blocked out completely with black coloring. Likely Andromeda's true identity. The two were.. Close.

"It's really all I have, trust me, I've done as much research as I could as a civilian, I'm doing more now that I've been a cape for a year. Or so. Last i saw her she was speeding away in our van, having almost been shot by someone she was dealing drugs she made to. If she has any position in any organization, it would be production and manufacturing."
Mary
Vex nods. "Firstly, when was this? Secondly, where was this? Thirdly, in what condition do you want her? I don't simply mean alive or dead, I'm not a brute, but would you want her kidnapped so you can forcibly detox her? Would you rather I explain the situation and ask her to come with? Or would false pretenses be worth the risk of damaging relations for the sake of being more effective? Or... Are you paying me all of this to simply locate her and report back?" Vex's eyebrows raise as she asks the final question, something she had only just considered before saying it.
Jonathan
"Just. Find her. I want to know where she is, what she's doing, and where she is doing it. I already told you everything I know, and everything I'm _willing_ to tell you about what happened between us."

She nearly crushed the wad of cash in her hand as she balled her hands into fists. Her voice wasfeeper and panged with a tone of annoyance as her incessant questioning. Andromeda was perhaps, nearly to the point of reconsideration of this agreement, if she wasn't already.
Mary
Vex is silent a moment, then nods. "I will locate her. This is an easy job for one such as I, especially with the free time I have." She says in a measured, hopefully reassuring tone. She reaches out to take the money, implicitly agreeing to do the job.
Jonathan
As she's reaching, she doesn't make it even half way before the money is flashed between her fingers, andromeda having warped the bundle to her, as a small flex of her own power. She then started to walk past Vex, fists still balled, a powerful and heavy stomp to her steps.

"Good luck on the job then. Please do report back when you're finished, or if the info you receive is time sensitive."
Mary
Vex stands there, watching her leave, then pockets the money. This will be useful, and more importantly, interesting.