Cole kept an even gaze on Ezra. Her presence in the room during the meeting was intense and unquestionable. Cole supposed that in the past, Djinn tended to work directly under kings for the simple fact that the contrast between the charismatic and imposing figurehead and the Djinn's own innate nature of fading into the background meant his kind were even less likely to be noticed, but also that much more secure near a position of power. Cole didn't think that was his motivation for working with the SI, but even he found it hard to ignore the parallels.<br/><br/>One might think seeing that much authority and power in such a compact form, let alone one of which he had never seen age, would be disconcerting, but in reality it was quite the opposite. Ezra was a stable fixture in his life. She didn't age, never needed to change, and she was always in control. Subordinates within the SI could whisper all they liked about what the dynamic<i>really </i>was between them, but Cole considered such rumors baseless. Attraction, if it existed, was a moot point. She had better ways to spend her time, and he equated her to a business partner who also happened to be family<i>of a sort</i>. Were he more petty about such whispers, he would make a point to hunt down their source and silence them, though doing so would only make the rumors stronger. These were his thoughts during the meeting, choosing to ignore all of the commotion and finger pointing. Whatever respect Cole had for the queen, it did not extend to those under her. If anything it made him pity her position; A lioness forced to endure a bickering mass of common cats.<br/><br/>When the others were dismissed, he didn't move. Somehow he knew that she'd want his input. Speaking with her came easy to Cole, but it was a skill he had to master. When talking to someone as old as Ezra, it became apparent that when she asked a question, she already knew the answer to a degree. One had to not trip over suppositions. She expected unmitigated truth, and Cole wasn't the sort to hazard what might happen to those foolish enough to try and lie directly to her face.<br/><br/>“Have you heard anything on this matter?” She asked. Cole was about to answer when both of their attention shifted to the ghoul. Cole wasn't sure how he felt about the creatures, but so long as they weren't women or children, one of his only rules, he didn't take issue with it. In any case, it wasn't his place to question Vampiros methods, any more than it was theirs to question a Djinn. He waited for the unseen and unheard communication to finish, reading body language instead to determine when it was appropriate to respond, but when Ezra quirked a brow at him, he took that as a significant reaction.<br/><br/>“I'll be honest Cole – not sure we can even trust the company we keep after all that happened last night. I feel forces maybe even multiple forces are moving against us. This is why I need your help on this.” She said. Cole gave a slight nod, "My help goes without saying. You know this." He began, "As for the matter at hand, you're correct, of course. The Phantoms are the most obvious suspect. They have motive and could benefit from the cops bringing the heat down on us, but like you, I believe there's more to this."<br/><br/>"Begin with, the first theory seems sound, but crumbles under closer observation. The Phantoms are many things, but they wouldn't have been able to build their organization and last as long as they have if they were<i>this </i>stupid. An outfit with that much influence would surely know that the shop was yours, and that means they'd have to expect retaliation. Why start a war now? Why there and not any number of other properties? If it's a power play, it's sloppy. I won't discount it, but I don't really buy it."<br/><br/>His red eyes seem to refocus as he watches her, as if going over the details himself even as he explained them, "The second theory is that it's a third party. It's too soon to know who, but if someone small, but well informed, had hit the jewelers knowing it would be pinned on the Phantoms, they could sit back and wait for us to do their dirty work, then they'd sweep in and seize their assets while we were busy trying to avoid the cops. It's simple, elegant, and it's the only way a smaller player could try and make a move in this town."<br/><br/>Cole seems to hesitate for his next point, a shadow of doubt flickering across his eyes, though never showing on his face, "I... have my own theory. It will require some digging, but it potentially answers some questions... though it may highlight potentially worse problems." He seems to resolve the pieces in his mind then looks back to Ezra, "If it's true, then the most likely suspect would be someone from higher up in your organization. They would have the means and the inside knowledge. So it's just as you say... I'm not sure we can trust anyone right n-" He cut himself off as the doors behind them opened.<br/><br/>As if to reaffirm the paranoia already present in the room, a woman was escorted in by two ghouls. In spite of his own self restraint, now it was Cole's turn to quirk a brow at the stranger in their midst. He looks back to Ezra, eyes questioning, but quickly put the pieces together. This had to do with the unspoken interruption earlier. This was the one who got a reaction out of Ezra. Cole didn't recognize her, but it was a big organization in a big city, so he couldn't be that surprised. Instead, his impulse was to question why another unknown should be brought into the fold at such a critical time. A wave of conflicting emotion and outrage crashed against an impenetrable wall of self control in his mind. Still, there were cracks in that wall, and he found himself directing a red eyed glare at the woman. It wasn't until a full second later that it registered that she had also looked at him. She could<i>see </i>him! A Darksider, though what kind he couldn't know. His gaze traced over her features, from the raven hair and intelligent green eyes to the way her clothes clung to her form. He looked back to Ezra and did his best to keep his disapproval secret. If Ezra had asked for her to be sent up here, it was for a reason. Currently, he didn't trust this woman at all. She would only make things complicated.