Xen openly stared as the girl roughly handled the expensive devices, then gave their receptacle a four-foot drop and a solid kick. He couldn't refrain from wincing as he watched the latest of technology being treated with the same level of care as a bag of dirty laundry, images of their smooth capsules cracking or the connection portals snapping off flickering through his imagination. Before he could say something, the thief started expertly and gently manipulating the fingertips of her right prosthetic; his pained expression was quickly replaced with one of curiosity and he leaned closer, eyes locked on her mutable prints.<br/><br/>The aggressive tone and obvious distrust on her face pushed him back again, though.<span style="font-style: italic">Who by the broken Dome is "Jenny"?</span>was the first question that occurred to him, prompting a cursory glance around the girl's feet and shoulders to see if another girl hadn't come in with her and simply escaped his notice thus far. It wouldn't have been that strange of a scenario; he was pretty certain that the thief's hair could have out-shone someone else completely.<span style="font-style: italic">... and coconut shy?</span>Honestly, nothing about his potential client made sense at all. Maybe it was part of the reason he couldn't keep the amused half-smirk from his face, even though he rolled his eyes casually and answered in a rushed voice,<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-weight: bold">"What makes you think that I want to lose them any more than - "</span></span><br/><br/>The woman rounded the corner of his entrance and stepped confidently into the shadowy shop, her straight-backed appearance accompanied with a palpable sense of authority, as always. Xen broke his stare away from his original visitor with far less abruptness than an onlooker would have expected, and when he turned his gaze to the bounty hunter it was almost lazy, too-casual, careless.<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Always so early, Cecilia."</span></span><br/><br/>The older woman's face visibly darkened, thin mouth tilting sullenly down at the corners and hands tightening into fists unconsciously. He knew she hated that name, but intentionally pissing people off was a great way to remind them who was in control. And if this situation got tense, it would be helpful to have the reins firmly in hand. He did a brief, quick analysis of her from the bronze-blonde hair to the booted feet; his spectacles noted no abnormalities with any of her prosthetics, though to be fair most of them were too advanced or off-the-grid for his eyeware to comprehend. That was a common side effect to adjusting things away from the norm- the norm could no longer recognize them for what they were.<br/><br/><span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"I have to bring in a bloody <span style="font-style: italic">vandal</span> for this meeting, Lao,"</span></span>she answered, her voice little better than a sulky growl,<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"My time gets wasted while you kill two cats with one bird?"</span></span>She crossed her arms and stubbornly remained in the entryway, clearly suspicious of his original customer and unwilling to approach. Xen blinked, remaining motionless for a second:<span style="font-style: italic">What is it with women and weird expressions today?</span><br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>He grinned mockingly, leaning away from the girl.<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-weight: bold">"C'mon, Mar. Hard work is good for the soul, right? It's not wasted time. Unless, of course, everyone has been right this entire time and you don't have one."</span></span>Xen beckoned her over with a casual tilt of his head. Celi turned her eyes from him to the lass in front of the counter. A shock of pink hair, thick but shaved to one side and a few metallic piercings were all she felt she needed to see; the girl was most likely not very beneficial to society. Still, the bounty hunter had little room to judge at a time like this; being seen talking to the effective leader for Earth's black market industry could come back poorly on her as well, should it be discovered by the wrong people. Still, she kept a wary eye on the girl, even going so far as to activate the visuals on her ocular implant.<br/><br/>Her left eye, a cloudy crimson, shone briefly and turned clear, though it remained the dark red. While her right eye processed things as any human would, the left eye sent heat signatures to her brain, which then integrated both views with the ease of long practice. Lao's read normal, as always, but his customer appeared to be missing her original right arm; the signatures that read from it could tell the hunter only that it was not biological, but her suspicions deepened regardless.<br/><br/>The taller woman approached the counter, facing the dealer but with the girl solidly in her periphery.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Who is she, and why am I here?"</span></span>she asked bluntly.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>The synapses fired quickly behind the bespectacled hawk-eyes, and when he answered it was with a casualness that was almost offensive.<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-weight: bold">"She's a client, of course. Here about some upgrades, weren't you, lass?"</span></span>he asked, keeping his focus to the hunter and only a flicker to the girl. She had reacted quickly enough before; let's see just how good she could squirm out of a sticky situation. Hell, she may even come out of it without any losses- he had seen things less likely occur.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Celi's eyes narrowed and she faced the girl. Unlikely that she would come here looking for standard upgrades; the bounty hunter was unsure Lao even<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>any lawful clientele.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Upgrades...?"</span></span>she repeated slowly, directing the question to the one person on the same side of the counter.