Ithi'Ka feels her heart sink as Nightshade lets her intentions bleed through... self-preservation.  Of course... why else?  She folds her arms over her small breasts, the gesture sending off a puff of illusory shadow like a momentary clound of dust.  She swallows the slight wound to her ego, reminding herself that it was business that brought her here, business that armored her and whetted her hand-weapon, business that fed her and business that gave her a nice, clean, dark haven to crawl into and lie, prostrate among velvet and leather and orchids. to stare at the wall in reverie while the noonday raged outside.  Likewise, Nightshade's and Hawk's business may dabble in the realm's of others' pleasure, but their own pleasures would most likely not be that 'business. '  Silly preoccupations... silly affections, desires that could be easily sated with chemicals and stimulation, or preferably muted with self-discipline... she was only an organic beast after all.<br/><br/>She smiles a wry smile, bitterly amused at the last sentences as they fall from Nightshade's lips.  "Yes, those government dogs can be messy."  Her smile fades slightly, embers weakening where there is no air to sustain them.  "Of course, I will help you, Lady Nightshade."  Tipping her ashen face, she shrugs toward the door.  "Take me to the body, please.  No one has moved it, correct?"  She glances back at Mary, reading her for any reaction to Ithi'Ka's presence... anyone involved, or not, is suspect.<br/><br/>"I need to know things, forgive me."  She slings her bow higher onto her shoulder and lets Nightshade lead the way.  "Please watch all the rooms, Mary, even if there is no reason to suspect odd behavior."  She smiles very subtly, as if she possesses a degree of professionalism that allows these slight concessions of codiality.<br/><br/>She asks her questions subtly en route, insistent and casual at once, her clipped accent sapping each word of familiarity and replacing it with import, as if each word was a construction of high-gravity syllables and madly-strung chains.<br/><br/>(For brevity, these questions will be listed below; Ithi'Ka will follow natural conversational queues to draw out more details. before moving from one to the other, except if she feels a need to 'steer' the questioned)<br/><br/>"Does June live here?  Where?  I'll need to see her room, her things.  How was she acting that night, before they went upstairs?"<br/>"Is Hawk's accent real, or an affectation of his career?"<br/>"Has anyone new showed up recently to hang out, paid to watch, or not taken 'company' after a lot of visits?"<br/>"Who is the other Changeling on your staff?"<br/>"Can I speak to Robin?  Did he say anything else about the condition of the room?"<br/>"What's the officer's name?"  (Does Ithi'Ka know anything of him?  Any chance it's Saithe he's got the 'hate-on' for? Just curious.... )