Never Too Late

[Talia Bracken]

There was a knowing grin. One that only spread as Talia talked. It had certainly been an unusual encounter. From time to time she had interruptions. They were always rare. Normally it was another assassin with the same job. Other times it might be an errant servant that had to be disposed. Yet the thief had been different. Instead of killing her, Talia hadn't. It was still a bit of a wonder even to herself.

Did she think she would actually try to find her? Another intriguing question. A little more personal than the ones before, yet still relatively harmless. Again she went silent in thought. Then shrugged. "I don't think she knew what to expect." The words were honest. "I think she would be disappointed if you ended up not finding her, but not too much. But." Now the small smirk was back with a gleam in her eyes. "Maybe she hopes just a little bit you actually would." Talia shrugged, but her smirk grew ever slightly.

[Lucy Serrano]

There came about explanation far too great for a simple guess. Of course, it was a deadly kind of territory for them to embark on. Public faces forced Lucy to keep an almost polite smile, but this was nothing more than clever riddles. It was all about being able to solve it.

"I'd hate to let her down." She admitted with an amused edge to the thought. At least now she knew she hadn't, despite her lateness.

"I've gotta pay, I'm guessing." Lucy said then, almost as if she found herself snapped back into the correct reality. Or perhaps it was all part of the proverbial game. "What do I owe you?"

[Talia Bracken]

She would hate to let her down. The words came with a tint of a amusement. Talia smirked. Clearly she wasn't the only one enjoying all this. "I'm fairly certain you won't." The reply came easy, but then she shrugged. "But who knows what the future might hold." It came off nonchalant, but there was a little taunting tone to it.

She guessed she would have to pay. The remark came so abruptly, Talia couldn't help but raise a brow. What did she owe her? A dangerous question, if she was speaking of more than coin. Talia regarded her once more. Her brain turning over many ideas for possibilities. There were quite a few. "There's always the normal price." She tapped her fingers on the bar top. A faintly wicked smirk grew on her face. "Or in your case I suppose you could pay by other means." It came off casually. "A little favor perhaps to work off what you owe."

[Lucy Serrano]

For someone so naturally hidden, this girl's face was sure willing to give away a lot. Lucy might have dismissed the thought at first but now she had to believe it was all by choice. She chose to be this way; to be so giving. The thief was hardly about to hold it against her.

Her own question led to exactly where she thought it might. Lucy sat up straighter in her chair then, intent to match her as best she could.

"I dunno many who jump into deals without knowing the stakes. Tell me more." Because at the very least, she sounded interested.

[Talia Bracken]

She sat up straighter. It seemed like a much more business and serious stance. It was funny to see. No doubt she thought Talia would ask for a drastic favor. She had seen just what Talia was. The first thought might've been a favor to kill. Which was highly unlikely but she didn't know that. But she was smart. Not many jumped blindly into deals; she wanted to know more.

Talia pursed her lips and seemed to think, shifting to rest both elbows on the bar top. "It wouldn't be anything major. It's not like I'm going to ask you to hurt anyone." A wry smile followed the statement. "It would be more simplistic tasks. Ones that might be along the lines of tasks you're particularly good at." She shrugged. "So I'm sure there's plenty of options for you to repay what you owe." Her fingers threaded together and she rested her chin on them with an innocent smile. "Sound good?"

[Lucy Serrano]

So Lucy wasn't destined to kill anyone, so that was good. It hadn't even been something she considered until it was brought up, but given the scene she'd first walked into when she met this girl, she doubted palming a job like that off to anyone else would ever happen.

Shrugging her shoulders, Lucy raised the tankard to her lips finally and took a lengthy enough sip. It was good enough to give her a moment or two of silent contemplation. She had the floor now, and she might as well keep it for a little longer. When she placed it back down again, she left it to the side. She kept the space between them clear of nothing but the unmovable bar they both leaned against.

"Alright. Deal." She said. Because really, why not? An impulsive nature had proven to be her strong suit before.

"So tell me," Lucy then started again, intent to keep the weight she had in this conversation while she could, "Is there a penalty for kissing barmaids?"

[Talia Bracken]

She shrugged and raised her tankard to drink, earning her a few second to think. Talia waited patiently, genuinely curious as to what she'd say. There was a lot of genuine feeling going on for her lately. It was highly unusual. And all because of her. Interesting. The tankard was set to the side. The space between them clear. She had a deal. The smile on her face grew with pleasure. She didn't know what task she would need just yet, but surely something would come up that could use her particular skills. "Good."

Was there a penalty for kissing barmaids? Talia was momentarily stunned. Then she had to actually laugh. It was so sudden even she hadn't seen it coming. But that didn't mean she minded. Instead Talia smirked again and arched a brow. "Usually it gets a slap on the face." Others in the bar had tried. The daring or drunk. Yet this was a much different situation. Talia tilted her head to the side, smirk still present. "Why?"

[Lucy Serrano]

A stunned silence wasn't something Lucy was used to in this company. She thought for sure there would be a steely response or a witty enough smirk. But there wasn't much else to go off, but then she laughed, and she felt another positive strike to her ego.

The idea of a slap in the face had Lucy reaching for her own jaw instinctively. Her fingers tracked the length of it idly, like trying to quell an itch she couldn't quite find. It was still funny. Or rather, she still carried a carefree sense about the answer given.

"Just trying to get the lay of the land I'm standing on," She replied easily, "But I'll take your name, if you'd rather."

[Talia Bracken]

She traced along her jaw when Talia mentioned the slap. Indeed, it was not the much fun when on the receiving end. The rowdier crowd of the meadery could easily attest to that. She was just trying to get the lay of the land she stood on. But she would take Talia's name of she'd rather. Talia smirked and hummed softly in thought.

"Take your pick." The smirk grew mischievous. "But you only get one, and in exchange I'll take your name. No matter which you pick." She wanted a name to put to the thief's face. She knew far too many thieves for that to be her title. Besides, she found herself once again genuinely interested. It was fascinating by itself how intriguing this woman appeared to be. "So? Which will it be?"

[Lucy Serrano]

Admittedly, one of the other was a difficult choice. Worse, when it dwindled down for Lucy, she had to consider which was the more pressing of two interests. Of course there was a huge interest in knowing the name of the assassin who likely held that information as close to her chest as she could. Now, she was prepared to offer it. Either way, Lucy had to give her own. It was less of a steal now and more of an exchange, and she still owed a kind of shrouded favour.

In the end, it was another challenge. By now, she thought she'd proven herself to be pretty good at those. Impulsive in a charging, potentially negative way. Lucy reached for the person whose name she wouldn't catch; at least, not here and not now. One hand pressed to the bar between them to offer a sense of stability as she leaned through the remaining distance. She might have sanctioned herself to a single kiss, but by no means did she allow it to dwindle in a short second. She didn't care for the well built, perfectly structured cover she built for herself. She dragged it out until she had to reel back for a short breath.

"Ellis." She finally gave, because for the life she led in Goldcrest, it was a completely accurate name. Everything in her proverbial infamous empire was tied to that name; the legendary status of a thief for years and years had nothing to do with the name Lucy Serrano.

[Talia Bracken]

A few seconds passed while she took her time to decide. Talia waited with the smirk still tugging at her lips. Finally the choice was made. A hand reached for her and made the decision clear. The smirk widened as Talia helped lessen the distance by a small fraction. The kiss wasn't a short one. Talia didn't expect it to be, given the circumstances. Yet she didn't pull away, even if she got a few looks from the others. It didn't matter. Not now.

Ellis. Was it a real name? A fake? Talia couldn't tell. Yet she smiled all the same. Both from the choice and the reward. "Ellis." She tested, trying it out. Fake or not, it gave her a name. One Talia would gladly use, as it set the thief apart from the others. "Well, smart choice Ellis." And not just because it was enjoyable. There was more than one way to get a name. Even if it was only a name she used. But a kiss? That was much harder to retrieve.

[Lucy Serrano]

A little part of Lucy breaced for impact. She was almost positive she would be on the receiving end of a hit to the face for that one, because truthfully, she assumed her choice was the least likely of the two outcomes. But pressure reciprocated against her lips, and she knew she wasn't wrong with the driven instinct. Evidently, it was a well received choice.

"It wasn't a hard one." She replied as she fell back in her seat. Next she was reaching for the drink she'd abandoned, and the other hand was waving between them.

"Thing is, though, is that I know where you are now, but you have no idea how to find me."The admittance might have given a little more power to the nameless assassin, but Lucy didn't seem to mind the fact. "That's gonna be a hard favour to claim when you can't find the one who owes it to you."

[Talia Bracken]

It wasn't a hard one. A comment that made Talia grin, even if softly. She reached for her seemingly forgotten drink and waved a hand between them. Now she knew where Talia worked, yet Talia had no idea how to find her. The admittance came as a surprise, even if the fact was obvious. But the thief didn't seem to mind saying it. Her favor was going to be hard to claim if the one who owed it couldn't be found.

Rather than feel worried, Talia smiled. A little teasing. A little playful. "Oh don't you worry about that." Came the easy reply. She shrugged. "I have my ways." The remark came with a wink. Perhaps Talia didn't know where she could be immediately found. But she had a name, a face, and a personality. There were ways she could work around her disadvantages.

But then there was a voice other than hers. The little bubble that had seemed to form over the both of them popped, Talia had been away of her surrounding before, but they hadn't needed her attention. Now however, they did as another patron came up to the bar for a drink. Time, and business, was flowing again. Blue eyes turned back to Lucy and a smile flashed. "Looks like time's up. Unless you plan on staying until I leave, I'll see you around Ellis." Emphasis was put on the name. Fake or not, she teased her for having gotten it anyways. Then turned to continue about her work.

[Lucy Serrano]

The thought to stick around seemed genuinely tempting. Despite the little time spent together, Lucy still knew literally next to nothing about her. The fact was perhaps the strangest thing about their encounters to date. She was holding her own name so tightly.

At the very least, she looked amused by the fact that she could evidently be found so easily. It was something worth waiting for.

"We can't all make our money so honestly." Lucy replied. The work she carried out at night was still a very real issue, and she'd already fallen far enough behind thanks to a run in with a nameless assassin who kept her attention.

And once the tankard in her brief possession was emptied, she had no choice but to leave.