She had to admit that Kale didn't seem to be anything like what she'd anticipated; which was actually a rather interesting change of pace. It was still too soon to know exactly what to expect from the bartender and she was fairly certain that, just like his speakeasy, there were probably a multitude of layers to peel back; while being rather easy to read- a contradiction that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She arched an eyebrow and shrugged at his slow nod; if she wasn't mistaken, he was rather clearly displaying signs of both uneasiness and curiosity. What's wrong, Emperor? The mercenary's subtle shift in posture, the fleeting little smirk she flashed, would seem to inquire; perhaps almost teasingly.
His warm smile was met with a crooked one of her own; his grip was as equally firm and rough as hers; perhaps even a bit moreso, A fighter, huh? Things just keep getting more interesting. So, that pretty, curved-bladed sword behind the bar wasn't just for show; it was a relief to know that she was conducting business with someone who at least knew how to use a blade, rather than relying too much on spellcraft. "Oh, most certainly," she teased right back, "The Rat Emperor's braver than I expected." Though the situation could have become quite dangerous at the blink of an eye, it appeared that they were both aware of that fact- and yet, the mercenary was enjoying the game that they'd started playing. "That sounds excellent to me."
Once he departed down the hall, she took a moment to actually look around the small office; despite its small space and the clutter, it seemed rather lived-in; almost as though it was used as something of a break-room as well as a place to conduct business in privacy. Seeing no need at the moment to try and rifle through anything in search of reports or other documents that might have provided her with more information regarding the establishment and its proprietor, she instead picked up her parcel and claimed one of the chairs he'd gestured at; resting it on her lap while she leaned forward to look at the cards that remained on the table. Damn, someone got their ass handed to them! She thought in amusement- it didn't look like the deck had been stacked, but as though someone had quite simply been destroyed during that match.
Leaning back a bit in her chair, "Snake" had to admit that there was something quite interesting about Kale; though he seemed to be friendly enough, apparently knew how to listen to not only the spoken, but unspoken word as well and wasn't uncomfortable to be around, there was something not quite right that nagged at the back of her mind. It was rather clear that he wasn't quite human, but that wasn't what bothered her and she wasn't racist; hell, she'd worked for and with non-humans plenty of times and had even found more than a few of them to be perfectly charming. It wasn't an uneasiness or wariness- it was something far more subtle than that; a peculiarity that she couldn't quite put her finger on- and while it wasn't displeasing, it wasn't exactly something she could comprehend or give name to, either.
The intoxicating scent of well-brewed coffee preceeded his return; though the tin pot and porcelain cups weren't anything remarkable to look at, she would probably have thought he was insane if he'd broken out something like silver tankards or crystal. "Who won?" She inquired as he retrieved the cards, not bothering to keep her curiosity at bay. An appreciative smile curved her lips as he set a cup of thick, dark and rich coffee before her; "Strong and bitter's the only way; anything else is blasphemy," She stated, shaking her head at the offer of goat's milk; a few contacts she'd established before had insisted on both goat's milk and honey- it had been difficult to watch them ruin a perfectly good mug with such dilutants. As she lifted her own cup, the deep, heady aroma that greeted her nostrils elicited a low sound from the back of her throat that was as close to a pleased growl as human vocal cords could muster; her eye drifting half-closed as she took several long swallows of the exquisitely rich, bitter brew; If you didn't own this place, I'd invite you to join me- just to brew my coffee every day. "Simply delicious."
It was time to get down to business.
Untying the simple rope that kept the package in her lap securely wrapped in its stained cloth disguise, "Snake" nodded before explaining: "I am- and I was told I have something you might be interested in-- I'm looking for something, as well." As she spoke, the languid movements of the shadows beneath her skin began to move more swiftly; their writhing and contracting, the way they stretched and contorted, was almost maliciously fluid. Reaching down, she retrieved the smaller objects from the bundle in her lap and placed them on the table: a small, gossamer mesh bag of dried starcap mushrooms, a small crystal vial of iridescent orange powder and a sapphire-bladed knife no longer than an adult's pinky in length. "None of this is stolen; I had to 'deal with' a pair of rogue mages," Was the off-handed explanation.
Finally, she would lean forward once again to retrieve the "payload" from the remnants of stained cloth: a heavy, musty-smelling old tome; its soft, supple leather covers and spine a bronze-tan that she thought was a little too familiar in texture and color for her liking- unlike most magical tomes she'd ever seen before, the sigils and flowing, arcane lettering on its front cover weren't embossed or raised- it was as though they were carefully inked instead. That tome was placed on the table with a soft thud; followed by what could have been a lady's wooden jewel-box, if it weren't for the polished bones, foul-smelling pouches of dried herbs, vials of viscous red and yellow-green fluids, or the four miniscule jars that contained: a decaying finger suspended in thin, bubbling purple fluid; an unfading plume of oily-looking black smoke- and the last, which would have seemed empty, if it weren't for the miniscule pinpoints of red light that flashed at regular intervals.
Those objects were all placed on the table as she rested her chin in one hand, "What do you think?"