"We'll have four days to prepare. I won't brief you all on your assignments until we're on our way there." Casey stood up, apparently done. "You'll have the day to get ready but I want you all here, in this apartment at nine tonight. After that, you won't leave here unless I say so. Got it?" She looked around at all of them, her gaze lazy.
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Cinthia dipped her chin in a slight nod, acknowledging the other woman's words. She had no problem with that arrangement. In fact, she only needed to take out her contacts and unbraid her hair, then she'd be back here. All that she needed was already on her person. Well, besides a change of clothes.
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Luca stretched like a lazy cat, before leaping up from the couch. "A sleepover? Fabulous. I'll make tea." She slid over to the kitchen, eyes gleaming with mirth and a sharp cunning. Likely she was already amping herself up for the mission ahead.
(Are they supposed to show up in their mission clothes or what?)
Lloyd nodded and left. He gathered some clothes and things he might need, including his mission suit, and returned to Casey's apartment within the hour. He didn't have any other arrangements or places to be, so he figured he might as well just stay there.
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“Oh, fun!” Cameron leaned back in his chair with a long yawn, throwing his hood between his two large hands. “Hey, Luca, do you think you could make me some tea, too? You make the best tea.” He glanced up at her as she sauntered off into the kitchen.
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Luca didn't hesitate for a second, as she made a soft scoffing noise at Cameron's request. She was smiling though, one that softened her features into a more relaxed and casual prettiness. "Nope." She jokingly chirped, taking down another mug anyway. "Boss? How about some tea, yea?" Luca gestured lazily at Casey trying to catch her attention. "And some pizza?" She threw out at the last second. "Mama is hungryyyyy."
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Cinthia rolled her eyes at Luca, then slipped out of the building without another word, her footsteps as light and soundless as feathers. She darted from shadow to shadow, keeping her breathing steady and her legs bent in a slight crouch as she traveled through the city to her apartment. It didn't take her long, as she had taken every shortcut possible. She had every nook and cranny and secret this city had to offer memorized like the backs of her hands—burned flesh and all.
She dropped into her bedroom from the high window and unclipped her cloak, setting it on the bed as she changed. If she was to go unmasked for this mission, she might as well get used to being around her new crew without one.
Cinthia has a strange thing about touch. It started with random strangers eyeballing her partially-healed burn scars on the right side of her body. It made her feel self-conscious, and the need to hide started to creep into her mind. After she had succumbed to the thought and left home for good, she had never once let someone touch her. It made her think of the doting maids and tutors, the hairdressers and the stylists, her mother holding her down as she poured boiling water over the right side of her body.
You were lucky if you were ever allowed to get near enough to offer a friendly gesture and didn't lose a finger or two. Perhaps a hand if you pushed your luck. An arm was reserved for the pervs not able to take a hint.
Cinthia shook those thoughts out of her head and released them through a small sigh. She quickly undressed from her leather and cloth outfit and swapped it for some simple high-waisted skinny jeans, ankle-high boots, and a knitted sweater that fell to just below her belly button and had sleeves falling past her fingertips.
Cinthia then stepped up to the mirror and removed her colored contacts, putting them back into their case and pocketing it in case Casey wanted her to hide her heterochromia eyes. With that done, she worked on the coiled braid that she had somehow gotten her hair into. After what felt like hours, she fluffed her mass of black curls out and shook her head to let it fall naturally. The tight and unruly coils fell to the middle of her back and spilled everywhere—flowing over her shoulders, wrapping around her arms, and falling into her face.
She eyed herself in the mirror, tilting her head as she stared at the red splotches surrounding her blue eye and merging with the burn coating the right side of her neck. She then shrugged, packed her bags, jumped out the window, and headed back to Casey's. Once again, it didn't take her long to slip back in without a word.
"You know where the phone is," Casey told Luca as she started to walk down the hallway. She turned, still walking. "And tea would be great." She walked to her office and grabbed her laptop, her cellphone, and a notepad and pen. She walked back out and folded herself into a chair that faced the rest of the open space. She started typing rapidly on her laptop.