Seeing The Sights [Catherine, Sumana]

Going about her way, her eyes were between the notepad in her hand, and to her surroundings. She earnestly had never been to a resort this secluded and intricate - sure she's gotten invites from uncomfortably friendly rich clients, but she hadn't seen many places that measured up to what she saw before her. She quickly got the indications from her surroundings that there was always some manner of distraction - places to shop here, a bar there, the living space itself, among other locales; it kept people preoccupied and draining their wallets in some way shape or form.

Quite the den of sin it was, she earnestly had to give kudos to the designer. Lure people in with it's beauty and keep them hooked on various stimuli til they either pull out or sink in it. She'd seen similar design styles in other places, it was marketing without needing to say a single thing out loud.

She had taken to observing a particular piece, what looked to be a casino, drawing and taking vigorous notes. Her fingers were smudged with graphite and her attentions were laser focused on her activity, disregarding the confused looks of passerbys.

"Should I be concerned about someone snooping around, making notes on the layout of the casino? I do believe it could be seen as an attempt to case the joint."

An eerily familiar voice shot out from the surrounding darkness to prod at Catherine as she worked on her drawing. The intruding woman certainly carried herself with a degree of purpose, as she drew in close and made to look over one shoulder to fully appreciate what was being worked on so diligently. There was no exact look of recollection in her eyes, but it was also not exactly how one would expect to act around a total stranger.

"What made you choose this one compared to the rest? How did it stand out from the crowd?"

Her ears burned and nerves zapped with the sound of familiarity, jumping less at what she had implied and more at who she thought was walking up to her.. But her appearance didn't fit the picture in her mind. Her stormy eyes, colored a bluish green in the brilliant sunlight, had looked upon the woman who approached her - dressed well, didn't look too familiar in some parts but oddly so in others...

"Please, only an idiot would try to rob this place. It's too well designed against that;" Was spoken with a sigh, "Place is massive, teeming with patrons, laid out with staff, and not to mention there isn't a single secure place in immediate sight. You couldn't do anything without at least, mm, what, five people? seeing you."

She looked upon the building again, quietly determining a few things, "Maybe seven, actually. It sure is one of the most complex casinos i've seen in my travels so far; perfect to reel in unsuspecting wallets with no impulse control, even during the daytime when you don't have lighting or ambiance to do the carrying. Whoever designed it knew what they were doing."

Her eyes rested on the definite stranger, "..Feel like we've met before?"

Listening to Catherine's explanation with no small amount of intent, the woman did nod along almost wistfully at the frank assessment of her architecture and choice of clientele. Though how differently she might have phrased it if she knew who she was talking to.

"Well well, some thoughts are going on in there then." Her gaze drifted for a moment past Catherine's own and into the top of her skull, before flicking back in short order. "I suppose you are drawing for a different purpose then. Perhaps your amusement, as it seems like an interesting choice for a commissioned piece."

"I don't believe we have met before, at least not in this life, for I rarely forget a face." Sliding around to stand before her, the woman offered out a hand to see if it would be taken if Catherine wished or eschewed instead. Either way, one side of her lips curled upwards into a lopsided smile.

"I am Safira Aldrovandi, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

Eyes were kept carefully on the woman, the redhead inspecting her query with an air of curious suspicion. Something to her felt uncomfortably familiar - not her looks or scent, but moreso her mere presence; she's felt that before, but she had her uncertainties. There was no basis for her thoughts, and she couldn't go about solidifying idea based purely on assumption. Put it to rest for now, she'd decide.

"I think about a lot of things," Her eyes would draw away from her for a moment, up and off to the architecture before her, "If something's of interest to me, I want to learn about it."

She wasn't entirely sure if that comment was made in neutral observance, or some attempt at mocking her. Again, possibilities to consider, but not mull on... At least, until the woman properly introduced herself. Catherine herself had no immediate reaction to her name, which could mistakenly be interpreted as ignorance of her importance, but she had full well at least a public dossier's idea of who this was.

Eyes drew down to that extended hand, her face unchanging as she contemplated if she should even touch it - looked clean, and she'd guess this person required at least the illusion of respect, so grabbing a handkerchief to act as a barrier was out. She simply took the hand, a confident grasp as she gazed approximate to Safira's eyes,

"Catherine Reed; though that name probably wouldn't mean much to someone such as yourself."

"So you've got a curious mind, I can appreciate that. Perhaps I even suffer from the same affliction, which is why you might be mistaken about your name."

She watched Catherine consider her first little test with no small amount of fascination, unlike her counterpart she didn't really care about masking that interest. Perhaps it was because she enjoyed the power that came from Catherine acquiescing and taking hold. A small, polite shake followed before Safira broke it off curtly.

"I like interesting things too, Ms Reed, so perhaps we can come to some arrangement. A little mutual back-scratching to help us both get the most out of today. Depends what you want to know, I suppose."

Turning her body slightly, she made to point them both in the direction of the casino itself. It was easier to walk and talk anyway, and this way it would be much easier to drag Catherine back to her evil lair, or whatever it was that she might be expected to do.

Her expression remained unchanged with the seeming reach for a compliment.

How flattering.

The fact this woman was likely an Arrancar was secondary in her shadiness; anyone who ran an establishment like this knew to play the charm game, and the only way to win was to not get swept up in it - bad things came of those who fell in ass first because they were too shiny-eyed to notice the hole they were galloping towards. Nikolai - among others hired - taught her that plenty well.

Her rough hand would depart from the shake, keeping her attention on her query, flat faced yet attentive of what she offered. The fact she was presenting the possibility of an arrangement with little to lead into it simply told her to be cautious of what she'd promise here. Only a quiet nod would follow the woman's gesturing, a quiet hmm indicating her searching for where to even begin,

"What exactly do you have to offer, here?" She'd calmly present the question, walking alongside her, matching her pace with but a flick of the gaze, "Sure, you own the place, but that doesn't tell me much beyond the obvious. I'm not exactly chasing money, power, or fame, ma'am."

"Not exactly chasing money, power, or fame? That makes it sound like you have a clear idea of what you want, and yet something brought you here anyway. This is certainly a place where one could try to find any of the former, but it can also be so much more."

The onlooking security paid the pair a passing glance or two, but they seemed far more concerned with anything else but Safira and her newfound companion. A display of confidence, perhaps, as she led Catherine towards one of the entrances to the casino proper. Not the main one, though hardly a secluded backdoor either.

"I can be quite a resourceful woman, you know, especially when it comes to making people's fantasies become a little more real." She smirked at that, an eyebrow cocking upwards curiously as she locked onto Catherine for a moment, "But I am not a mind reader either, and it would be quite unbecoming of me to shower a stranger in options without any guidance."

A mere nod of agreement, refraining from discussing the portion she would imagine wouldn't want to be in the public know - that she was here picking at whatever Arrancar she came across. It didn't take much to realize what was going on, and she wasn't particularly interested in aiding with the disbursement of such a subject hotbed.

She followed Safira along no problem, casting a stern glance to any onlookers; she kept her awareness of her environment tuned, doubted she was getting walked into a trap or anything with the promise of something mutual, but she knew better than to fully buy into any sweetened lies. She had no issues being about the resort prior, so the thought anything could go wrong felt like it heated with each visit.

"Is it so much a fantasy if I have a path for it?" Her voice came coolly, giving the mistress at her side a glance, "Well Ms. Aldrovandi, i'll put my situation to you this way; if all goes favorably, i'll be the owner of a company specialized in weapon's craft and taxidermy, among other things."

With a brief click of teeth, her fingers braided as she gave a brief stretch forward, "I think the previous owner thought too small for too long, and we have plenty of room to expand into other areas. Unfortunately, all I got in terms of expansion currently is settled up in dear Oslo, and as fine a city as it is, it sure it far away from everything, with only a tiny grouping of company ships to send anything out. I'd say the company's suffered from all the refusals to grow, so the proverbial bird's wings are a teeny bit overgrown and underused."

Now, it was time to present some shred of her plight, with a little extra, "You see, ma'am, I could attempt to actually cash in on options presented by outsider sources who don't know a lick of anything about the spiritual, build the company up domestically, dawdle about for years and years wasting time and money in order to set up shop someplaces more hot on the spirit scale to keep the stimulation going," One hand presented, "Or, I could hear you out on your proposal. After all, I believe making the Shinigami obsolete is within the question."

There was a moment when it seemed Safira might make a snippy comment about Catherine's little business opportunity, something along the lines of a passing interest in the preservation business, but she caught herself as that last remark slipped out. Now that was an interesting thing to say.

"My my, and here I am wondering if you are going to ask for something small and instead you're going straight for the stars."

The pair slipped inside, Safira continuing to lead them away from the casino floor and into one of the countless function rooms. Just like that, they were relatively alone. The crowds of tourists and customers still bubbling away outside, but they could talk in isolation.

"I was right to think that you would perk my curiosity indeed. Care for a drink? Something stronger?" Pressing a seemingly invisible button, one of the room's wall panels opened to reveal an impressive beverage selection. "Now, I hope you don't mind a girl prying, but why are you interested in ousting the Shinigami? It's quite the claim to make, and I'd rather get a feel on someone's intentions before I go climbing into bed with them."