It took every ounce of patience Garrett had left not to turn around and leave: first she humiliates him as he struggles in one of her traps that he somehow didn't see (let alone could get out of), then she puts him in his place like a disobedient child being scolded by his mother. Granted, he did let her taunting get the best of him when he'd threatened to silence her, but that was absolutely no excuse to allow her to get away with treating him in such a disrespectful way: even had the audacity to outright laugh at him and his futile attempts at freeing himself without so much as saving him an ounce of dignity.

As soon as she turned on her heel and headed back inside without a care, he briefly wondered if she knew how foolish it was for her to show her back to him: especially if he were to take advantage of her blind-spot and had her removed from his hair. If he didn't need her Intel and assistance for this Job as much as Basso claimed, he'd have just vanished from The Lighthouse and put as much distance between himself and the infuriating girl as possible. Clenching his fist with gritted teeth, he ignored the persistent little voice in his head that had been insisting the only reason why he wanted to leave was due to him being embarrassed over being caught in such a simple trap for the past ten minutes, while another, smaller part of his mind somewhat…enjoyed it in a way.

In trying to get the jump on her by entering through an area he thought would be neglected due to its almost inaccessible location for an ordinary person and therefore easy: he failed to realize just how far she was willing to go to protect her home from all sorts of threats and ended up trapped as a result. It had been the first time in a very long time that he'd been snagged, and while it bruised his pride something fierce: it also gave him an idea of just how much he'd actually underestimated her, to his building annoyance: and while he was quietly appreciative of the fact that she didn't kill him or let him fall when she had the chance, the mischievous looks her emerald eyes gave him and her taunts told him she'd been quite aware of the reason he'd been caught, and seemed to be greatly amused by it.

She knew his game, it seemed: and while he was infuriated that his plan to catch her off-guard didn't work, her hidden, taunting smirk seemed to goad 'Try again, you won't win': and it somehow ignited an uncharacteristic spark of Challenge in him that he was unwilling to let go. Garrett was The Master Thief in this City for a reason, and there was no way in hell he was going to allow an insignificant Thief like The Nightingale muddy his reputation with her infuriating, childish wiles: he'd sooner have a merry pint with The Watch. With that in mind, he decided that he will NOT be captured or found defenseless again: if this was how she wished to play, then he'd just have to play better and adjust his strategy.

He'd gone easy on her by underestimating her and paid for it, now it was personal: he'd win their unspoken challenge and would hold his Victory over her until she admitted he was the better Thief, or better yet: retired from the profession altogether. There was only room for one Master Thief in this City, and he was not looking for competition for a title he'd earned through blood, sweat, and years of training and hardship. That title was His, and he was not willing to share with anyone: not even Erin had that privilege. But then again, as talented as his Protégé admittedly was: she'd often let her arrogance, pride and competitive nature get in the way of her head, often ending with her in situations that put her life and the lives of others at risk.

And as hard as Garrett tried to break her of that lethal habit, he knew it was only something that injury and experience could do: as much as he dreaded the former when it came to Erin. As exhausting and reckless as she was, he cared for her dearly: and as often as they fought, often ending with bad-blood and biting words, he doubted those feelings would change: at least on his end. And while his observations of Rayne showed multiple, similar traits as Erin tended to have, he'd also noticed subtle differences that set her apart from his Protégé and into a category all her own: namely her lack of aggression towards finding an uninvited stranger in her home: regardless if it happened to be him, she only truly reacted negatively once he'd threatened her first, and even then: she never made physical contact.

Which to many, may label her as 'passive' or 'weak', but to him: it spoke volumes. When he'd first studied her in Basso's Office, her stealth and grace quickly labeled her as 'dangerous' and a threat to him: new, and unpredictable with unknown skills and agenda. Now, he'd have to carefully rethink that perhaps he'd been too quick to judge her potential morals, in her lack of aggression towards his defenseless form when she'd had plenty of chances to end his life: he'd learned she was reluctant to cause harm when she had no reason to, at least at that particular moment: told him as much as she cut him loose and allowed him to regain his bearings.

Regardless of this discovery, he was still unwilling to show any further sort of weakness to her: especially when she'd retreated into her abode with the silent command for him to follow her, hidden in the statement of having something to show him: and while neither of them had given one any reason to fear the other, the mistrust was still there on both sides, and Garrett had no intention of letting that change anytime soon: especially where the Serpentine people of The City were concerned. Give any of them an inch, and they'll rob you blind and leave you for dead the first chance they got: he could count on both hands the amount of times someone put their trust in the wrong person, and ended up in the gutters for the Rats as a result, and Garrett didn't survive on his own for as long as he had, being so naïve as to follow in their footsteps: his trust didn't come easy, and with exceptionally-good reason.

That being said, he now found himself torn between a rock and a hard place: on one hand, he could trust his gut and avoid the potentially-dangerous situation waiting for him inside if he followed her by turning on his heel and leaving the infuriating Thief in the dust and save himself the trouble of dealing with her any longer. However, on the other hand: he also knew if he left, he'd be leaving The Lighthouse without a plan and potentially-lifesaving Intel for the upcoming Heist: the very one that they were unfortunately partnered for. And he also knew if he left, Basso'd never let him hear the end of it, and was absolutely not looking forward to having that particular conversation: especially after he'd already agreed to it beforehand.

Glancing toward the wall of windows in front of him, he didn't even bother hiding the scowl that stretched across his hidden face as the once-darkened room lit up with the glow of what had to be dozens of candles. Great, as if lighting the lantern wasn't bad enough: now she had to practically scream to the entirety of The City that someone lived up here, making him wonder (yet again) how exactly she had survived this long in such an obvious location without any sort of confrontation with The Watch, at least the girl was smart enough to tint the glass to prevent anyone from seeing directly inside if anyone DID happen to come looking. "The plans aren't going to make themselves, and I highly-doubt you'll understand any of it, standing out there. What are you even doing, Garrett? Afraid I'll bite?" the taunting, infuriating voice called: bringing him back to the present, and the current headache that was running rampant between his ears.

Biting back a growl, he once-again reminded himself why he couldn't leave before taking a deep breath and reluctantly followed after her and into The Lighthouse. Whatever he expected once he'd entered The Nightingale's hideaway, certainly wasn't this: what had once been a barren, crumbling tower had been completely transformed into exceptional living quarters, and she did not disappoint with its upkeep from what he could see. With the exception of the rafters being full of dust and cobwebs, Garrett couldn't find hardly any dust or dirt on any of the surfaces scattered throughout the wide, circular room: she must've cleaned just moments before he arrived.

As he took in his new surroundings with a keen, critical eye: being very mindful of where the door was and made sure to keep it in his peripherals as he appraised the walls and floor for any traps lying in wait for him. After several minutes of carefully searching and finding none in his immediate sight, he allowed his trained gaze to take in the rest of the large, circular room and began to believe he'd found exactly how she was able to train herself to move and sneak so fluidly without so much as a sound. Ignoring Rayne as she dug around through the drawers of a desk to his immediate right, he focused instead on the large maze taking up the majority of the room with the exception of a red and gold rug covering the space between the maze and her desk with several, heavy-looking cloth sacks resting on it.

Judging from their bulk, they appeared to be full of stones or bricks and seemed to serve as weights meant to be carried either through the maze itself, or up and down the several sturdy ropes hanging from the rafters. Well, that explained her grace and musculature: having to lug those around while trying to move silently through an obstacle course was an interesting way to practice, he'll give her that: as each one had to weigh at least fifty pounds, give or take a few. Taking a closer look at the tall panels of the maze, he also spotted handholds carved into the wooden structure and had several active traps that were commonly laid by The Watch splayed along the walls and floor of the pathways he could see: it seems she was speaking the truth when she mentioned how well she knew the people of the border, especially if she moved the traps around and made navigation more complicated for herself.

Positioned in pairs throughout, above and outside the maze were at least eight mannequins dressed as armed Watchmen Patrols of various Rank and Class with cold torches placed to light up their line of 'sight' and would be a challenge to sneak past them without gaining their attention if they were real. "I plan to add Dogs and Birds to that." she stated, not pulling her attention away from her search: but somehow knowing exactly where he was looking, and while it wouldn't be the same as navigating an actual Watch Patrol: even Garrett had to admit such an idea was beneficial for any Job or Heist that required extensive planning, especially if she was able to map out the Guards and traps' locations exactly where they would be at the time of the Job.

"Do I even want to know how you got the armor and weapons for those?" he questioned, not even wanting to know how she managed that one: especially once he got a feeling for her methods of capture, if his earlier humiliation was anything to go by. "Honestly? Probably not. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is that they're not dead: though I highly-doubt any of them will be able to show their faces in public again. You should've heard the screeching of their women, now THAT was funny: I almost feel bad for the poor sods." she replied, sounding quite pleased with herself, to Garrett's dismay, he was no friend of The Watch: but even he was aware of the consequences one was met with if they were seen with another outside their spouses or family. To think that Rayne was willing to go that far for something as trivial as 'borrowing' their Gear…

"And no, that definitely was NOT how I acquired them: interesting for you to think so though, didn't expect your mind to head in that…particular direction, Master Thief." she snickered, no-doubt noticing his lengthy silence and had unfortunately assumed correctly where his traitorous mind took him: he'd die before he'd admit it, however. "Oh come on, I just had the damned thing: where the hell did I put it?" she growled to herself, drawing his adept attention over to her and her current predicament of digging and searching for the apparent 'something' she had to show him, but conveniently, couldn't seem to find it. "Would you like some help? You seem to be struggling." he mocked, crossing his arms smugly over his chest, taking full advantage of the chance to throw her previous, taunting words back in her face: and he'd be lying if the resounding 'thump' of her head banging into the underside of the desk didn't bring an amused smirk to his hidden face.

"That better had been a genuine offer, Garrett. And no, I don't need any sort of help: the blasted thing's right here." she growled, rubbing the back of her head as she stood from her kneeling position: a large, rolled-up piece of parchment in her right hand that had been neatly held closed with a piece of string. Meeting her glare with a sly smirk of his own, he ignored her rude gesture before uncrossing his arms and walking over to the desk so he could see the details of the parchment in the light of the candles. It had surprised him that the only source of light in the room were the three candles on the desk and the cold, dead torches of the maze, instead of the dozens that he'd imagined earlier. It turned out, that the windows themselves acted as a sort of mirror: taking the simple, flickering light and throwing it around the room, reflecting it back-and-forth until it appeared as if the light was made by far more candles than he initially expected: an interesting illusion for her to discover and exploit, but no less annoying and dangerous for a Thief, especially if they wished to remain hidden.

Leaning over the aged, wooden desk, he noticed just how scarred its surface was: full of dents, scratches, burns and other mars that could've been made from several dozen kinds of tools of various sizes: leading Garrett to believe that this particular desk also served as a workbench of sorts, and had been the birthplace of who-knows-what: especially once he caught sight of the many poisonous plants hanging to dry above a small, nearby bookshelf: many of which were unfamiliar to him: all of which nearly-impossible to find in The City, making him briefly wonder how she managed to obtain them, before cautiously wondering WHY she would need them at all. Speaking of which, he didn't exactly know how to feel as Rayne placed the parchment under her arm and reached across the desk: grabbing up a glass beaker that appeared to be halfway full of a light-green powder before closing the opening with a cork with a gentleness and care that quite-frankly, set his nerves on edge: her actions hinting at the danger within the small, glass container.

"It's not ready yet, don't even know if the recipe needs adjusting yet: better safe than sorry until I can test it properly." she explained, placing the dust-filled beaker safely on top of a nearby shelf, well out of the way of any possible accidents that could lead to the dust's escape from its fragile containment. Well…that was reassuring: apparently, she was making things she didn't even know what they would do, might need to add 'impulsive' to the already-long list of words he could use to describe Rayne: none of which painted her in a positive light in his eyes thus far. "Good to know you're more likely to blow yourself up over being caught by The Watch." he said dryly, raising an eyebrow at her answering 'scoff' as she moved multiple tools and papers out of the way: clearing space for the parchment still snuggled under her arm.

Glancing the papers over, what he'd first assumed as nothing more than jumbled notes and scribbled nonsense: were actually highly-detailed illustrations, instructions and recipes for items and weapons that actually, seemed very useful not just for a Thief: but for anyone with enough sense and knowledge to put them to use: she certainly was educated, if her elegant, cursive calligraphy was anything to go by. "Nonsense, I'm not so reckless and naïve as to mix components blindly just to see what would happen: it comes with years of spying on Chemists and the Plague Doctors and countless more hours of reading to understand what's what and the properties of each item that goes into my projects. I know what to expect, it's just the amount of each item that needs adjusted: and this…particular recipe can and will kill you until I get it right, hence why it's contained and over there." she dismissed, placing a heavy-looking leather-bound journal into a snug nook in the bookshelf, sparing said lethal object an appraising glance before reaching for the parchment and untied the twine before laying it flat on the desk: exposing the dark ink of the drawings that had been previously hidden from view.

What had once been hidden away, was actually the highly-detailed blueprints of each of the four floors of The Thief-Taker General's Mansion, and Garrett would be lying if he admitted he wasn't impressed: mainly of her obvious knowledge she'd gained through her spying, if nothing else. "Now, you said we were being sent after two items? Then the first thing we need to decide is who goes for what: knowing Basso, he'd already showed you a map like this, however, this one shows the hidden corridors and passageways that had been forgotten and sealed by the original owners. Since we don't know what we're looking for, we can only assume its important and therefore: locked away somewhere, and the Harlan's are known to change the combinations of their Safes quite often, its incredibly irritating. So, Garrett, what's your Target, the wife's chambers, or The General's Office?" she asked, interrupting Garrett's intense, concentrated stare as he memorized the layout of each individual floor of the Manor.

"Won't be easy either way, this is supposed to be a Noble Gathering: a lot of Guards and a lot of steel to go along with them, Thieves and swords do not get along well." he stated, glancing at his fellow Thief and watched her nod out of the corner of his eye: her gaze hardening into a focused expression, no-doubt analyzing and planning routes not just for herself, but for him as the Client required both of these mystery items and it would do neither of their reputations any good if they'd returned empty-handed. "Luckily for us, we will have minimal contact with them, and I highly-doubt they even know about these pathways. If you do decide to go for The General's Office, there's an old coal-chute along this side here that leads down into the basement: from there, you can use this path here: it's supposed to be an old evacuation tunnel that goes from the basement's store room to the meeting hall on the second floor. It's not the most direct route, but it'll give you free access past the Guards that will be stationed here, here, and here: however, if you're going to Pickpocket the Guests, your best bet would be to take this route here: it leads into the ventilation system that connects to all of the private and gathering areas: though if you plan on doing that, you'll want to cut the power to the generator in the basement first to give yourself enough cover to get away with it: The General's Guards aren't the smartest lot, but they're not blind. While you're doing that, I'll sneak in through this entrance here and make my way through the western quarters: with all the Guards and Servants in this Wing occupied with the Guests and Ceremony in the ball room, it'll give me enough time to circle around to this hidden corridor here, which will hopefully lead to the secret entrance of the wife's chambers if it hadn't caved in yet. Once I'm done in there, I'll meet you at this hallway in the middle of the second floor to confirm we both have Basso's Commissions before we split off again on the way out. Because Basso would doubtlessly nag me for that damned whiskey, I'll backtrack through your route and slip out through the coal-chute: while your best bet would be…through this window on the third floor, here: it leads to a shadowed balcony overlooking the gardens and should be pretty clear, granted the Guards are too drunk to pay attention. Once we're both out, I'll meet you back at The Burrick so we can cash in the spoils, sound good to you?" Rayne explained, pointing to each location before making eye contact with him: making sure he was paying attention and agreeing with what she was saying so far: patiently waiting for any objections or ideas of his own.

Even though he'd never worked with her before: Garrett had to admit that her plan was solid: borderline brilliant, even. And he didn't know how to feel about it, while he appreciated knowing where he was going and what he was up against in advance: her plan sort of felt as if he were…cheating? No, not cheating: this wasn't a game, but it left him with a feeling he couldn't explain: and he didn't know if it was a good thing or not. One thing was certain, The Nightingale was highly intelligent: as if her entire existence was a game of Chess, full of Moves and Counter Moves: and Garrett was beginning to understand what Basso meant, and why he chose her as his partner on this Job. While he still didn't trust her, he couldn't deny her plan was nearly flawless if it actually worked, and actually provided plenty of room to improvise if it didn't.

While Garrett was and always will be The Master Thief of The City, even he had to admit the girl had potential talent and would make a worthy Rival if she continued thinking this way: no wonder he was unable to get the jump on her, which meant if he was going to win his challenge: he'd have to imagine how he would ambush himself. But that sort of careful planning would have to wait, there was work to do, first. "Seems like a decent strategy, you're not itching for confrontation and are actually thinking like a Thief: however, a piece of paper isn't going to be worth much if they have traps at every turn, especially if they switch things around at the last minute or if they find these passages of yours. Last thing we need is to have someone start a panic at the sight of a pair of 'Uninvited Guests' at the buffet table." he pointed out, watching her eye twitch with amusement at his sarcasm before she adjusted her hold on the curling parchment and turned it to a different angle: showing him a different view of the hallways and staircases leading to both areas of the Manor that would be occupied by each of them.

"Fair point, however: because the gathering is likely to be contained to these areas here, they would only have the restricted areas trapped to prevent Guests from wandering into places they shouldn't. And unfortunately, there's a lot of those places for people like us: the last time I was there, I overheard the Guards going on about a new 'Alarm System' The Baron came up with: supposed to be triggered by tripwires, made of fishing line and nearly-invisible to even the most highly-trained eye in the dark. Knowing The General, he'd have those placed at the entrances to hallways and doorways in addition to the traditional Dart Traps and their pressure plates: so we're going to have to be extra-vigilant if they covered them up with ash to hide their shiny coating." she explained dryly as she showed him the possible locations, making his lip curl in distaste for this new information: while it wasn't uncommon for The Baron to design new traps and such with his…'ideas', this particular one would prove to be an exceptional problem for not just them: but Thieves everywhere in The City.

Invisible tripwires that could be attached to not only alarms, but a number of different, lethal traps could very well end even him if he wasn't careful. And judging by Rayne's reaction as she warned him, she was very-well aware of the danger they posed and was rightfully wary as a result: a reaction that both reassured him and filled him with an uncomfortable amount of dread. While it was reassuring that the girl showed caution while in the presence of a threat instead of rushing to meet it or brushing it off like Erin would: it also sent an unwelcome chill down his back if the threat was great enough to warrant such a response from such a mischievous and sarcastic Thief like The Nightingale: she, who had taunted and laughed at him like he was nothing more than a common Citizen.

That being said, he sent the blueprints a heated glare of annoyance before rising to his full height: sending a steely look towards his fellow Thief as she raised an eyebrow in question. "Leaving already?" she asked, seemingly knowing where his mind was drifting to as he glanced toward the open doors before glaring back at her. "Plans are made, now we wait: once we meet up with Basso, I'll fill you in on what he wants." his answer was cryptic, he knew: but she seemed to understand well enough, judging by her single, curt nod as she rolled the blueprints back up and retied it before storing it away in her desk. "If all goes well, we'll be walking out of there with full pockets and an Angry General: sounds like a pleasant ending to a lonely evening. And Garrett, try to give it some effort next time, won't you? It wouldn't do if The entire City knew how easy you actually are, then again...I wonder how Basso would react to the Polaroids? Certainly would make for an excellent Conversation Piece." she replied, snickering as his eye involuntarily twitched as her sarcastic nature returned: and Garrett couldn't get out of The Lighthouse fast enough, her infuriating laughter chasing him from the balcony and echoed in his ears: even as the roaring of the sea drowned out all other sounds as he hit the rocky ground running and took to the shadows and made his way back to The Clock Tower with haste: the Client was due to give Basso the rest of the information soon, meaning the time for the Heist was fast-approaching.

And as much as he hated to admit it, Rayne's information was solid and provided him with just as many problems as it did results and Garrett didn't like being led in circles, especially when unexpected tidbits like The General's new traps came into the equation. How he was going to navigate something he couldn't see, he didn't know: one thing was certain, he'd have to put all other Jobs on hold as soon as he returned to his hideaway: he had a lot to think about that could quite-literally make or break not only the success of this Heist, but also whether or not either of them would still be breathing by the time it was done.