Out of all the things she had been expecting to see when she booted up her old communication system, the face of one of the richest men in the world hadn't been one of them. "Mr Xanatos, what a surprise," Viper drawled in her usual seductive lilt, even as her mind raced.

Showing up like this had to be a power play. The guys hadn't said anything about *this* when they had passed along word that someone was trying to drop a line on her. More importantly, having his identity out in the open like this was risky. Even if nobody took her seriously, the mere idea that David Xanatos was contacting an ex-super thief could cause an uproar in the business community.

So either he didn't care if she told...or he had taken steps to make sure that she wouldn't. She wasn't sure what worried her more.

"A pleasant one, I hope," he said in that quiet yet articulate (drawl), which had featured in more than a few of her private fantasies.

It took her a few moments to remember her response. "I suppose that depends on why you're calling," she said. "If you're looking for a consultation, I'm afraid you're a bit out of my league."

"Well now, that's hardly fair," Xanatos said, waving away her self-recrimination. "From what I've heard, nobody has been disappointed by your work yet. Still, I'm afraid that's not why I'm here."

"I'm listening."

"I'm told that you have a certain amount of experience acquiring objects of a delicate nature?" Xanatos said, a playful grin slipping onto his face. God, she could see him having so much fun with this, even as she reminded herself to stay on her guard. This man hadn't become a multi-billionaire by being nice, after all. "Objects that might not be available through strictly legal means?"

"Is that what you've heard?" Viper said, hiding her own smile behind her hand. Behind the smile, her mind continued to race. What was he playing at? "I'm not sure why that'd bring you to my door, though. Rich man like you must be able to buy anything he wants."

"Not everything, unfortunately." Xanatos did a good job of hiding his twitch, but Viper had been reading marks before she was reading books. Looked like even a billionaire super star had a few cracks in his armor. "Moreover, I'm told that you're experienced at working with...exotic material. Things that not a lot of people are familiar with, which some might refer to as...fantastical Beyond the scope of mortal men, even."

"Ooh, I should add that to my resume," Viper said, leaning back in her chair. "Perveur of things beyond mortal ken." She shot him a wry grin, but deep inside her worry only increased when she saw what Xanatos was getting at. There were dozens of other so-called 'super-thieves' out there, eager to make a mint working for a man like Xanatos, but how many could claim experience at working with magic?

She was a little surprised that he knew about it, though. Viper had only done a light bit of dabbling after that fiasco with the snake talisman, outside of her work with Section-13 and the J-team. Seeing as how Captain Black had managed to keep those missions off of everyone's books, it was actually a little impressive that Xanatos had come looking for her, of all people.

It almost made her feel bad for having to turn him down. Almost. ""Unfortunately, Mr Xanatos, I'm afraid that I'm retired from the acquisitions business. I have been for some time," she admitted.

"That's too bad," he said, his expression never shifting. "May I ask why?"

"Decided it wasn't leading me where I wanted to go," she replied, which was technically the truth, but far from the whole story. No need to mention that had gone soft over breaking a promise with a naive pre-teen; her reputation would never recover.

"How curious," Xanatos said, raising his hands to his face to disguise what was definitely a smirk. "I heard it was because you were going into the antiquities business."

She froze in surprise, then tried to play it off like it hadn't happened, but the triumph in his eyes said that he'd spotted her reaction. "I'm afraid that's none of your business," she said, done playing polite. "I work securities, now, and that's all you need to know. So unless you have a pressing need for someone to put your systems to the test, Mister Xanatos…"

"Very well then, I suppose I'll just have to find someone else," he said with a shrug which failed to hide the avarice in his eyes. David Xanatos was not a man accustomed to hearing 'no', and they both knew it too. "Still, I hope you keep my offer in mind, just in case. I'm told that the antique business can be very volatile, after all. Always on the verge of disaster."

"Don't count on it," she retorted. "I think you'll find that some antiquities are very sturdy indeed." She favored him with a smile she didn't mean, completel with a little wave. "Have a pleasant day, Mister Xanatos."

Viper shut off the connection before he could try to get in the final word, and took a moment to just...relax, and let the tension flow out. Nervousness and hasty action were the enemy of every thief, which made them very familiar foes indeed, and she took a moment to banish them entirely before taking the next step.

The code which she tapped into the communicator was one she knew by heart, and she couldn't stop her fingers from tapping out a staccato rhythm as she waited for the other side to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby cakes," Viper said, relaxing infinitesimally at the familiar voice. "I think that you and I might have a mutual problem."