The Consilium meeting over, Henry walks past Ariadne and, without a word, nods for her to fall in step next to him. With one last look at the large church, he heads out into the street, his innate urban camouflage hiding him from the sight of the Sleeping pedestrians.

Hands in his pockets, he waits for her to be level with him, then simply asks, "Thoughts?" It could equally be a question, or an order.

An open mouth then a breath. "I am surprised that someone was able to stand up and declare that he was the Boss. In most cities there would have been duels or fights or prolonged talks about things that have nothing to do with being the Boss. The complete restructuring of the City at the same time..." Blue eyes flick down an alley then a small pulse of the supernal touches reality as mental distortion wraps its comforting grip around Ariadne. "I am not sure what to make of things yet, other than I have the feeling that I got dropped into a warzone or beauty pagent."

"A little of both," Henry replies. Noting the swirls of the Supernal swirling around her, he replies with his own little twirl, likely unnoticeable to her, and meant only to protect his most precious belongings. "Animus has earned his place, and he has the respect of most people here. He got the seat for a reason." With a shrug, he adds, "There may have been some manoeuvring involved." Ladders and politics.

"I thought we should take the time to plan our next move," he says, looking straight ahead. "Are you already on an assignment?" The question is an idle one, the Epopt simply asking whether someone else is playing in what should be his field. What harm could there be in telling him if she was?

"No, nothing yet. I have been observing and exploring so far. Finding a job was more time consuming than I thought it would be and they are all sleepers or far too good at hiding to be working at that place." She runs a hand through red hair. "So what's the next move."

I hope I'm not just a Pawn, I'll settle for Knight for now.

Henry nods, taking a furtive look over his shoulder while answering, softly, "Good." His thoughts are elsewhere. On people with claws and the plans they set into motion. On his own place on the checker board of the world. "There are two things we need to do." The voice is almost a whisper. This is Guardian talk, dammit, and he was going to make sure no non-Guardians heard. "First, this city lacks a labyrinth. We need one set up, and the sooner the better. Think you could handle something like that?" He looks straight ahead as he says it, leaving it to her to guess what he's thinking.

Ariadne stumbles over her own foot, catching herself before there's an ugly lesson of why not to face plant on the concrete. "Ya sure, I can do it. Do we have any resources to get one started or from the ground up?" She smooths down her clothes, that was embarrassing.

Henry's hand starts to dart out as Ariadne stumbles, presumable to catch her before she hurts herself. Or maybe before she draws attention, no matter how small, to the pair. It stays close to her just a moment longer as she regains her footing, before going back to put the Epopt's hand in his pocket. "From the ground up. Will that be a problem?" There is no threat, no emotion in the words. Simple question. Damn it, I have a feeling there are days I'll hate this shtick. "We'll work together on this. I want somewhere to funnel future Veil breaches. God knows it's only a matter of time."

She flashes Henry a quick smile before continuing to look around. "Not a problem. Do the local neopagans have a hang out or are they spread all over?" Ariadne hopes that the neopagans or pagans would be enough to get her into the subculture. I can't believe I'm being tasked with starting a labyrinth. I can't screw this up.

Henry shrugs as he hooks his thumb down an alley. Dark, quiet, and smelling of piss. How very fun. But however unpleasant it was as a place, it was one of Henry's favorites. The last time he'd walked it, he was the one reporting to the Epopt. How things change... "No hangout spot that I know of," he answers as he turns down the alley. "This is a new project. A very new one. We'll have to look into it, together. Start by laying a foundation, so we know it will last a long, long time."

Ariande hesitates for a moment before following Henry into the alley. Should have worn worse clothes... She steps around anything too suspicious, odd puddles or unnecessarily dark patches of concrete. "Do you have anyone in mind with deep pockets who we could use?"

Henry, on the other hand, barely takes any care with the refuse in the alley. He had traipsed through it before, and would traipse through it again. Dignity was one of the first things he'd given up for the Veil. But making comments about Ariadne's reaction to the place was also one of the furthest things on his mind. "Not right now. But don't concentrate on that. Start small." He throws a sidelong look at her. "A few people, a solid core of followers. With a bit of luck I might be able to get us some capital. It won't be easy, or quick. But we didn't pick the job to be easy, right?" And maybe, just maybe, there's a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

Ariadne's smile is far more noticeable than Henry's. "No, we never do." A few moments of silence follow as she works over some things. "Is there anything else you would want me to look into as well? I imagine that getting people together is going to take some time." There might be more Guardians than there seem, there probably are. Smoke and Mirrors are the name of the game for Ariadne though, lowest on the totem pole only sees what they are allowed.

Henry walks in silence for a moment. Spilsh-splosh, a dirty water puddle goes as he walks through it. "There is one other thing. Something you have to keep on the down low." He takes another look behind the pair, then a short, furtive look upwards. Finally, he turns his eyes to Ariadne, and his eyes almost start to bore into her. "There's a traitor among us." His eyes occasionally turn to look ahead, but stay fixed on her to catch her reaction. "I want you to try and find who, without anyone else learning that you're looking."

Ariadne flinches away from his gaze, eyes like that see things they shouldn't. Some things were meant to be hidden and unlearned, that does not just apply to the Mysteries either. "Do you have a guess as to what flavor I should be looking for? If I may know what makes you believe there is a traitor." It's her turn to look around, though Henry can tell she is hesitant to meet his eyes.

Henry, however, doesn't look away simply because it makes the other Guardian uncomfortable. He keeps watching her, weighing everything she does, everything she is. He wasn't about to let something as trivial as manners get in the way of knowing the people he had to work with. "Very little. Someone from the Consilium, with enough connections to know about the Museum attack." So, in short, anyone. "Someone with a motive to remove the Hierarch without killing anyone else. Someone who might have had access to guarded secrets no one knew about the Hierarch." His eyes dart forward, briefly, to make sure he doesn't run into a wall, then back, to make sure they aren't being followed. "See the picture being painted?" A shrug. "What's important is that this stays between us. Entirely between us."

"That's a mighty disturbing picture... " She looks at Henry, constrained fear is plain to see in her eyes. I am an imperfect soul." She forces herself to step into a puddle and cringes as she hears the liquid splash. "I won't tell anyone. If it comes to it I can hide the fact. For a time at least." A hint of fear creeps into her voice. "If I hear anything about that guy they mentioned at the meeting, I'll promptly walk the other way and let you know as soon as possible."

"Disturbing isn't the word I'd use, but it'll do," Henry answers, neutrally, while taking another quick furtive look behind the pair. "And you won't carry the secret 'for a time'. You'll carry it to the grave if it comes to that. Understood?" It isn't a reproach, or even an order. It's a statement of fact. What the Epopt intends to do if the fact isn't true is anyone's guess. A momentary pause. "As for Vector, you have the right idea. Just run. As things stand, going toe to toe with him should be a death sentence. Misdirect and evade if you have to." A pause, a breath. "But enough of that. You have your jobs. Any ambitions for this city?" He asks it in the most conversational tone ever, and really, what other motive could there be?

Ariadne nods deeply when Henry states that she would die before revealing what they had discussed. She hopes that means she can do what ever it takes to not have to die before revealing it but lets the thought go as he takes the conversation elsewhere. "The only ambition I had before coming to this city was to continue looking into those unaligned who strive for our kinds collective downfall. Though creating some sort of stability with in our society seems like a good idea as well." She leaves it there, not yet willing to openly divulge why she wakes up at night thinking about the same thing over and over.

Henry ponders those answers a few moments. "Good enough." The whole of what he knows of Ariadne spins around in his head, every piece trying to fit itself into the puzzle. "So long as you remember your duties, we're good. Besides, you'll find the things to do in this city match nicely with what you seem to want." A moment of hesitation, a breath. "Before I forget, if you need to reach me, use Pi'th and L. If anything comes up, I'll reach you through E'th and P." Both communication routes that rely on dead drops and picking messages out of the trash or under mailboxes. They're relatively old means, but reliable. "Do you need anything else to get started?" It's a question, really, a purely clinical interrogation. Like the man doesn't put tone on anything.

"Are those codes names for intersections?" Ariadne says with a ting of embarrassment. Was she supposed to know? Another splash through a puddle, these shoes were definitely going to get washed in bleach.

The Epopt has to repress a small sigh. It's an easy reaction to suppress, so he doesn't let even a hint of it show. What do they teach these kids these days? But he hides that very thought, concentrating instead on the next one. "Have you been taught proper communication? Cyphered, hidden, silent?" There's even less tone to this question than to the ones before, if that is even possible. It's almost a statement.

"Nooo..." She replies recoiling into her self. "Well, some minor ciphers but nothing major. The cabal that mentored me focused on training me to deal with people, to be a face. I did what I was told and lived with the cabal until I was sent out here. They had methods of hiding information but I hadn't started to work undercover anywhere so they never taught them to me." One of those "when you need to know" moments that comes around and kicks you later on.

Henry listens, attentively. Then ponders for a few moments. How to teach to someone something you yourself took for granted? How do you teach someone to breathe? It takes him a moment to figure it out. It dawns on him : Give an instruction book. Finally, the dark alley ends, and the pair are back on a more 'normal' street. Henry hooks his thumb to his right, and starts walking that way. "There are 3 payphones at the corner of 8th and Pth. Only one works. Tomorrow, 8 AM, there'll be a note taped under it. Take it. 8 AM, no sooner, no later." Old? Obsolete? Certainly. But it's a technique that's proven reliable. "Work for you?" There's little doubt in his voice that it had better work for her.

Ariadne hides a frown, work started at 8. Fortunately she awoke to the Tower of Mental Anguish and manipulating people to feel better around her was becoming increasing second nature. "Yes, that works. That will show me how to reach you? If so I'll leave you a message to show that I got it." After work that is and probable mental manipulation of her boss. That man was inept and a pig.

Henry nods, "It will. And I'll be waiting." He considers, for a moment, for the briefest of moments, giving her his phone number. But decides against it. If the girl was going to learn communication, she might as well learn it right from the get-go. "You have your orders. Anything else?" Another furtive look to the side. That couple over there look suspicious. Fortunately, they turn down a side street, so Henry can focus his attention on Ariadne once more.

Ariadne shakes her red head of hair. "No. Nothing for now at least. This maze is going to be interesting to get going." A satisfying smiles creeps along her face. "Should be Fun"

Henry laughs, once, a sharp, humorless sound. Does the man ever really have fun? 'When pigs fly' seems to be the most reasonable answer. And Life magic doesn't count. "Yeah. Fun." He nods towards the pair's left, while he starts turning to the right. "Go. Start on it, and if we get new blood I'll see about getting us all together. Stay in touch."

And with that, the Epopt turns back to the city he calls home, leaving his newest recruit to her task.