Her talents were cemented and it seemed no one was willing to argue otherwise, but the moment she had taken a seat beside Shizuka someone else had stood up. Rika looked to him, seeing through the androgynous features with ease thanks to her experience with both genders thoroughly over her years. Identifying targets as well as seducing them made the mystery of ‘man or woman’ a short one, and all that remained was listening to what he had bothered to say. Folding her arms and slowly crossing her right leg over her left, Rika was almost about to wink at him for his confidence in her up until he suggested that someone tag along with her. Her reaction was displeasure, stressed with a roll of the eyes at how one could start getting on her good side and ultimately put himself back on the path of irrelevance in her life. To think that she even offered a hint as to them not needing to pay her for her work, not even handing them that disc was enough to get any of these people to lay off. If she wanted money, she knew where to go, and sitting here with a bunch of children and some pretty boy wasn’t the place. Scoffing under her breath, Rika’s eyes moved from Coriander to Ace and quietly she muttered [b]“Thanks for the confidence.”[/b] spitefully. There was no good in compliments if you simply went back to ‘I don’t trust you’ and the pointless back and forth was pissing her off. On the suggestion that she took someone with her, Rika expected Ace to have someone good in mind about this, but to her surprise and her fear Shizuka had raised her hand, prompting Rika to tighten her jaw. 

Shizuka was capable of tossing steel beams around for the fun of it, and as far as stealth went there was almost no guarantee she’d be useful. Joint work was only good if you could count on someone to have some intelligence and tact, after the outburst Shizuka had earlier in front of ‘Pepper’, her confidence in her was shaky at best. [i]‘Come on Ace, say something!’[/i] the blonde thought, not wanting to be the one to take away Shizuka’s overwhelming eagerness to, and this was just a guess, be useful. It was things like this that got people killed; working in stealth and subterfuge didn’t always take a heart of gold and if the time came, Rika didn’t believe Shizuka would kill to accomplish something too important to the rebel cause. As disappointing as his poorly thought out plan, Ace said nothing, and allowed Shizuka to do this unopposed. Putting on a false smile, Rika nodded her head at a casual pace, almost as if she wasn’t going to go out and kill someone tonight. This group had a poor means of handling assignments and just seemed to do things because crossing their fingers is the best way for them to get anything done; Ace was trying to be a leader, but he wasn’t a real one, only a fill-in for someone who should actually do more than give a half-assed speech about the Empire. In the back of her mind Rika was regretting this, yet at the same time she relished carrying this group of misfits. And then there was that Chinese girl…

[b]“Need something?”[/b] Rika looked towards Lin, whose gaze hadn’t left her the entire time, much to the thief’s concern.

[b]“N-no, I just think you’re really pretty and cool.”[/b] Lin smiled, hoping that her compliment would be meaningful. [b]“And I like your name Miss Rika!”[/b]

[i]‘...Okay, you're cute, I'll give you that’[/i] Rika cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders, a very slight blush on her cheeks. The wink that might’ve gone to Coriander had gone to the young girl instead. [b]“Thanks, kid. What’s your name?”[/b]

[b]“Lin! …Well, Meilin Xiao Yu, but my friends call me Lin. Would you …like to be friends?”[/b] Lin appeared very hopeful for this, wanting a strong role model to look up to in at least one aspect. If she couldn’t be as capable as Rika, she’d want to be as confident as her. 

Rika had seen in her something she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Admiration was directed to her, recognition for who she was, how she presented herself, and a strong desire to acquire some of those qualities. The girl had heart, but she needed to work on hiding her goals. Anyone with a strong ability to understand the human body and stare could tell what Lin might’ve been thinking right about now, and given her skills Rika suspected she was the only one to see it. There was potential to help guide her in a proper direction, lest Ace got her killed before she saw it. Before Rika could offer an answer, Ace had spoken up again, gathering the attention of both ladies. Things got serious once again.

The information unveiled was a boon and Rika believed her change of heart did indeed spare the lives of a lot of people within this little compartment tonight. The plan was better than simply ‘cross your fingers and pray everything works out’, but the nagging in the back of her head still told her to refuse Shizuka. Rika’s heart was read perfectly by Aeva, so only Aeva might understand how dangerous she felt it was to pair someone up with her; ‘Part of the process’ that woman might claim, but Shizuka was innocent, kind of a dork but sweet in her own way. If something went wrong in the past it was only her life on the line, Rika never had to watch someone else’s back, merely her own. She supposed it could be worse, at least she wouldn’t be staring at her ass the entire time this operation went on. 

[b]“I’ll go!”[/b] Lin’s hand shot up immediately, though silently wondering why Ace didn’t look to her for joining this team. He knew she wanted to prove herself and this was the opportunity, but she’d set aside her anxiety of being overlooked and only look forward to helping like she intended. Earlier with the robots was only a small demonstration of her ability, and it was her hope that this time she’d display true meritorious skill. Rika’s eyes wandered to Lin and she sat forward a little, eyes returning to Ace. She doubted his abilities as a leader and just minutes ago was preparing to throw them in a blender lacking concrete intelligence. He had no scouts, no reliable heavy hitters based on appearances, the final straw was that these girls beside her didn’t seem fit for fighting war. All her life she had gone it alone, taking the very best of her family’s abilities and wielding them for her own benefit. Tonight was meant to change that, though her opinions of those around her still remained low. Caring about people set you up for pain, Rika believed that tonight might end very painfully for everyone involved. The young woman didn’t believe in the abilities of any of these people, no matter how prepared they looked. 

[i]‘If anyone dies tonight, it better not be these two…’[/i]