Bolstered by the impassive dignity that only powerful old men could boast, Whitesnake's face remained politely positive while Shade Walker ranted.  With no miscommunication on his part, the recruiter knew that the only remaining difficulties found root in the nebulous villain's own pride and distrust, the latter of which Whitesnake knew would be proved unfounded in this case when his protege demonstrated her worth in the upcoming heist.  He watched her go, meeting the eye of each ne'er-do-well present as if to ask them whether they had any problems with her.  After a couple of moment she'd disappeared onto the ladies' room, leaving behind her mentor, an impression, and a Shade Walker with still more to say.  [b]”Sir, I stand by my earlier statement.  You'll find her courage and ability more than satisfactory.”[/b]  He tilted his head just a touch to signal bemusement at his second statement.  [b]”Ludmilla knows of East, but only recently.  She grew up far away, hence the language barrier.”[/b]

Through his signature slitted green eyes, Whitesnake gauged the group's general reaction to his charge following her departure.  Ryuuji, the dark teleporter, indicated not a problem but a willingness to help the new recruit with language.  The brutal bruiser Kane appeared more enthusiastic about Ludmilla joining the group than Shade Walker, which Whitesnake found to be an interesting inversion.  In the lull, Panopticon chose to make his appearance—eerie, inhuman, and businesslike as ever, he provoked some degree of discomfort from everyone in the room.  He gave no indication that Ludmilla had come and gone at all, though Whitesnake would not have expected one.  Also during this interlude, one of the doors in the back of the bar had opened to disgorge a disheveled scientist, who set about making herself a meager meal.  Only toward the end of this task did she seem to take note of the newcomer, and Chika made a proposal as well.  [b]”I had not imagined a team of soon-to-be bank robbers would be either so helpful or so linguistic.”[/b]  Despite his standoffish tone, Whitesnake did not consider the offers a slight against himself as Ludmilla's mentor, and he decided that a little help could not go wrong.  [b]”She reads and writes Russian,”[/b] he answered Chika's question.

A moment later, the bathroom door popped open and Ludmilla appeared.  She still held her briefcase in hand, but this time it evidently contained her street clothes, because now the young woman wore a padded black-and-gray tactical suit, somewhat tight-fitting but overall highly practical.  Her eyepatch had not been changed, but a rigid mask had appeared that covered her entire lower face, meshing well with the bottom of the patch.  Altogether, she could be mistaken for a riot cop at first glance, but her ensemble gave her a hint of menace.  After a few seconds of looking around, Ludmilla seemed to decide that the group wouldn't be heading out right this moment, so she reached up and pulled down the facemask to hang around her neck.  With that done her focus lay on the two people she'd missed before: Panopticon and Chika.  For the former she allotted only a wary glance, but the woman received a more thorough look.  Clear lack of attention to personal care, glasses, hyper-pale skin, small size, zero musculature...everything about her screamed 'turbo-nerd.'  Yet if she was here, she was a force to be reckoned with in some respect.  Ludmilla's eye conveyed mixed feelings, and when she turned away to head back toward Whitesnake, she said aloud to him in Russian, [i][color=FF5800]”If this tiny NEET girl is half as smart as she looks, she should know that red hair only looks good natural.”[/color][/i]  Tossing her briefcase on the floor, she seated herself at the bar, leaning on one elbow.  Here, she could see pretty much everything going on inside, but the greater concern was the job that lay just ahead.  This would be her moment; the only chance she'd get to show these people she could be a pro villain.