Shadows and Bishops

She'd truly have needed to be oblivious to miss the way the shadows on the floor rippled beneath her as she walked. Though confused, Helga didn't take long to think about what was happening. Maleficent had mentioned there was a certain... presence in and amongst the Cursed Thorns who, although not allying herself with them, liked to come around and see what was what. Apparently now was the time to officially have a face to face conversation with her, Helga thought. She didn't know if she cared for that fact, really. There were places she had to go and things that she needed to get done.

Fate didn't seem to have that in mind, though. At last, the hall was cloaked and Helga was greeted by a particularly sing-song tone of voice. Her lip curled in a light sneer, but she chose not to speak immediately. Calm down, she told herself. Eris was only doing this to get her attention. Suffice it to say, the goddess had what she wanted more or less.

"I can tell," Helga said, matter of factly. Helga didn't make herself the easiest to seek out because she constantly seemed to have her nose to the grindstone. Today was not that sort of day, though. She heard the door give a loud creak and, while she did give in to a slight start, she otherwise wasn't ready to claim she'd been terrified. In and out, her breath went through her nose before she took the metaphorical plunge. If Eris wanted to talk, and if she'd picked out the room dead ahead for that specific purpose, then Helga was fully prepared to accept that. She didn't like that fact, but really. What else could she do? Angering a goddess such as Eris would not behoove her in the long run, and she had no doubts that Maleficent herself would not be pleased if she did. So, heels clicking as she walked, she entered the room that had been chosen.

The oddly hued flames suddenly igniting on the three pronged candle-holder gave the woman another start, and a soft intake of breath was heard, but then she relaxed again. There had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation, she thought for a moment. That all flew out the window, though, when she caught sight of Eris' swirling form. There she was, perched on a desk and honestly looking quite pleased with herself.

Keep it together. Whatever she wants, it must not be a bad thing. Perhaps it wasn't the most sound logic. There was an inkling of her old mindset lurking in the back of her head, though. Helga knew how these sorts of things usually went. Someone would seek her out, offer a proposition, and sooner or later a time would come when she could ask what she would get out of it. That was enough to help Helga relax just a smidge around the goddess. She took a small breath, nodded her head, and approached the desk.

"Actually?" A knowing smirk danced on Helga's own lips. She wasn't a fool. Eris had set all of this up. She knew as well as Eris likely did that the time wasn't a good one, but agreeing with Eris for the sake of whatever deal would be struck seemed more... appropriate. "This is the perfect time to have sought me out. And you certainly know how to make yourself easy to find, Eris." Her turn to let a sort of coy tone seep in. Flirting with danger, perhaps? Again, Helga was not the sort to misjudge one's character. She at least knew a little of what Eris was capable of just by sake of reputation alone. It would do well, then, to play her cards as carefully as she could whilst listening to what the goddess had to say.

"So. You've obviously called me here for something. And whatever that is, it's something you think only I can get done."

One hand was held outward as though beckoning Eris to prove her wrong. Or at the very least, it was intended for the goddess to continue speaking. The sort of expression Helga wore indicated she had a feeling of how this might play out. Fate was funny, though. It was wise to go in expecting the unexpected, and while Helga was at least vaguely aware of that?

She didn't always answer that particular line of thought.

"Let's just say I've been around the block before," Helga said. She'd been called upon a good number of times in the past and approached by other... benefactors, for lack of a better word, about special missions. They usually entailed them coming to her for a particular reason, something only she could handle, and it would follow with her pursuing what she got out of it. All of that before ultimately taking on whatever it was that needed doing. Helga's brow quirked a bit while she listened to Eris explain herself. Her lucky day, huh? She'd see about that.

Her gaze followed Eris while the goddess went on. What could Eris do for her? She already had about everything that she could have expected from the Cursed Thorns, but if there was something she was missing then she was intrigued to hear what Eris thought. Her weight was shifted from one leg to the other with a couple of passing moments, and her expression shifted. That was what Scar had mentioned, actually. The request had been what she'd been about to get started on when she'd been... contacted. Honestly, though, Helga wasn't that surprised that Eris had heard. For one thing, she was a goddess. She probably could see these sorts of things as they happened, assuming she paid enough attention. For another... it wasn't exactly a secret. Helga was best suited for the job, at least as far as Scar thought. She'd be surprised if others within their ranks didn't know.

Neither looked like they were paying attention to the other while they spoke. Mirroring Eris, Helga moved her hand and examined the gloves she wore. It would have been easy to become entranced by the way Eris' hair moved and the general inky ripples they carried. Helga wasn't playing that game, though.

"You heard right," Helga answered. She started to move, more pacing than anything in slow, careful, calculated strides while she thought about what else she could say. If Eris was bringing this up, then there had to be a particular reason. Some hapless soul she was trying to get ahold of, perhaps? The idea had merit, and if that was what Eris was after? Helga was willing to listen.

"Not that our ranks are low, but you undoubtedly know the advantage of numbers," she said. She stopped walking. Again, her expression took on a sort of coyness as she turned her head to look at Eris again.

"You have someone in mind? Someone that little old me should keep an eye out for while out recruiting?"

The sarcasm wasn't missed, and while Helga did roll her eyes at it she did understand Eris' point. They wouldn't have been seeking people out if they were completely superior to the other army in terms of ranks. No matter. She wasn't about to start arguing that point when she knew she was beaten in that regard. So, she shrugged her shoulders and faced Eris again.

"Granted," she said at length. "But we wouldn't be dastardly in nature if we weren't to slink to these levels of recruiting now, would we?" And where was the fun if they didn't try to bribe a few people? Her line of business required it in the past. This was no different. That said, she was more than open to listening to who Eris wanted to seek out in particular. Her aim was to get a man called Sinbad. Just the name alone was enough cause to suggest that he was something of a naughty sort. Perhaps the 'reformed' part wouldn't be so permanent. Yes, it sounded like there would be trouble in the form of a 'conscience,' if said conscience was around, but Helga could work around that. She'd done it before.

"Reformed pirate, has a ship, might have a pest to get in the way but otherwise? Doesn't sound like a bad target," Helga remarked. In fact, she liked the idea of a challenge. A part of her almost hoped that this 'conscience' Eris had mentioned was around. Just so Helga could get a feel of what she was working with, if nothing else. So, she smirked.

"Should all go well, I'll have him within our ranks before the month ends," Helga said. She would have said 'before you know it,' but remembered she was speaking with a goddess. There was no doubt in her mind that Eris was at least somewhat omnipotent. Perhaps not wholly so, but enough for Helga to choose the statement carefully.

A moment passed, then she started to move again. Helga couldn't help but feel a slight itch at the idea of standing still around Eris. The way Eris' airy sort of body moved made her feel as though she, too, needed to be on top of her movement. If nothing else, it felt right to maneuver around and in front of Eris. A younger Helga, a more innocent youth, might have been tempted to reach out and try to touch the goddess. She was wiser, though, and knew that such an action might not be received well. Thus, she kept her hands to their position of swaying at her sides with her arms.

"Sounds like you have history with this Sinbad," she cooed. "I also get the feeling the less said about it, the better. So..." She paused again. Like many other Thorns, Helga was aware of what Corona was like. She also was aware of the need to be cautious. Luckily, Helga didn't foresee herself stirring up any immediate trouble. The mission should have gone over without a hitch.

"I'm going out on a limb and saying the sooner I leave, the better. No telling how long Sinbad'll stay where we want him. Right?"