The girl was unbelievable he thought quietly to himself. Why did it matter if he chose not to address them by first name? This was the first day they ever met and she expects a high familiarity. This job was already hard enough on him, and Lainy wasn't helping. He banished further thought as he observed the girl tearing apart Ryleigh's closest. For the brief time he had gotten to know Ryleigh, he could only imagine how frustrated she must be feeling having her organization thrown to the wind. In fact, he was surprised she was making a big fuss out of it at all.
He cleared his throat. Lainy's interpretation of his willingness to aid if needed was absolutely wrong. It wasn't out of the desire to 'kiss' anyone. He had to admit, however, seeing Ryleigh's face all red from embarrassment was 'cute'. Oh how easily flustered the girl was. "Best to avoid the situation altogether then," he said more so to himself.
When Ryleigh came out of the bathroom, changed into a skirt, his adapting and camouflage mind sprung into action. "Plain yet flavorful, Ms. Anderson. The shirt somewhat contrasts however. Otherwise, a good choice." He rose and eyebrow towards Lainy. "Of course, I'll stay close. I don't fully enjoy the environment you'll be walking into, but if you insist. I'll be floating about. Don't worry. As I said earlier, I'll intervene only when necessary."
The party was a complete nightmare. Mathias could appreciate the energy. He loved energy at parties. When he was at one under word, however, that was when things got tricky. He kept a careful eye on Ryleigh as a few guys came forward to talk to her only to leave moments later. It took the utmost restraint for him to not physically toss them out. While he was a stellar assassin - perhaps mediocre bodyguard - there was no way he could reach her in time to stop an attack. He held an glass filled with alcohol, which he soon discarded onto a table. He was sober.
Sighing to himself, he excused himself from a throng of girls who showed enthusiastic interest in him. He walked towards Ryleigh; he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the side. Once off to the wall, he let go. "You stand out far too much, Ms. Anderson," he said over the loud music. "I know you don't wish to be remotely close to me in public, but ... surely you can be a tad bit more invested in tonights event?"
He heard his alias, 'Alex' being called from afar as his eyes tracked down the speaker. His stone cold facade dropped for a moment, as he smiled widely. He waved to the brunette as he mentioned that he was busy. She gave him a hurt look before disappearing back into the crowd. That was when he spotted the odd person out. Odder than Ryleigh in any case.
"Stay right here," he said. He gave her a look that demanded she didn't disobey him. Then he was off. He made his way to the man in question who had the build of a professional football player. The give away? The eyes. Mathias pulled out his wrist knife so that only the tip showed. He placed it behind the man's back. "Move slowly outside. Now."
The man was about to protest until Mathias added a bit more pressure to the knifepoint. They slowly began to move. When they stepped outside and off towards the side, Mathias steeled himself, as an elbow almost rammed straight into his face. He raised his forearms as he absorbed the blow. The turned and squared off as the exchanged a series of lightning-fast strikes.
Stars trickled into his vision as Mathias took a fist to his face. That was going to leave the worst of bruises. He kicked out and caught the man's knee cap as the brute stumbled. Quickly, before giving the attacker a chance to act, he rammed his knee into the man's face who fell backwards clutching his face.
His heart thundered in his chest as he fought to calm himself. "Who sent you?"
"Fuck you asshole," the accent was eastern european. "You're dead. The families dead. That little bitch inside is dead! I--"
Mathias covered his mouth as he rammed his knife into the man's shoulder socket. A muffled scream came from the man. "You talk to much," he said, violence seeping into his words. "Answer the question or you'll permanently lose your arm."
Instead of words, the man began to jerk erratically. Cyanide. Mathias stepped away as the failsafe worked its magic. He sighed. He failed to get relevant information, but at least he succeeded in protecting Ryleigh.
With nothing left to do, he began to dispose of the body. As he bent to pick the body up, he turned to face Ryleigh. God dammit.