No doubt he was positively pleased as punch to have elicited such unadulterated surprise from her, quick as she might have tried to cover it up. It definitely made her think twice about what she would say to him in the future. He might have simply took a stab in the dark about her new place of work at the risk of looking foolish if he was wrong, he might know the owner, Nadya, and heard she hired a new girl and put two and two together, hell he might even be following her around. Whatever the means by which he came by the relatively recent occurrence it served to remind her just who, exactly, she was dealing with here. He wasn't like her usual marks, the drunken and peripherally blind men who would sooner look at how her clothes hugged her curves seamlessly than notice the game at which she played. She had a feeling that she could very well have walked into this negotiation stark naked and not made him bat an eye.

The only thing that does seem fit to distract him is the approach of the unflappable Grayson, drawing both their attention with his unabashed friendliness. She watched Frost carefully, eagerly waiting to see his reaction. The way people treated animals outside of all else could tell you a lot about the person themselves. He seemed surprised at first, understandably so as most animals weren't a fan of shifters, or any of the paranormal for that matter. No doubt their animal intuition warned them of the potential dangers, but Grayson either didn't have those fear or just didn't care. A bit to her surprise however Frost seems to enjoy the attention, going so far as to bend down and run his fingers along his gray striped fur. "Cat lover are you?" she teased playfully, a smile dancing on her pink lips at the slight inside joke as the tabby began to purr loudly; he would have enjoyed the affection without the heated scratcher, though Carolina was oblivious to it.

Once he straightened it was all business and he had her undivided attention. She listened carefully, needing all the information she could get if she was to succeed here which is what drove her to encroach so willingly into Frost's personal space herself. She can see the muscles under his pale skin tense in response to the movement, silent as she is, the almost unnoticeable intake of breath which had a smirk teasing up the corners of her lips, see two could play at this game. She takes her time studying the medallion, her fingers running over the ornately carved silver and the rather odd interpretation of a horse. "Odin?" she whispers vaguely as her eyes momentarily flicked up to his shielded face, her knowledge of norse mythology only deep enough to remember vaguely that he had once rode some eight legged horse.

He shifts to lean away, perhaps her proximity finally causing him some unease and so she moves back, the smooth skin of her dexterous fingers glancing across his own and she can feel the heat of them long after they've separated, a fact she might have found curious if she weren't so focused on his proposal. She moves back to her position against the bar countertop, one hand absentmindedly stroking the fingers that had touched him so briefly as they clasped the drawing he had provided before naming her price. Her hazel eyes danced across his face as she watched him process her bid, having quickly learned that emotion didn't last long on his face. She thought she saw a bit of disappointment dance across his features, though beneath that shock of hair it was hard to tell. Did he dislike being called out for providing meager details or at what he would probably consider a rather steep price, or both?

Price it turned out, or at least that is what he was focusing on as he states his opinion of what she proposed. In response she merely rolls her shoulders with a flippant, "Banks are easy,", all negotiations had to start somewhere and going first she was at the disadvantage. He wasn't going to accept, that much she knew, but it was worth it to hear the agitation creeping into his voice. If she wasn't careful she'd get herself into trouble no doubt, wouldn't be the first time. Her blue-green gaze focuses closely on him once more as he made his counter offer, and while it started off promising enough with his offered favor he had cut her earnings down considerably. Hazel eyes narrowed and for the first time in their meeting the corners of her lips turned toward a scowl, it didn't help her mood to be so undercut. She was already opening her mouth to decline, turning the figures in her head already for some counter offer, but she was cut off as he showed at least part of his hand.

So it seemed he did have more information than he originally let on, and she wonders if she hadn't asked for so steep a price or been less on point if he would have shard it at all. Knowing exactly who had the artifact and where it was would obviously make her job easier, but she wasn't pleased with him. "Tell me what information half my job has got you and I'll let you know my decision," the words still soft and sweet tinged with her southern twang, but there was a steeliness to them now that hadn't been there before, she wasn't playing games here. At least he didn't argue there, and she listened carefully to his description of the docks in the West, a place she had not yet ventured. One sculpted eyebrow raised scrupulously as he continued on to describe cage fights that took place between shifters and a tall, dark man. It all sounded like something one might see in a movie and she almost wondered if he wasn't just messing with her.

In the end his money would be real enough, and if he was offering a floorplan by which she could strategize what choice did she have? "Very well," she replied with a flick of one delicate hand, pushing up off the counter top before taking a few steps toward him. "The favor and five hundred up front, but seven when I bring the item to you if you're sending me into the fighting pits, which includes your access to the maps and information on the place. I'd almost forego the final payment in total if you told me why, exactly, a piece of jewelry is of such importance to you, but stories of intrigue hardly pay the bills." She laughed lightly at the idea before extending her hand to seal the deal in the most traditional of ways. Perhaps she should have been more nervous about proverbially getting into bed with someone who had the potential to be so dangerous, but all she felt was a thrill at the thought. Maybe it was the nature of the beast, to walk the fine line between danger and thrill, but she wasn't one to fight it.