[She was deliberately informal, the contrast to his very formal greeting intentional. After all, they hadn't just met, had they? Alright, so the details were spotty, most of them slipped through chemical holes that Cat hadn't found a way to plug yet. But she knew they hadn't just met, and she so did hate pretense when it wasn't convenient to her.
Anyway, if their acquaintance was casual - if she thought for a second that their acquaintance was casual? He wouldn't be here, because she wouldn't trust him with Em's secrets. Not that she understood most of Em's secrets herself, but that was neither here nor there. This man was too busy hiding from the world, and someone who did that? Wasn't going to run to the police or government with tales of halos and inky wings.
And she didn't expect him to show with a tail or backup, and she considered herself a very good judge of character. It was at the heart of being a good con, being able to anticipate people's actions, being able to read them. And she might be out of practice? But she was still a very good con.
She walked toward him, motioned in the direction of the old house in the woods, the one she'd never been to, but that she knew Em called home, and she moved, expecting him to fall into step beside her.] This way. It's not far.