Treasure Hunter Part Deux

After being long awaited, here's more of Rhea, you're favorite treasure hunter. And some new characters!

Finally having a break to breathe, she took a look at the artifact she had been sent for. It was a curious object, all rounded edges and curved lines. She discovered that looking too closely at it gave her a headache and made her feel nauseous and dizzy. She put it away. Let her employer deal with it. That was his arena, not hers. She looked around, seeing the choppy waters glinting in the moonlight, noting the lights off the starboard of her boat, indicating a seaside city. Rhea looked around, searching for the bobbing lights she knew were out there. She scanned the horizon, narrowing her eyes against the sea spray.
There, slightly obscured behind a seaside cliff, she saw the tell-tale red and blue lights of her employer’s boat, dipping on the wavelets of the sea. Turning the boat, she headed toward them, grateful that she was drawing close to the end of her job, and that she would finally get paid. This was of course no more dangerous than jobs she had accepted in the past, but it was far more dangerous then she had originally been informed, that would cost her employer dearly. Of course, he could more than afford it. After all, he was one of the wealthiest men on the planet.
This was what made his hiring Rhea, one of the most well known thieves (though she preferred the term “treasure hunter”) on the planet, all the more odd. If he was so wealthy, couldn’t he merely have purchased the item, instead of stealing it? Though all of those precautions set in place for such a little thing…she glanced at it again, out of the corner of her eye. When she looked at it this way, it almost seemed pretty. She shook her head, and focused on her goal.
She pulled up alongside the boat, more of a yacht than a mere “boat”. “Ahoy the ship!” she called out, not raising her voice overly much. Voices carried well over water, why borrow trouble by alerting anyone else in the vicinity? “Rhea? Is that you?” A tousled blonde head peered over the rail. The head belonged to a 17 year old boy, her nephew actually, who was also related (in some distant fashion she didn’t entirely fathom) to her employer. “No, it’s Donald Duck. Of course it’s me, now let down the ladder!” she half scolded, smiling. It was hard to be serious and grim around the infectious joy that Aeries inspired. The fact that her adrenaline was still spiked from near death experiences lent some giddiness to her as well.
There was a clatter, and a rope ladder was tossed over the side of the yacht. Tucking the strange artifact inside a satchel, not quite looking straight at it, she tucked the satchel close to her body and shimmied up the ladder. “I’m so glad you’re back!” he cried, still keeping his voice down. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tight for a moment. Then, remembering himself, he coughed and drew back, his face a brilliant scarlet, just barely visible in the moonlight. “I mean, um, I’m glad you’re safe.” He muttered. She grinned, safe in the knowledge that her face was still hidden in the shadow, but kept the laughter out of her voice. “It’s good to know someone was keeping a lookout for me. Oh, and you better not let Mr. Thomas see you covered in all that ash, he might think you disobeyed his orders and came with me like you wanted.” Aries looked down, dismayed. In his enthusiasm, he had hugged his aunt before checking the state of her clothing, and a great deal of the ash and dirt that covered her from head to toe had transferred to him. Then he looked at her, and took in the grey ash, turning her already grey camouflage even darker. Her light-brown hair was grey and brown with ash and dirt, her face was streaked with it.
Her light green eyes danced with amusement at the dismay in her nephew’s face. “Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. Just go wash off, and get changed. I’ll meet with you and Mr. Thomas in fifteen minutes in the briefing cabin.” She strolled off, looking as calm and collected as ever. She always looked calm and collected, even when she was panicking inside. That was one of the things Aries admired most about her. That, and who wouldn’t admire someone who went off into danger, on grand adventures at the drop of a hat? So it was dangerous, as he had been lectured many times before, but like any teenager, he thought he was immortal.
Aries cleaned up as thoroughly as he cared to, and threw on a new t-shirt and cargo pants. He just hoped Mr. Thomas wouldn’t do a very close inspection. Sticking his hands into his pockets, he wandered over to the briefing cabin, though he knew he’d be the first one there. HE didn’t mind though, there was always something good to eat waiting for him in the room, no matter what time of day or night. Pushing open the door, he sniffed the air appreciatively it was his favorite, fried mangoes. Settling down in one of the big plush chairs around the table in the center of the room, he grabbed one of the sticky treats from a platter on the table. Just as he was about to take a bite, Mr. Thomas, walked into the room and Aries started guiltily.
Mr. Thomas was not a tall or imposing man. In fact, he was rather short and round, with a neatly trimmed red goatee, and his red hairline rapidly receding from his forehead. Despite the fact that he typically had the aura of a favorite uncle, he could be incredibly intimidating when he chose. Fortunately, now was not one of those times that he chose to. He smiled indulgently at Aries, and made a sweeping gesture. “Help yourself. I had it specially made for you and Rhea-“
“Did I hear my name uttered in vain?” Rhea asked, sweeping in, looking a bit more presentable then when she had been pulled over the side of the yacht. Her hair was up in a bun, her face was clear of ash, and she wore a clean t-shirt and jeans. “Oooh, fried mangoes, my favorite!! See, this is why I love working for you Mr. Thomas, the effort is well worth the reward.”