Ravin was in his study, balancing the books to clear his mind. He wasn’t an organized person by nature, but Madame Clementine, the former owner of the Midnight House, had drilled it into him. Careful records, she said, are the foundation for any business. Without it, you may continue to build, but eventually, the floor will cave in and everything will come crashing down. While going through the numbers was normally a chore, more and more Ravin found himself finding solace in it. Between concern for Norah, his pursuit of the missing painting, and an Ellis princess under his roof, it was nice to have a straightforward task to quiet his mind.

He was consumed in his current task when he heard a knock at the door. Ravin assumed it was Banks or one of his other hired security, no doubt coming to inform him of some matter that required his attention. “Enter,” he called loudly to whoever was on the other side. Sighing, he’d finish off some numbers before looking up from his desk to see who it was in his doorway.

Ravin looked up a little more quickly than he would have otherwise, as he didn’t recognize the voice of the speaker. Ravin checked for the dagger at his side beneath the desk (just in case) before standing, donning a roguish smile. “For a lovely woman such as yourself, I have all the time in the world.” Ravin had the rare gift of being charming and not creepy with his naturally flirtatious demeanor.

After a moment, his brow furrowed. She looked familiar like her face was a shadow of one he knew or had once known. “Forgive me, my dear,” He started hesitantly, "I seem to remember your face but I admit I can't remember our meeting."

The smile gave it away before her name did. A Van Zant most certainly. The grin he’d come to know and love looked ludicrous on Kasper’s face, but it suited this Van Zant very well. Ravin dipped his head to her, smiling. “A pleasure.” He would introduce himself, but it seems in this particular situation that would be redundant. Katerina seemed to know exactly who he was and what she wanted.

“Ah, the darling Miss Eden,” Ravin’s eyes lit up at the mention of Mina, a dove who was quickly becoming one of his favorites, “Your sister is a rare treasure, and I’m beyond thrilled to have her as part of our little family.” Ravin started towards the drinks cabinet. He moved slowly, still aware he didn’t quite know this woman’s intentions. “Wine?” He offered, topping off his own glass that had been sitting on the desk.

Ravin raised an eyebrow at Katerina's quip about his 'family'. He took up his glass of wine, dropping a little bit of his charm to reveal the fierce protector that lay beneath. "I take the safety of my doves very seriously, Miss Van Zant," he began, still at ease but with a little more grit in his voice then had been there before, "for reasons I'm sure you can imagine, I rather Mina's true identity not be advertised to any Jack or Jill that comes through our doors."

Ravin sat down on the settee, motioning to the chair opposite him in an offer for Katerina to sit. "I'm starting to get the idea this is not a social visit."

Ravin sipped his wine, leaning back a little as he examined Kat with curiosity. Though she was Kasper's twin, it seemed she was a very different kind of creature than her brother. She was right in her assessment that Kasper and Mina had a great deal of faith in him. Nowadays, Kasper was the eager little puppy at his heels. Which suited Ravin just fine: he was a mentor by nature, and was happy to fill the role for Kasper if he wanted him to.

"All my doves recieve combat training, primarily for their protection when they aren't inside these walls. In the Midnight House, I have plain-clothed security men that I've known for years. They know what they're looking for and are more than capable of handling any sort of...issue that needs to be addressed," Ravin held her gaze, taking another sip of wine, "But, that being said, our greatest protection is our reputation. I have a zero tolerance policy for any sort of funny business, and breaches of that policy are dealt with swiftly and severely. Word-of-mouth keeps most of the undesirables from even stepping inside."

Ravin returned her grin with a bemused smile, shrugging either one shoulder. "It's mutual. Your brother and sister do excellent work and are well compensated for it." Ravin tilted his head to the side a little, smile widening. "I don't know if Kasper ever told you, but we met because he came to burn the Midnight House to the ground. I was rumored to have killed Hector DuBois, the drug lord and trafficker that had put more than a few pennies in your family's pocket. But it turns out I pay better, and don't ask you to sell out the poor of Nevermere in the process." Ravin smiled, eyes sparkling. "Something to consider."

Ravin was struggling to keep his bemused smirk from spreading into an all-out grin. He liked her. She was direct, perhaps a little heavy-handed in style but she seemed to have guts - which he respected. “I’m not a collector,” Ravin said, unruffled, “I’m an investor. And when I see a worthy investment, I make an offer.”

He leaned back, tilting his head to the side a little. “I’m about to offer your brother a job, which I’m sure he’ll take. It’s a relatively straightforward heist, but my personal attachment to the item will make the payout…considerable.” Ravin smiled, watching her, sipping his wine, “As charming as our young Kasper is, he’s quite the ‘yes man.’ It’d be nice to have someone who will challenge me, so long as they can fall into line when it counts.” He paused, giving her a moment to take it in, “Sound like something that you’d be interested in?”

“If all goes well, they won’t even know we were there,” Ravin’s eyes sparkled with delight at the prospect. He was an adventurer at heart, and the danger of a job only added to its excitement. Not that this job was particularly dangerous - that is, if all went according to plan.

“Your brother’s coming to collect his remaining payment tomorrow,” Ravin explained, finishing his wine, “I owe it to him to give the initial thumbs up or thumbs down. Afterwards,” Ravin grinned wickedly, “The work begins. So long as you’re in.”