She mounts Shadowmere with delight. 

And onwards to Riften.

At top speed, naturally.

Oh, this is wonderful. 

She endeavors to provide only the best service.

Maellys would say she gets a bit past 'endeavor.'

It's Maellys's leadership getting her that far.

A leader matters little without a follower.

That's a role she can fill with pride.

It's the combination that's powerful.

Some time earlier, in Riften...

A certain young (read: up and coming) thief is loitering in the marketplace, supposedly looking for marks but really keeping her eyes and ears open for information; her floppy canid ears blend easily into her hair and don't give away much of her emotions, let alone where her attention currently is. (Though her long tail is a bit more prone to betraying her; currently, though, it's relaxed and swaying lightly.) She's wearing pretty plain leathers, though they hug her figure well, with a simple crop top showing off her defined arms and toned stomach, and shorts highlighting her muscular thighs rather nicely. Her boots come up to mid-calf, and have a very slight heel, enhancing the effect. She has a visible sheath for a dagger on one of those thighs, and a strappy belt that wraps around her waist a few times.

Most experienced travelers know to guard their purses in Riften market. It would take a bold thief to go after Fu Bai's purse, with her armor and sword and confident way her exotic scaly tail swishes behind her. Still, she has not lived this long and come so far by being incautious, so she takes note of the way the young woman is watching passersby and leaves no openings for her to exploit.

She is not picking her marks based on hotness but she does get a very brief temptation to wolf whistle. Provide the full Riften market experience and all that.

She does, however, idly work her way closer to the strange woman.

She stops to buy a pair of apples at one stand, then wanders over to a slightly more deserted corner. When her tail approaches, she tosses one of the fruits at her.

"Something I can help you with, young lady?" she asks, arching a long, golden brow.

She catches the apple deftly and takes a bite. "I was curious about you, ma'am."

"Curious, is it? Curious about the contents of my pockets, I think."

"There are easier and wealthier marks here, if what I wanted to know was just what's in your pockets."

"True enough. What is it, then?"

"To start: what should I call you?"

"Fu Bai, of the Companions. And you are?"

"Lily the Swift, at your service." She sketches a rather impudent bow.

"Are you, now."

"Do you doubt my word?"

"It is a bold claim, girl."

"Most would call it 'traditional,'" she says, with an exceptionally innocent expression on her face, "Though I do think 'bold' suits me better."

"What need do you think I might have for the service of a thief?"