DuRayne prided himself on having the very best of everything - whether it was food, booze, women, or art. And he insisted that everything in his house looked as fine as it possibly could. So it came as a surprise to no one in Ostenso that DuRayne had a team of cleaners come to his villa four times a year to clean and polish all of the statuary. The crew spent three days going over every nook and cranny of each statue. Two of the cleaners were more than they appeared. And while they were cleaning and polishing they were also mapping the grounds, watching guards, noting defenses, and familiarizing themselves with the ways of the household staff.
Blackstone, working on an alabaster nude in one of the courtyards, sees some unattended flowers move - as if brushed - and hears something odd. He 'accidentally' kicks his wash-pail, drawing Redd's attention. The younger Mantis makes a quick, innocuous gesture conveying a message. Red stretches his back from the arduous work and invokes a power born from his otherworldly blood. The world takes on an odd hue and a faint coronal glow appears around everyone in the courtyard - including the invisible (and clumsy) watchman.
Days later, after their plans are finalized, Blackstone and Red lift a few necessary supplies and head to the villa where they quickly down small ampules of liquid. The younger Mantis reads a set of spells off a scroll, causing the duo to vanish from sight. Their course set, Blackstone and Red spider up and over the wall quickly. Inside the compound, Red disables a few traps they spotted during their reconnaissance. The duo silently splits up to pursue their assigned tasks.