Titus quietly nodded in acknowledgement as he suppressed a frown at the Planetary Governor's response.  Though he certainly understood the reasoning behind the man’s response, the young scribe was still disheartened over not having the chance to look for (and deal with) any potential information leaks in the Governor’s estate. Then, before Titus could think of another question; the meeting abruptly ended, and the entirety of the retinue was ushered out as quickly as they had been brought in, passing a small group of Skitarii rangers as they left. Titus eyed them with slight confusion as he passed them by, [i][color=darkorange]That's odd...[/color][/i] the boy thought to himself as his eyes scanned the group of Mechanicus soldiers, [i][color=darkorange]Why would Skitarii be sent to meet with the Planetary Governor rather than a proper tech-priest?[/color][/i] 

After giving the fleeting thought a few moments of consideration, [i][color=darkorange]I'm sure there's good reason for it. I'm no expert on Mechanicus protocol after all.[/color][/i]

[hr]
Titus kept to himself during the ride over to the Inquisitorial safehouse. His mind preoccupied with soaking up the breathtaking sights the world had in store; even the low altitude storm the Typhon had flown through possessed a majesty all it’s own.  Unfortunately for Titus, this moment of quiet appreciation for the world’s awe-inspiring beauty was promptly cut short by the blaring alarm of the ship’s proximity sensors.  The boy’s heart leapt into his throat as he frantically braced for an impact that never came to pass.  Even as seamless as the flight continued to be (despite the frequent proximity warnings) Titus didn’t dare drop his guard for a moment, for fear they might strike something at any moment.  The moment he stepped from the ship onto the landing pad, the young scribe breathed a heavy sigh of relief, [color=darkorange]”I’m certainly glad that’s over...”[/color] he muttered to himself as his nerves steadied.  Exiting the decontamination room doors, Titus found himself rather pleasantly surprised to find the first room of the safehouse was far different from what he’d pictured. Rather than something like a bunker ripped straight from the imperial guard and painted with silver trim, this was more akin to the abode of a noble.  Even more surprising, was that another Inquisition agent had not only been waiting there for the retinue’s arrival-- but cooked them a meal as well! 

[color=darkorange]”It’s a pleasure to meet you Celestian Aviza, and thank you so much for this incredible meal!”[/color] Titus thanked the sister enthusiastically with a polite bow as she brought them to the kitchen.  His mouth watered in anticipation as he held the sandwich in his hands. The pain of going months on end of living off naught but generic Naval rations was washed away in a single bite. 

[i][color=darkorange]The emperor has truly blessed this one with skills befitting of a devoted servant![/color][/i] 

Wasting no time, Titus dug into his meal with a vengeance-- even going so far as initially forgetting to order a drink. About four bites in, the young scribe looked up from his plate, casually looking about the room as if expecting something, only for his brow to furrow quizzically.  His eyes fell upon the tech priestess as he slowly chewed the bite he’d just taken.  [i]Was she toying with him?[/i] She did; after all, label him as ‘Prank Victim 3’. Before he could swallow and ask her himself, a certain remark about ‘Stoic Tannan suffering’ caused him to nearly choke on his food as he laughed. A fellow Scribe (who happened to be Vostroyan)  back on the ship had gotten him to try it once, and it had taken Titus days to get that horrific taste out of his mouth. Needless to say, Titus was not keen on giving the heinous beverage a second try.

[color=darkorange]”If you wouldn’t mind Celestian Aviza, I too would like a cup of coffee.”[/color] the Scribe requested in a hoarse voice as he cleared his throat.

Upon receiving his drink, Titus a long whiff of the steam rising from the cup. It had clearly been brewed from freshly ground beans, and ones of the highest quality at that.  It was no wonder the Tech Priestess had ordered this rather than a cup of lubricant and motor oil, the aroma alone proved the pristine quality of this brew! Titus took a slow sip of his coffee, relishing the fact he for once got to drink coffee that wasn't made from the powdered shit they provided back on the ship.  Even the ship he’d served upon before he’d been transferred over to The Empherian allowed very few opportunities to be graced with coffee this good. In fact…  Titus likely hadn’t had a cup like this since he first [i]joined[/i] the Inquisition itself.

A realization suddenly clicked inside Titus’ head as a touched smile spread across his face.

[color=darkorange][i]Seems that crazy old bastard still has some faith in me after all …[/i][/color]