Annika and Orion retired behind a screen of artfully carved lattice which partitioned the large living space into several smaller sections. The knight took a seat on a settee and Annika opened one of the embossed cases which had been provided by the duke. Inside was a gambeson quartered in blue and white and embroided with a hawk motif in golden thread. Training as a lady of the al'Malik court included assisting a man into armor and she unfastened the claps across the front and then lifted the armored coat by each shoulder allowing Orion to slip his arms into it. As he fastened the coat she lifted his ceramsteel breastplate.

"Looks a little shopworn compared to the fancy new coat," she observed wryly. The breastplate was scared and scraped with blade strikes and gun shots, the paint peeled and burned where it had turned aside laser strikes. Orion had made some effort to repair his armor but there was only so much that could be done without the services of an artificer. Such master armorers were rare though, come to think of it, the Duke probably had an armor master who would be able to restore the battle scarred armor. 

"I suppose our host didn't have time to run me up a new dress for the ball," he quipped. Annika smirked, thinking of the new robes that had been left for her in her own quarters. She lifted the back plate of the armor and fitted it to Orion's back, moving around in front to deftly pull the straps tight before lifting the front plate and slipping it into place.

"Do you have any idea what 'Filenia' is up to? I sense she is hiding something, but that dosen't exactly require telepathy."