"Hmph. Another mouthpiece? At least he sent a pretty one this time. Tell him that the next time we have to do this dance that he should show [i]at least[/i] enough courtesy to start with you. I've got better things to do with my time than play these stupid games."

Bella offers an insincere smirk, but the effect is somewhat ruined by the way her ears have reached full perk and her tail suddenly won't stop flicking. Inside her body, the Auspex sets off fireworks. Dozens of sparks burst inside her chest in brilliant reds, greens, golds, and blues. They pop and tingle with the imminent threat of a purr that she has to keep pushing down only to have it creep up elsewhere.

She is not so crass as to squeeze her thighs together here in public, but that doesn't mean she can't feel the rush creeping through her. It shows in the way her breath hitches just slightly, and the slightly glazed look that flickers through her natural eye which might otherwise be attributable to her wine. But not the way she licks her lips when the Coherent woman dips into her kowtow. She is so terrible at disguising her shifting body language that it might as well be another feint. 

She takes a deep breath through her nose in the space she has to think. As soon as it hits her nose, she realizes that Khitava's scent will linger with her through the entirety of her stay here. The smell of soaps that linger under her robes tell Bella that this woman understands the true value of cleanliness. But more than that, more important than that, is [i]her[/i] scent. This one smells like strength. There are sweet notes to her aroma and a vaguely earthen whiff mixed in with some of the more metallic tangs that she would have expected, which scream power at her. 

This is a woman who is used to getting her way. This is a woman who is used to power. This is a woman who came here ready for a fight, and even after seeing the situation for herself her smell and the way her muscles tense so aggressively even in a posture of submission she still thinks that she's the superior specimen. Oh, that's so like her kind, isn't it? So proud of their augs and the shapes they've beaten their bodies into that they forget the power that comes through superior breeding. Not to mention... her Auspex lights up spots on her ribs, under her armpit, and spots along her back, and with them come another ripple of sparks that threaten to set her spine to shivering. Oh, wouldn't it feel so [i]good[/i] to take this woman and tear her down, to pin her and show her where she [i]really[/i] ranks and--

"What is your will, Mistress?"

Omn's metallic timbre startles Bella so much she almost jumps. She almost ruins everything. What she does instead is scowl and make a show of straightening out her jacket. She flicks the bells dangling at her hip to hear the chimes, and centers herself again before waving her hand dismissively.

"Forget about it. We've found our straight-talker after all. Besides, it'd be rude to reject an invitation from the Magos; might as well see how he wants to spin this first."

"Of course, Praetor. It is the Empress' preference to keep things civil, after all. But in the meantime..."

"In the meantime, nothing," Bella sniffs, "You're accompanying us: something tells me I'm going to need a translator."

Bella smirks, and gestures with no small degree of impatience for Khitava to get on with it already and lead the way. But a moment later she stops, and stretches her neck.

"Actually," she chirps, "Let's have the Lanterns oversee the loading of all this junk while we're away. Magos Birmingham can thank us for clearing up his overhead while he's explaining all the ways he's not a traitor."