<> It should be impossible to turn the Starsong touch code into something so sensual. Even with the Privateer's reputation for mixing business and pleasure, it's still a language of emergencies and tactics, after all. At the very least, a newbie relying on a freshly implanted artifact to translate for her should be very stiff and formal, shouldn't she? But Bella's hand is warmer than a fireplace, and the way she moves it is for more than simple messages. It's all the little things she does that make the difference. Her face barely flickers with any sort of reaction, but her palm slides covetously and with torturous deliberateness down the length of Vasilia's forearm, brushing the fabric of her sleeve and absorbing the feeling of it forever. She deftly pushes the fabric lower, exposing the fur of her arm and brushing her fingers through so gently that it isn't felt until she passes to the next spot. She is possessive. Aggressive. Tender. 'You are mine', she whispers in the secret language of the [i]Anemoi[/i], where the culture of Touch developed until it was an art. 'Here I feel your warmth. Here I feel your lifeblood. Here I feel you open yourself before me, and accept'. Her palm slides down, and ruffles the lion's fur. Her fingers tap up and smooth it out again, spelling out more words she can actually understand. <> Her talons are cruel and cold weapons suitable only for a monster. These new ones are hastily reforged, less sleek and beautiful than the jewelry she wore on Baradissar or to the World Eater. But these are the ones she turns into instruments of pleasure. The coldness of the metal contrasts the warmth of her clutching palm and soothing her squeezes down to gentle tingles. Where she taps her fingers to speak she is delicate as a handmaiden, pressing the sharp tips only deep enough to make them felt across the surface of the skin. She dances at the edge of danger, but never past it. Here is a sample, 'Captain'. Do you see? She is in control. Do you see how safe you are? She has so much control. <> The Auspex betrays no emotion. But Bella's cats-eye glitters with a complicated cocktail of them. She meets her rival's eyes for just a moment, only long enough to risk being vulnerable. Then she pulls on that arm and wraps her own around Vasilia's waist. The warmth of her body rises even as her breathing slows. The beating of her heart is controlled, but so fierce it can be felt through her arms. Her smile spreads slowly and deliberately. "Go on then. Don't keep them waiting."