"Ah. Hm. You know? It is..."

The smile flickers on Mira's face, on off, on off, on off, on. The complexity of the thought wars openly with her amusement at being put in this situation. And it [i]is[/i] a complex thought. Has this squeaking priestess already pulled the mask off her persona without ever having even met her? What does the compliment imply? Perhaps her wearing of the dress was more praiseworthy than the dress itself. Perhaps she simply has nothing else to praise. 

It's normal for mainlanders not to know who she is. Mira is a relatively common Fisher name, even if her armor should be famous in its own right. Well. It's a blessing and a curse. Easier to keep opponents off kilter when they don't know her history. Her entire arena strategy functions off the assumption of anonymity. And yet. The difference between a pilot and a model. Why was it that so many compliments people paid her were coded as insults? It's a worthy mystery. Perhaps she needs more training. Perhaps she needs a better, less dysfunctional mind. 

"Rare, to be paid a compliment as a model. Unexpected. After all, I'm not the mind behind the dress. You are a sweet little sunspot to skip complimenting the dress just to make the butt that filled it feel a little better, aren't you?  Ms. Szerpaws designed it specifically to highlight my... deformities, did you notice? And not just my spots, the structure of my ribs, as well. And can you see with this stupid suit on? My breasts are misaligned. Misshapen as well. Ah, you do see. What do you think? I'm much less attractive on person than I was on the runway, aren't I? I see it in your eyes, you want to go back to your Terenian. That's all right, I'm not insulted. Thank you. For... letting me feel attractive for a moment. Sincerely."

Her smile is not mixed this time. It is glinting with hard edges, while her eyes stare holes straight through the priestess. So this is the game they were playing? She can feel the youth permeating the aura of Smokeless Jade Fires. They really thought they were being subtle, didn't they? The pair of them. They're as ridiculous as they are clever, and their limitations only serve to make their power more apparent. Is that really how she does it? Total sensory perception without full contact. A hidden fantasy that's meant to be invisible to anyone without the password.

Well. It is at least invisible to anyone who isn't looking. But to have this darling, inexperienced thing march straight over here in direct contrast to the invitation, and to her own spoken intent and explanation, and then to become so distracted? Smokeless Jade Fires must really think that Mira is an idiot. Or... no, that's not quite it. 

She's dealt with vanishingly few pilots before. This goddess, she won't be used to anticipating the observational patterns of someone both used to rapid, minute, detailed observations who is not already directly under her thumb. Or, perhaps more accurately, bound by her collar. She would have a cult, of course. There were enough Hybrasilians with ties to the old religions to take the advent of a new goddess seriously enough to worship her. Even if her manifestation was unorthodox. An expanded Pattern, perhaps? Could also have been a Crystal Fire manifestation or... no. Irrelevant to the present topic. Regardless. She had worshippers, and she clearly had her priestess and even the other little huntress presently cooing over the trussed up sacrifice on the table over yonder. These people, Smokeless Jade Fires barely needed to stretch herself to wrap them up completely. 

And yet. The total need for control. The immediate response to a threat above and beyond the terms that threat had stated. The inability to let her priestess control the conversation. Presentation, according to aesthetic. Aesthetic, still identifying itself. Concerned chiefly about erasure. Confidence projected as a defense mechanism. Insecurity, defined by inexperience. Pressure, amplified by duty. Familiar.

She would learn the art of a softer touch, in time. Sooner rather than later if she had a proper teacher. Was it presumptuous to think a goddess needed a Mirror? Perhaps. But it's more fun to think about how much she could snatch from this goddess while posing as her reflection. Treasure, opportunity, respect, power. Information, more valuable by half than all the rest put together. 

Mira shrugs.

"It's a shame about your goddess, though. If only I had been enough to catch her eye I'm sure I could have avoided this... misinterpretation. Alas, this is the fate of unworthy, ugly creatures such as myself. When you commune with her next, tell her. Mmm. No, you had best not. But I will tell [i]you[/i], as a secret between us girls: I will not fight your goddess as I am. It would not end well."

She smiles with a supreme confidence that reaches the depths of the waterfalls inside her eyes. In this tiny instant, she is a being of power. Real and terrifying power, the kind that would name her mecha something like the Gods-Smiting Whip even before she thought to test herself against the Gods of Zaldar when they came for her home. Confidence like a creature who would swallow a star the second its back was turned. And not because she thought she could, but because she had once before, already.

"But~! I am in the process of forging chains to bind my Nine-Tails. And while my armor is sufficiently bound and all of its primary weapon systems are functionally offline? I think that would be enough of a handicap that I wouldn't mind testing myself against Smokeless Jade Fires. But I-- oh, sorry. I'm keeping you from dinner. That's the one thing I explicitly did not want to do. That's why I was waiting for, no no, go on. Thank you again for the wonderful compliment. If I see Ms. Szerpaws again I will tell her what you said. I think she'll take it as an even greater praise than me. Your heart is like a treasure bright enough to be the inviting glimmer at the bottom of a lake. Goodbye. I hope we meet again, and if we do I hope this time I'll earn your name."

Mira rises from her seat and takes the priestess by her hands before there's time for any replies. She places a long, soft, lingering kiss straight on that glove she's wearing, before releasing her to her own devices.