[She's got to turn to look over shoulder at the mention of sword, smile. Not the usual smile either; that's the thing about truth telling, once it starts it's hard to stop. It's a smile so rare only two others could claim it's real at all.]

You'd think so, huh? A big imperial force like this, they might just want to sign me up to fight their enemies on the front lines or something, but this...It's probably the nicest fucking thing some government has done for me.

[Sal's about to say more on it, the crack in her facade opening up like a fissure—but her luck's pretty bad, honestly. Outwardly, she just looks over to the window for a moment. But she can feel the Cacophony exude his own energy, like some bad, familiar omen.

There he is, standing there, watching them. Nobody else can see the fucker, missing that immaculate fashion, the noble disdain in his eyes, the way his lips part to show that awful brass grin (brass like the Mad Emperor's twisted crown of thorns, brass like the barrel of her gun).

Getting comfortable here, aren't you? I wonder if she'll invite you for tea, once she's put together what you and I have been up to, hmm?

A shake of the head and he's gone again, just like that. But that laughter remains ringing in her ears. Sal reaches up to her face and scratches at the scar there. Outwardly, maybe she just was lost in thought for a moment?]

Shit. Anyway, I meant to ask. You got other kinds of tea? For sleeping well, or something like that?