The ambassador entered behind a sharply dressed, professional soldier. She seemed to bring with her a drop in the temperature of the room, perceptible only by degrees - it was the sort of thing that crept up on you, until abruptly you realized you were freezing, had been for some time, and wondered how you didn't notice before. Of course it wasn't a physical coldness, but Alaois had the effect of making people want to shiver nevertheless. She gave the general a coolly polite smile and halted an exact three and a half steps from the desk.
"General Deimos," Alaois said delicately, her eyes flickering over the scars, the missing ear and the rest of it without so much as a raised eyebrow or the tiniest change of expression. It took more than that to ruffle her, though it certainly was an impressive display. "It's a pleasure to see you." From some people, that might have come with a hint of irony. Alaois managed it with a straight face and a perfectly level tone - she probably actually meant it, too, as much as she ever did.
