"I think pressing the Council would be difficult, even if Stacy let you. Easier to have some telepath," she mimes with two fingers marching across her forehead, "let their mind do the pressing. Question is, will it be one of the crew peeking at them, or one of the GIA? Or Stacy herself, if she can."

"I could teach you some pretty dirty tricks to do with a pen. You were along for the brains, Zouichi for the brawn, and me as a mannequin." She didn't even think of 'beauty' as a category.

She goes cold all over at his next words, and if she could have produced gooseflesh she would have. The plate shivers for an instant in her hands before she makes herself relax. Her eyes flicker for an instant, involuntarily, measuring his posture, his expression, set of his arms, where his feet were. But as he goes on, sounding only curious rather than horrified, she tentatively decides that he doesn't know what he just said.

She let her gaze drift off to the ceiling, and made her voice light. "Every birth brings another death into the world, so they say." Then she looks back at Howard, and narrows her eyes cynically. "Don't tell me you liked the ploom that much. Or was there something special you wanted to bring to life?"