Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like all his sorcery just stopped working for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her no and not stonewalled her or asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of - her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or my own family?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like all his sorcery just stopped working for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her no and not stonewalled her or asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of - her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or my own family?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like all his sorcery just stopped working for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her no and not stonewalled her or asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of - her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like all his sorcery just stopped working for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her 'you don't need to know' and not asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of - her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like all his sorcery just stopped working for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her 'you don't need to know' and not asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like his sorcery just doesn't work against me for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was in any way involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her 'you don't need to know' and not asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like his sorcery just doesn't work against me for unknown reasons - I'd guess in exchange for his not dying a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was somehow involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her 'you don't need to know' and not asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"

Paxti isn't staring wide-eyed, because Cheliax.  But anybody whose Sense Motive surpasses Paxti's Bluff, which includes everyone else in this room, will be able to tell that surprise is the particular emotion she's holding back.

"I request permission to repeat and rephrase that to make sure I understood it correctly," Paxti says.  (Keltham has made them do that a couple of times.)  She waits for the nod, and then continues.  "My impersonator needs to play the role of me, if after I'd been pulled from Ostenso wizard academy, I'd been transformed into an incredibly deadly Chelish agent, who previously people haven't heard about, because anybody who's seen her is dead."

     "Correct."

"In my first public appearance, 'I' am going to be executing a noble traitor we uncovered a few weeks ago, who's going to cooperatively lose to 'me' in a way that looks like his sorcery just doesn't work against me for unknown reasons - I'd guess if he doesn't play along he gets to die a lot more painfully than that?"

      "Correct on the first part and the second part is none of your concern."

"Is it permitted to ask whether Pilar Pineda was somehow involved in selecting me as the particular person who got this role?"

      "Does that matter to how your impersonator should act?"

"No."

      "Then you don't need to know."

Maybe Paxti is wrong about this, but she's guessing that if Pilar wasn't involved here, they'd have just told her 'you don't need to know' and not asked if it was relevant.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Therefore, Pilar did not do this to be friendly.  Pilar obviously expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar did not do this because she is anyone's friend.  Pilar expects to be repaid.

Friendship is un-Asmodean.  Pilar is not the best person in the entire world.  Pilar has some really huge favor in mind.

      "Are you done with that stupid smile?"

"I would be smiling like that if I was actually doing this, and I'm showing it so the impersonator can get it down right."

      "If you're joking -"

"I am not.  Although - where is 'Paxti' on the spectrum of her superiors being permissive?  Spoiled duke's daughter vs. being kept very firmly in line, punished for the slightest trace of unprofessionalism?  That matters a lot for how I'd act in her situation."

      There's some glances among the Security, before, with almost visible reluctance, they inform Paxti that Project Lawful girls do have something of a reputation for being given some amount of disciplinary leeway.

"And this is meant to fool, ideally, people who know me from Ostenso wizard academy, or relatives?"

      The impersonator isn't looking particularly happy about this, which really says something when you have that many ranks in Bluff.

      "It's meant to be as accurate as possible," confirms Security.

"Understood.  In that situation, I think I'd probably start by making the most dramatic entrance I could manage, maybe something with a lot of fire if I could pull that off -"