That was definitely a name from the principalities of Candesce, thousands of kilometers from here. "Sayrea Airsigh," she said as they shook, and she saw his eyes widen minutely. He noticed her noticing, and grimaced.
"Excuse me," he said. "You look like another Guardswoman of winter wraith descent..."
Had he seen a photo of her somewhere? That wouldn't be unusual, what with her notoriety after recent events in Slipstream. "Well, there's more than one of us in the Guard, you know," she said, and then added icily, "and I'm told we all look alike."
He refused to be baited. "So the Virga Home Guard agrees with Abyss's official story, that the monster was a capital bug all along? -- Even though there are dozens of Guard cruisers patrolling the sunless countries even now?"
"Are there?" She didn't have to pretend her ignorance; this man seemed to know details of the situation that Antaea had only been able to wonder about.
He gazed at the pebbled hide of the capital bug. "Some of us are keenly interested in the truth of the situation. Of course, as a member of the Home Guard, you know everything already. That being the case, I really have no reason to give you my card"--and here a small rectangle of white paper suddenly appeared between his fingers--"nor tell you that I'm staying at the Stormburl Hotel, on Rowan Wheel."
Damn him, he had her figured out. She opened her mouth to say something dismissive, but his gaze flicked over her shoulder and back; she quickly snatched the card and palmed it before turning to find that two Abyssal cabinet ministers were closing in on her. "Gentlemen," she said with a gracious smile.
"It's a magnificent beast, isn't it?" said one of the two. Antaea glanced over her shoulder; Sarto was gone.
"Yes, beautiful," she said. "I've seen them before, but never up close, of course. Their song kills."
"Yes." He nodded vigorously. "We trust that the Guard is, ah, in agreement with us that the disappearance of the outlying towns, the battle with the sun lighter--these were all caused by this one?"