Magda did a subtle, practiced double-take when Odina was close enough to be noticed. She returned the dip of her head before rising, her dark eyes meeting Odina’s baby blues. Her brow pinched together for a moment as a ripple of deja vu crossed her features. There was something distantly familiar about her, but Magda couldn’t put her finger on it. Strange.

“Princess,” Magda said softly with a pretty smile, “What a surprise it was to see you at court. A surprise, but dare I say…” She tilted her head, eyes flickering over Odina before returning to her face once again, “A pleasant one.”

Magda’s smile grew, seeming to gleam in the sunlight.

“Not every day, no.” She let her eyes wander of Tara, looking for any clue that might explain the strange familiarity she felt. But after looking, Magda saw nothing, other than a beautiful woman who looked like a Nevermerean but clearly carried herself like a Cambrian.

“Magda Ivanova,” She said, dipping her head, “But you can call me Magda. I’m Minister of Foreign Affairs, currently overseeing diplomatic relations in Coheed.”

Magda knew the heat of lust well enough to recognize it in the woman’s eyes. She was a Cambria, after all, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Magda had her own experiences with Kore to back it up. She smiled, white teeth dazzling in the sun.

“Diplomacy is the art of seduction: an art, but a thoroughly undignified one.” Magda tossed her curls behind her shoulder, observing the woman before her with playful interest. “There will be more than a few Ellis loyalists disappointed to see you bend the knee. But I’m sure his majesty and his counsel are feeling quite reassured to see you make so public a statement.”

It was a half-answer. A potentially dangerous one.

Magda listened with a pleasant, pretty smile on her face. Her big, dark eyes were warm and soft like treacle, hiding the cold creature beneath. A coward is what Magda saw when she looked at Odina, but then again, sometimes it took cowardice to survive. The truly brave were liable to die for the sake of their convictions, something Magda had never come close to herself. Still, she found herself underwhelmed by the woman the Morrigans had hoped for.

“Yes, I suppose time will tell.” Magda quickly pivoted as Odina did away from the subject of Ellis rule, though the topic did not leave her mind.

“I am stationed in Coheed, overseeing our diplomatic relations there,” Magda answered, still amiable.

Magda was no stranger to a woman's touch, so when Odina approached her she did not shy away. She was mindful of the need for privacy and careful not to linger with the woman's lips brushing her ear. When Odina stepped back there was a manufactured bashful smile on Magda's lips and a devious sparkle in her eye. She was a woman who trafficked in information, and central to her tactics was cultivating intimacy. Yes, the substance of Odina's offering was clear enough, but what Magda sought was that and so much more.

"You'll find, princess, that I am a very curious woman indeed." Magda's voice was soft, only as loud as was necessary to travel the short distance between them, "Might I call on you before your leave for Cambria and I for Coheed? Somewhere we can speak a little more...freely?"