Shiva's shoulders tightened when Telmeck asked her whether she was a criminal. Perhaps the information hadn't been permeated as she expected. She would have to thank Shuo and Rareth later for respecting her secret, but in the meantime, this was awkward. She turned and looked over her shoulder to Telmeck, not really sure what to say past her tense expression.

"Umm-" Shiva was cut off by a chastising slap to Telmeck's nose courtesy of Rareth from his lap. The way Rareth spoke about Shiva's history made it seem much more forgivable than it had been before. Rareth being drunk probably caused that, but it at least took the edge off the shame. "Heheh, I guess you didn't know," Shiva said nervously and quietly. She glanced between two points on the floor, then raised both her palms with an uneasy grin. "Surprise!" Shiva did not exactly sound enthusiastic.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shiva spotted something in the food cabinet that she recognised as a tin of synthetic red meat. It wasn't the most luxurious of food, but it was familiar. After taking it and fumbling around for a piece of suitable cutlery, she brought it back to her chair and began eating. The first swallow helped her to regain her social courage.

"Hey Shuo, what would happen if you turned off [i]your[/i] implants?" Shiva asked to keep the changed subject in place.