"As well as can be expected, dear ringmaster. I do not relish the thought of wearing so much makeup again--it does not allow the skin to breathe comfortably--but I am content if it means I will be prepared to perform in Shreveport." She cracked one eye, looking him over in the mirror. "But I do not think you came to make idle conversation. There is something in your look that tells me you would prefer a relevant topic, something that will tell you more about the fox in your proverbial hen house, I think." There was no judgment inherent in the statement or her tone; it was simply an observation.