Anika was reasonably certain that the scribe and handmaiden were what they appeared to be, and though they almost certainly had weapons, weren't likely to be a huge threat. The confessor was probably trained in combat, most ministorum preachers tended to be, especially adherents to the Drusian version of the Imperial cult popular in Calixis. Anything more specific than that, however, she couldn't pick out just by looking at them.

"Depends on the drink," Alia said, selecting one of the glasses and sniffing it. "I'll take a ploin juice, no alcohol during business discussions." She smiled. "One of Auntie's rules."

Spoiler: Hannabel Only
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Alia, to Hannabel, looked strikingly familiar - the spitting image of some of the people she had once known. Her 'sisters,' and of course her own original appearance. However, she had seen images of the Countess when she was younger, and Alia looked a lot like that too. Genetic material showing through? It made sense that people from the same family would look similar, of course, but... was it a little too similar, with Alia? She couldn't say for sure, but was suddenly glad of her rebreather. In all likelihood, the similarities in their own appearances would not have been lost on Alia herself.