The revelation of Y'mithra's appearance was still a lingering shock in Yuna's mind, and there was much to be done to prepare the ambassador for the rigors of Realm politics, even in a distant satrapy such as Kori. At the very least they had finalized the arrangements for a few sets of garments that would be more suitable to the ambassador's role at court, which was a good beginning. As Yuna mused about her upcoming lessons with Y'mithra, she returned to her quarters, and was surprised to see an unknown man waiting for her, dressed with the servant garbs common to the palace.

OhmSun reclines against a windowsill — the same window through which she'd released a moth earlier in the day, though she likely does not remember it — raising an arm to offer a friendly wave as Yuna returns to her bedroom. "Hello, again," he says, offering no immediate explanation for his presence. He straightens up to a stand, though he doesn't step away from the window, adjusting the sharp jacket of his uniform so that it fits properly over the curves of his muscles. He isn't a hulking brute, but his well-developed physique definitely looks out of place on a supposed servant. "Sorry for falling behind," he continues, adjusting his cuffs, "but I imagine one unusual tagalong was hard enough to explain to your teacher. Besides, I had things to do."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:30, Sun 25 Oct 2020.

Yuna froze for a moment as she walked into her room and found someone waiting for her, the Guardian flickering calmly in the little lantern she wore at her belt. Her expression smoothed in the next moment, but an exhale colored by smoke still spoke to her nerves. She raised an eyebrow to the stranger and crossed her arms, stepping more fully into her rooms without closing the door and regarding the stranger with what she hoped was a cool, discerning eye. Like someone dissecting something faintly unpleasant. So someone dissecting most anything so far as Yuna was concerned.

It was a decent enough expression to hide that she had absolutely no idea what this man was talking about. But she couldn't ask. Better to ignore it entirely. She was Dragon-Blooded and above some petty confusion. Right. Confidence. "I would have expected anyone the satrap sent along to have better manners. And to be more timely in delivering whatever message Papashan or her highness sent. Unless, of course, you came for yourself, which would be unthinkable." She raised an eyebrow. Just remember the people who used to come into the scribe shop. You couldn't act like this around them. "Either way, I suggest you leave quickly, before your boldness becomes more annoyance than novelty."

"Oh!" Sun lets out a cry of faux surprise, bringing his hands up to his lips and waggling his hips back and forth in an exaggerated squirm. "So scawwy! But!" He stops, leaning back against the windowsill and holding up a finger, "Buuu, that's wrong. I wasn't sent by the satrap. Really, what a rude way to greet someone. Is that standard for dragonblooded? And here, after I saved your life." He puffs out his cheeks in exaggerated annoyance, arms crossed and looking to one side. "Next time you're in a shipwreck, see if I pull you out of it." His 'annoyance' was interrupted by a laugh, a single chortle that bellows through the room. "Kidding, obviously."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:31, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

Yuna felt a legitimate surge of annoyance as the servant dismissed her order, less so for the refusal as she was still new enough to authority that it did not come naturally, but the tone. Dismissive, condescending. She took a slow, low breath and the exhale was dark, trying to calm a now rapidly-stoking temper that was building in her. She'd almost died in that shipwreck and then she'd come back here to deal with the politics and figure out how she was supposed to fit into all of this without messing i--

What did he mean, 'next time'? Yuna blinked and, for a moment, the Dragon-Blooded's mask fell away revealing a very real confusion that was followed very shortly by a shocked realization as she made the connection. She put her expression back to something resembling confidence and dignity and... whatever she thought Momodi might try to present in such a weird situation.  She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, turning on her heel to close the door. Should she be closing the door? She had the Guardian, but could she trust this person? They had saved her life, though.

Turning back to the man-- the illusionist? the shapeshifter?-- she regarded them as evenly as she could. "You followed me. But only covertly. So you want something from me but you don't want anyone else to know you're here or what it is." Confidence. What would Momodi do? ...Well, Momodi might have stabbed the man by now, so maybe not that. What would Nanamo do, perhaps? "Perhaps because of what you are, perhaps because of what you're after." She crossed her arms, watching the man and waiting for his reply.

Sun's smile widens, the broad, wild expression looking out of place upon his stern visage. "A bit of both. Frankly, I'm not good at politics, and I do not like cities. Hunting monsters is more my taste. But I want to be in this city, at least for a little while, for my own reasons, meaning doing things I am not good at, that I would rather not do. But you," he points to Yuna, "you know how to speak to people. You can do what I can't. And, considering for the briefest moment you were actually going to try and attack me..." His head lowers, casting his eyes into shadow, leaving the implication to hang in the air, "I can do what you can't."

"So," Sun looks back up, letting the tension his half-threat had filled the room with ease, "I'm here to offer a truce. Or, no... an alliance. I need friends in Jianta and, based on how ready you were to see an assassin in your room, so do you. Though, of course, I wouldn't expect you to trust me as easily as that... so let us start with working relationship." His arms unfurl, coming to rest on the windowsill. One ducks behind him, then pulls out a large book, heavy, bound in leather, and clasped with metal at the front. He lifts it up next to his face. "That in mind, I've brought a peace offering." Extending out his arm, Sun offers it to Yuna, inviting her to cross the space between them and take it.

Closing the door was probably a mistake. Yuna probably should have walked out of it and found Momodi, then explained what had happened. Closing the door and hemming herself in with someone she knew was more physically capable than her was a thing stupid people did. Or a thing someone confident would do if they were actually able to back it up. Maybe a little less false confidence would serve her better going forward, but for now there wasn't much recourse but to commit.

Yuna offered a raised eyebrow to the man, as if thoroughly unimpressed with the implication of a threat as well as by his offer for a truce. "I already have allies in Jianta." Not a lie; Momodi would certainly help her, after the other woman got through chewing her out for fraternizing with a probable Anathema. And Y'mithra was warming up. "...But I will say that you have piqued my interest," she conceded, as if doing the man a favor. She stepped toward him and accepted the book to begin flipping through.

Sun smiles as Yuna steps across and takes the book. With his hand empty, he drops it back to the windowsill. "Heh. Stretching the definition of friend, I think." He relaxes further, running a hand over his close-cropped white hair. "That is a ledger for Auntie Cheng. She's supposedly one of the big names in Jianta's underground, and is looking to expand her territory soon. She also had a knife that was stolen from the sand- I mean, satrap. Didn't get a chance to steal that back, but it looked very fancy."

Flipping through the book's pages, Yuna quickly realizes that it is an encoded ledger. Most of the contents seem like the innocuous trade dealings of an ill-reputed inn or similar establishment, but coded messages lay hidden inside; she would need to focus on it to decipher the true contents of the book, but it shouldn't be a difficult endeavor.

As much as Yuna knew she should be paying attention to man who had very likely broken into her room, she soon all but forgot him as she paged through the ledger. Not an overly interesting read on its own, but she could already begin to see little inconsistencies and patterns, a code lying somewhere in between the lines. Everything else here seemed so far beyond her depth, but this... This was something she was good at.

Yuna stopped short, however, clearing her throat and looking back up at the man. The name he'd mentioned meant nothing to her-- yet, anyway-- but the idea that this might involve a thief skilled enough to take something from the satrap was more than pertinent. Perhaps step one of helping Jianta would be tracking the phantom thief Yuqi had mentioned after all. "This is an interesting tidbit, I suppose. Perhaps enough to warrant some small form of payment. What in particular are you looking to accomplish?"

This was a bad idea as well. He'd all but admitted to being Anathema. She should be planning to turn him in... but she wasn't likely to find a better lead than this on the thief and she very badly didn't want to let Momodi down.

Sun extends out an upturned hand, all fingers curled but the index and thumb. "Not quite the give and take I was aiming for, but since you're offering... A job." His grin subsides somewhat, though only down to wry. "As your bodyguard. I am not very socially sneaky, but I figure the small, scholarly Dragon-Blooded's hired muscle is about the least suspicious — and, heh, least social — position I could take. I've been a bit manic this evening... it has been a very good day for me... but normally I am pretty sombre, so I should be a natural fit."

He pauses regularly as he continues, thinking through his words. "As for what I want to accomplish... for now, I want to stay at your side." His grin flashes. "A newborn Exalt, fresh off the boat in a country stood at the edge of a civil war... It sounds exciting."

Yuna watched the man with what she hoped was an inscrutable expression, still aiming for imperious and confident in her manner. This could go very poorly. In fact, this almost certainly would go very poorly. The shapeshifter was probably an Anathema, probably stood to gain something here she couldn't see, didn't have the pieces to puzzle out... But they'd been nothing but helpful since they'd met and they were certainly more than useful and...

And she really didn't want to let Momodi down.

"A job," she said it with a tone that implied she very much didn't believe that was it and that she had an idea of what the other aspects might be. She did not. "Very well. A job, then, as my steward. I have other means of personal defense, as you have seen; a bodyguard might not be believed. Is that amenable?"

Sun lets out a rough laugh, loud and sudden. "Hah. Fair enough. I don't know that I'd make a very convincing steward, but you know your way around this better than me." He lifts a hand up to stroke the perfect line of his chin, then lowers it, gesturing to his body. "Would a different form than this work better? A bit less strapping, maybe? I could arrange something."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Sun 01 Nov 2020.

Yuna startled at the abrupt laugh from the shapeshifter. He'd said he gotten 'manic' earlier. What could that mean? "Your... current form should suffice," Yuna told him, though part of her couldn't deny that she was curious about how he managed to change forms. Was it an inherent ability, something to do with Wyld corruption, some Sorcery that he knew? "I can instruct you in what you need to know and if anyone questions your physique or areas of expertise, well, I am a fan of complementary perspectives."

Shifting the book to one hand and closing it for a moment, the Dragon-Blooded continued, "However, before we go much farther, there is at least one thing we should take care of." She held out a hand to the shapeshifter. "We have not yet been properly introduced. I am V'neef Yuna. And yourself?"

Sun straightens up as Yuna extends out her hand, offering his in turn. He grasped her hand with his, consciously avoiding squeezing too hard. Even with the effort, his grip is firm. "Ohm, though names are a bit more complicated for me. You can call this form Sun. Happy to be working with you."

Releasing his grip, Sun transitions into a bow from the waist, with a hand over his heart. "And now that I am employed, where will you have me for the evening?"

Yuna's hand was warm in Sun's, perhaps just a little too much so. She had to catch herself before she tensed but, sweet Heshiesh, the man had a tight grip. "Very well. Sun, then. As for where you'll stay..." A slightly more complicated question, at least until Momodi and Nanamo left. Lying to either of them would be more difficult, not the least because she did not like to do it. "For now, here. There are still many things I'd like to know about the circumstances about how you acquired this," the Exalt said, hefting the ledger.

She stepped over to her desk and sat down, opening the book in front of her. Yuna also took out a pen and paper, ready to take notes on the cipher. "And you may have an interest in what's in here, particularly if we are to work together. So." She turned her attention to the book and opened it to the first page. She took a moment to skim along it to read what was apparently written on it, going through the first few pages as such before returning to the start again and this time taking in the oddities and inconsistencies. She sought a pattern within them, carried through to each page, familiar from her days as a scribe and some of the clients'-- and the business's-- somewhat less-legal activities.

But this time she had an additional edge, breathing deep and feeling the natural Essence in the air suffuse her and sharpen her mind further.

With Essence suffusing Yuna's eyes and mind, the words on the pages of the stolen ledger seem to swirl and move of their own volition, neatly separating into useful information and the filler meant to hide it. The cipher used is secure enough for a mortal perspective, but it crumbles effortlessly under Yuna's practiced -- and augmented -- abilities. In a handful of minutes, the Dragonblood has copied over all the actual information from the ledger into her notes, revealing a history of transactions, stores, and information that points to a well-established criminal organization operating in the streets of Jianta. Unfortunately the notes do not provide any obviously damming evidence pointing towards persons, possible conspirators, or specific locations the organization operates from, but by itself it is more than enough proof of their existence.

Of particular note are three details: one, the ledger mentions one "Iron Boar" as a consistent ally and conspirator, and by context Yuna surmises this refers to someone from the nobility of Jianta, possibly a malcontent trying to take advantage of Jianta's other troubles via influencing the underworld; two, the organization seems to be at least partially funded and assisted by an outside interest, from neither the Realm nor the city itself; and third, the owner of the ledger -- presumably this "Auntie Cheng" Sun mentioned -- seems to have her own machinations in place, taking advantage of her benefactors but also playing their goals against each other, clearly looking to at some point betray her allies and get the upper hand for herself.

Yuna frowned as she gazed down at the information she'd gathered from the ledger. Good that she had something to work with, but regrettable that there wasn't anything more specific for parties involved. But that would certainly have been too much too hope for. She glanced up at Ohm-Sun for a moment, considering whether or not she should reveal all the information, but if they were going to be working as closely as their new arrangement would imply, there was no reason to hide it. Besides, he'd brought it to her in the first place.

The Dragon-Blooded relayed the information aloud for Sun-Ohm, adding, "You said this Auntie Cheng had the satrap's knife, correct? There has been a rash of thefts from the nobility-- perhaps perpetrated or at least encouraged by one of their own, it seems." Yuna rapped her fingers on her desk, considering the papers for a long moment. "Do you have any sort of in with this organization? Or further knowledge of their doings?"

Sun nods along to the first of Yuna's questions, then falls silent for the others, thinking of how to respond. When he finally decides the shape of his reply, he raises a thick finger and speaks. "The rest I know guards the safety of innocent others, so I cannot tell you. For now, all I can give you I have given."

The large man lifts himself off of the windowsill and  straightens up, placing his hands on his hips and stretching his back. With a groan, he straightens. "Ah, this body is so heavy... how do humans manage it?" Rolling his shoulders, he continues; "If possible, let us cooperate with what has been said. I will share more if you... mmm, I suppose saying what would bias your behaviour? Ah, well." He falls silent for a moment, considering his next words.

"For now, then, let us rest. The early sun will be busy tomorrow." Sun steps past Yuna, walking over to a corner of the room. Pressing his back into the wall, he slides down into a sitting position, eyes closed, evidently intending to go to sleep right there.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Sun 03 Jan 2021.

Yuna frowned at Ohm-Sun's refusal to answer her questions. There could be something vital that the shapeshifter was keeping from her, whether he knew it or not. But there would likely be no sense in pushing at the moment; it would likely only damage the relationship and she had no means of leverage and... well, they were supposed to be working together for now, so she'd prefer to be polite.

"As you wish, then. We can revisit it later, if necessary," she said. "In the meantime... you are probably correct. Rest would be a good idea." But the Exalt hesitated for a moment as Ohm-Sun settled down in the corner. She had invited him to sleep in her quarters for the time being, at least until Nanamo and Momodi had made their departure, but that didn't look particularly comfortable.

Turning away, Yuna moved to her bedroom and collected a couple pillows and a few spare linens. Returning to the other room, she walked over to Ohm-Sun and set the neatly folded pile beside him without a word. As she retreated back to her bedroom once more, she paused as she closed the door and said, "Good night."

With dawn comes Momodi's departure -- and most of her entourage's, given what she was set out to do; a few of the more administrative staff remain behind to coordinate messages the Dragonblood might receive and otherwise keep her interests in the city, but most of the soldiers move out with their mistress, leaving Yuna with a short supply of allies. Rather than make a show of it, Momodi decides to leave the city in secret, reasoning that the less is known about her movements, the better; because of this there would be no grand entourage leaving the city gates, nor any grand farewells, leaving Yuna free to start on her own duties as soon as she is up.