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Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	Most of the harbor is empty in Rahuraja village as the mercenary ships has moved out for an unknown mission. Many of the villagers grit their teeths in fear everytime they go on their missions as they could die anytime at the hands of the dangers of the Dreaming Sea, human or not. Thankfully from a distance, the fleet arrives with almost no scratches. Bakunawa can be seen in the distance smiling that another job is done. "That was easy, welp until some fair folk arrive. Thankfully their numbers weren't that high" He sighs as he kicks the decapitated of a fair folk into the waters out of frustration. "These waters can be just as dangerous like the West, thankfully we are slowly adapting to it's myriad threats" Although he is unfamiliar with the workings of this strange sea at first, he is slowly getting used to it
The Mournful Chorus	Among the few ships in the harbor not belonging to Rahuraja's inhabitants, one has arrived in the deep of the night at a most auspicious hour, strange sails unfurled in the shape of bone-white flower petals. Upon his return, Bakunawa can spot the Sunless Orchid anchored on one of the docks reserved for foreign visitors - merchants and such. From a distance, the deck looks almost deserted, save for a few handful of souls. Sadhrana Fading Leaf sits perched upon a wooden post near the harbor's edge, where the village proper begins. Much like on her first visit here, she is wearing a short, loose green linen kimono with various sea creatures embroidered on her back, and a dark purple chiton underneath. A wide-brimmed tricorn hat shields her face from the sun. The monkey sits next to her, munching on... something. A crab, maybe? When she spots the Lintha, she smoothly glides from the post, landing on her feet, and flashes him a wide smile. "It's good to see you again, captain Bakunawa. How was your hunting?"
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	Bakunawa jumps down from his ship and to the docks with ease. "We got the children from the merchants that tried to sell them to Fair Folk of the Orchid Court. Thankfully they are unharmed. They were hungry, so I feed them with any food I got in my ship. Thankfully one of my crewmen is a decent cook" He says and the children finally exit the ship with no harm done to them. "They are safe although they are distraught from the time when they were under the slaver merchants. In all directions, even slavery is still practiced. If a contract involves escorting slaver ships or taking people to be sold as slaves, I refuse it even if it's the highest bidder" He says with sorrow yet with a smile as the children are now free
The Mournful Chorus	Seeing the commotion, the monkey drops the small crab - or rather, what remains of it - only to clamber up to his mistress' shoulder. She barely reacts to his presence. Shielding her eyes with one hand, she squints at the disembarking children. Her lips move silently while she counts their number. Then, with a satisfied smile, she returns her gaze up, to Bakunawa's face. "Such is the way of the world, is it not? We can hardly free everyone", she nods with an air of regret, then continues: "But you did a commendable job. All two dozen are accounted for. Such scrawny things..." A lazy tilt of her head into her ship's general direction. "When they are ready to leave, I will take them. My crew will provide them with everything they need." She casts a quick glance around the docks and doesn't speak too loudly - even if most in the village belong to Bakunawa's faction, better safe than sorry. "Now, for your payment. I could hand it over to you now, but maybe you would prefer to receive your compensation in a more private place?"
Mahendru Divya	In the background, a nondescript woman who is probably a local draws her hood back slightly to get a better look at the children leaving the ship. She has a knife-scar over her left eyebrow, several beauty marks on her right cheek, and she's been made up to resemble a young woman with a look of love in her (green, star-filled?) eyes. She carries a bouquet of flowers and a smile for the children, as they pass their way along the docks into Rahuraja proper. As each passes, she gives them a flower and a blessing. But when a particular child draws near, she bends down slightly and gives the boy two flowers. "Welcome to safety, young one," she says, her accent seemingly local as well. "When you get to where you're going, you'll see a girl about your age. Would you mind giving one of those to her? After the day she's had already, she needs it as much as you do." Still smiling affectionately, she lets the confused child pass on with the others while she returns to dispensing a flower and blessing to each. Somehow, she runs out of flowers exactly when the ship runs out of children heading into the village. Job done, the Oracle looks curiously in the direction of Mournful Chrous and Bakunawa's direction. Leaning back on one of the pier's posts, she heaves a faint happy sigh, looking like nothing more than a young woman waiting for her lover. Who just happens to have wandered close enough to possibly pick up on the conversation, even if she looks completely disinterested in whatever it is they're talking about.
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"Hopefully the children will get a good life after this." Even if such evils such as slavery exist, he is at least glad he freed some of them today. "And yes, let us discuss payment back in my cabin" Before leading Sadhrana to discuss it privately, he then takes notice of a stranger among the villagers. He was wondering how they even got here. "Hello there, I didn't expect to see any other visitors here yet" Bakunawa sees the young woman out of curiosity. Even if it's a village, he's almost familiar with all the people here. She could either be a guildswoman or someone else that wants to hire his services
Mahendru Divya	Divya's green eyes opened a bit wider at being directly addressed. Arcane Fate typically means she passes without much notice, with or without the precautions she takes with her makeup and look. So she uses one of the most classic, underutilized techniques for defusing attention; she slowly notices that Bakunawa is speaking in her direction and she looks behind her, as if looking for whoever it is he's addressing. With her back briefly turned, Divya invokes her Lion Mouse Stratagem. If Arcane Fate's going to fall down on the job, a Throne Shadow Charm might make up the difference. When she turns back, if he's still looking at her like he's expecting an answer, she blushes and shrugs aside the question. "Oh, I come and go. I didn't expect to see the hero himself today. What you did for those children..." She shakes her head, her expression one of admiration and respect. "Thank the Gods for you, sir."
The Mournful Chorus	"Don't worry about them. My ship will carry them to a safe place. I'll make certain they're never going to be slaves again", promises the woman who calls herself Sadhrana. Her face? Somber and honest. Who would doubt such a claim? She doesn't notice the woman with the roses at first, with her attention fixed on Bakunawa. Only when the Lintha points out the stranger to her does she follow his gaze. So does her monkey, not without uttering a nervous chitter. Chorus reaches up to pat his silver-furred head affectionately, then adjusts her hat to let the brim's shadow fall on her eyes. Those same eyes now take a closer look on Divya. But she doesn't try to interrupt the praise heaped upon Bakunawa by that stranger. Instead, she just observes... for now. Her gaze is piercing and very, very curious.
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"I may be a mercenary doing this for money, but it's still worth saving the children" Bakunawa replies to the stranger while leading Sadhrana to his personal cabin. As he leads them, Divya could see a golden statue of some unknown god in the center of the village. A war god in a battleship while sitting in a bodhisattva stance. His light pierces the storm clouds below him. "Hopefully you'll raise them well" Bakunawa responds to Sadhrana on their way to his cabin.
Mahendru Divya	"Every man and women deserves their living, sir." The robed woman's dispensed with her hood and, in the interests of conversation (and obliging her curiosity), she follows along. At least throught the public spaces. "Everyone needs something to live on, after all. Oh, perhaps its a better story when money isn't involved, but saved children are still saved children at the end either way." "Is that your God there?" she asks, as she spots the statue of the unknown god. Divya adopts a mildly curious look as she tries to place it in her considerably more-than-mortal memory of the various divinities and their cults throughout Creation.
The Mournful Chorus	Chorus, no, Sadhrana, still blessedly overlooked by the newcomer in favor of the deity's idol, seizes the opportunity to observes Divya's reaction to the statue. One eyebrow slowly creeps upwards, almost vanishing under the brim of her tricorn hat. Bakunawa, however, might not be distracted as much, so she makes a show of nodding in earnest agreement to Divya's words. "It IS a very pretty god", she remarks, smiling amiably.
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"Ah yes, that's the Shining-Savior-That-Pierces-The-Storm. He was the god that blessed me and my crew when we were sucked into a whirlpool in some bordermarch." He says with fondness and respect once he sees the statue built in his honor. "We also have other gods we worshipped before he saved us, but they aren't exactly favored by most people due to their nature. One such god is the sea goddess in hell itself." He coughs as not all divinities he used to revere are benevolent. Finally they arrive at the cabin although he wonders whether to let this stranger in or not. "This is a private meeting between us and Sadhrana. If you are here to present a contract, I suggest you wait outside....unless miss Sadhrana doesn't mind another visitor"
Mahendru Divya	This Shining-Savior-That-Pierces-The-Storm seemed, obscurely, to be a representation of the Unconqured Sun. This was the God that 'blessed' this Captain? Bakunawa's revelation of worshipping Kimberry wasn't especially shocking to a Sidereal who had some understanding of how widely worshipped different cults were across Creation. But a visiting flower merchant wouldn't know that, so Divya looks suitably alarmed at the implication. Still, the man did something heroic saving those children. And perhaps he'd done something else heroic, when that ship had been caught in that whirlpool...Interesting. Very promising possibilities. She's absorbed enough in those possibilities to only realize they'd reached the cabin when they arrived. At his suggestion, Divya simply bowed low. "Thank you, sir, for your offer. Your business is not mine, though, and I won't intrude." Finally, she looks at Chorus for a moment, her gaze growing a touch more intent as she realizes that she'd been preoccupied enough by the man to mostly overlook the mostly silent woman he'd been with. For Chorus, she repeated the bow, her posture and the downward cast of her eyes the exact shade of someone respecting another of higher station...or caste. "May the Gods bless you both. Heaven smiles to see good things come to children. May it smile upon your fortunes."
The Mournful Chorus	Bakunawa receives a long sideways glance from "Sadhrana" when he mentions a "sea-goddess from Hell", along with a slight frown. To someone who knowingly chose to barter with one of the Lintha, demon-worship would hardly come as a surprise. She doesn't comment on it any further, just absorbs the information quietly... until Divya finally takes note of the smaller woman. Instead of bowing in return, Sadhrana simply gives a nod, lifts her hat, and flashes a charming smile at the merchant. "Aye, and may the tides always be with you", she drawls in Riverspeak tinged with Flametongue, settling fully into her role as a seasoned seafarer of these Wyld-touched waters. Her Essence subtly wraps that attitude tightly around her, making it obvious to every observer. How could she be anything else? "Those roses you gifted to the little ones - that was a nice gesture. I can't promise they'll keep during the voyage, but I'll send offerings to the gods of rain and storm to keep the humid air away from my ship, so that the flowers might dry and be preserved, instead of rotting away to nothing." She pauses, eyeing Divya up and down for a few moments (with the monkey on her shoulder staring intently at the woman before them, licking his chops), then tentatively cocks her head. The hat goes back where it belongs. "Say, pretty lady... Are you doing business in the region... or might you be from around here, even? I've spent some time in Champoor myself, and I've seen the locals there bow just like that." Her smile widens. "I'm Captain Sadhrana Fading Leaf. Please to meet you." While she talks, she motions at Bakunawa to stay put for a moment. It seems she doesn't want to let Drivya leave without coaxing at least her name out of her.
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	Bakunawa doesn't seem to mind as he himself expresses interests in this stranger. "Ah I see, just a wanderer. Nice flowers and the village sometimes decorates the statue with gold colored flowers" He mentions a recent tradition surrounding Rahuraja's "war deity" that they practice. "If you sell some flowers, I may be interested in buying some mostly to make this village more lively."
Mahendru Divya	"Children who've been through so much deserve any blessing, however great or small." Divya's eyes drop once more at the sea captain's seeming praise. "No flower lasts, cut or left in the ground, but the memory of beauty can. Perhaps something to offset a little of what they endured before rescue." The follow up questions don't result in raised eyebrows, but only because Divya's had some practice at composure and controlling her reaction to surprises. "My business takes me many places, Captain. Here and there. Along the Dreaming Sea and wherever else the roads may take me. Even a city like Champoor. Such charming people, aren't they. Their festivals and fairs, and the great many flowers grown within the city and without. Too much competition for someone like me to thrive were I to try and stay...but for a visit, it's indeed a fine place. If you expect to visit, I can recommend a locale or two?" Divya's acting is of a nonspecific merchant who is widely traveled and for whom Champoor is but one of many destinations she's visited. Despite such care, it's very plain that her affection for the city is unfeigned. (She has a positive Tie of Love for Champoor). Bakunawa's characterization of her entirely agrees with her approach and she dips her head respectfully again, in smiling agreement. "Gold colored flowers? Yes, I might obtain just such a selection for you. You'll have to tell me if you have any particular festival times so I can bring you what I can find for you in time for your special days here. Flowers do -wonders- to make any village more lively, don't you think?"
The Mournful Chorus	Sadhrana listens intently, absorbing the tone of every word, every single syllable. The friendly, encouraging smile spread across her face and the shade of her hat mask the small, rapid movement of her eyes as they drift over Divya's face and figure. Subtle shifts in the way the merchant holds herself, imperceptible changes in her expression... even the most minute details don't escape the Moonshadow's Essence-sharpened senses. "Such high praise", she chuckles as Divya has finished. "The Nighted City sure has its bright sides, although I'm told they are few and far between now." After a tactically placed pause, she adds in a low voice: "But alas, you still haven't told me your name. Now you're making me curious." Even as Chorus says that, Divya has already turned back towards Bakunawa, to talk with the Lintha about flowers... of all things! Only the monkey catches the quick flash of irritation, followed by an exhilarated, almost hungry grin that vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. In response, Chorus' pet makes cooing noises in an attempt to placate her, stroking her hair with his deft, definitely-not-dead fingers. "Well, Captain...", she interjects after Divya's flower sale pitch, "...let's conclude our business first, shall we? Flowers can certainly come later."
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"Sure" Bakunawa opens the door to his cabin to let Sandhrana in but before he enters his home. "I'll talk to you later after this miss....I didn't quite catch your name" He says with curiosity but he has other matters to attend to. Finally once inside, he grabs a bottle of wine and two glasses for him and his guest. "Thankfully that was a decent task despite fair folk intervention which was expected." He says while lighting a cigar he got from his pockets and pours wine to Sandhrana's glass.
The Mournful Chorus	Nodding in appreciation, Sadhrana takes off her hat and lifts the glass instead. She waits for Bakunawa to drink first. To make that less obvious, she makes a show of smelling the wine, pretending to indulge in its aroma. "Thank you, Captain." Even the smoke of the cigar seems to please her. "You've definitely lived up to your reputation. Even the Fair Folk are not enough to stop you. Truly admirable! Is that the Lintha blood, making you strong enough to face even the toughest challenges and emerge unscathed?" Grinning, she produces a softly clinking pouch from the depths of her chiton's pockets and places it on the table within easy reach for him. "Here is your payment, plus the bonus - as promised. Feel free to count."
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"Yes, it's thanks to my demonblooded nature especially as my father is a blood moon of hell thanks to my mother's pact....although there are probably other moons in that reality as it doesn't operate like Creation" He sips his wine as Bakunawa claims it was merely the result of his demonic heritage that he faced such foes. "Thanks for the bonus. I'll use it well in supporting the livelihood of Rahuraja. Even if I'm a materialistic sort of person admittedly, I care for them" Bakunawa says with a nod to Sadhrana while he sips his wine.
The Mournful Chorus	Chorus sips in tandem with him, and purses her lips after lowering her glass, lost in thought for a moment. "Well, my ship has never braved the seas of Hell - if there is such a thing - and I don't know much about demons, but it certainly seems wise to stick to familiar waters, at least for me." With a wink at Bakunawa, she relaxes back into her chair. "Aye, I'm sure you'll put that coin to good use - and may it be to buy gold-colored flowers from that woman for decoration." She grins again and rolls her eyes, remembering how the stranger was conspicuously avoiding to give her name. "In any case, I might have more work for you soon, once I have safely delivered the children to their new home." She gestures with her glass - not too enthusiastically, of course. "What do you say? Shall we do business again?"
Lintha Sennong Bakunawa	"The woman selling gold flowers? Someone did get those kids flowers but I forgot who gave them" Strangely, the demonblood has forgotten the stranger they've interacted a while ago. "I may use some of the money to buy seeds and tools for farms. We can't just rely on mercenary work and fishing for a living after all" Bakunawa seems to prefer versatility when it comes access to resources. "It's been a pleasure to work with you miss Sandhara" He gives a toast to her. "Sure, I'll do business with you again. At least it beats the usual Guildsman asking me escort their ships in wyld touched waters" The captain smiles as he has a new regular customer.
The Mournful Chorus	As Bakunawa casually mentions that he forgot the flower merchant, Sadhrana cocks her head and frowns. But she swallows the question burning on her lips, nodding instead and returning the toast. "Always a pleasure, captain. The waters ahead are full of exciting opportunities, I assure you..." They chat a bit, slowly savoring the wine. But sometimes, the Abyssal's eyes drift toward the window, searching for that strange woman who the Lintha claims has slipped from his mind. Her face remains inscrutable.