With a long drag of her pipe, Fushaka would look out of the window she was perched on the ledge of. It was a strange existence, this brothel. It kidnapped orphans and street rats, forced them into servitude via addiction to drugs hard to come by, and then...fine clothes, good food, nice rooms and bouncers who did not take kindly to customers overstepping their bounds. She could even set limits and just decide not to work today if she didn’t want to. It made her wonder what the need for the drugs even was, it wasn’t like anyone had anywhere to go if they did try to escape.

This introspection was interrupted by the door slamming open, and having her friend and regular customer Talia barge into the room, face like thunder.

“You are not a whore!” she exclaimed, pointing dramatically.

“…Kind of am” Fu replied, putting the pipe aside and getting off the window ledge.

“I…I meant you aren’t just like those street corner night walkers! You’ve got grace and class and charisma” Talia continued, pacing the room.

“And a wicked tongue” Fu teased, giving a grin and sliding off the overdress putting it on the nearby stand. Poor little Talia flushed bright red at that, and stared at her feet.

Taking the initiative, Fu would walk over and slide her hands across the tense shoulders, massaging them gently. It helped, being taller than her friend. Brushing the iconic purple hair of the Tsu Clan out of the way, she got to work easing Talia's firm muscles.

“Why don’t you take a breath and tell me what has you so riled up~” Fushaka cooed, whispering gently into Talia’s ear. The woman shuddered from the memory of what Fu could do when allowed free reign, and then collected herself and did as she was told.

“I was out talking to the Jom-” Talia started, before getting a snort from Fu.

“There’s your problem” she commented derisively.

“They aren’t that bad when you get to know them. Their country just has interesting, community-driven laws to them rather than judicial oversight” Talia explained. She was always ready to defend her friends, verbally or physically. “Anyway, some of the Jiang Students came over and started mocking you, saying that I was a Whore Lover. So I stoved their heads in. But you aren’t a Whore!”

Listening gently, Fu couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle at Talia’s problems.

“They were mocking you, Talia. I was not even present in that conversation, except for an accurate description of my job” Fu explained, finishing with her tight shoulder muscles and stepping away. Talia immediately ruined all her hard work by swinging around and taking Fu’s hand,

“You are a companion, an escort, a brilliant conversationalist and a friend. Whores just fuck” Talia exclaimed.

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Whatever Fushaka was going to say was lost when another woman appeared in the doorway. Fushaka was vaguely aware of Talia’s mother, and intimately familiar with her terrifying reputation, but had never seen her. This woman, tall, slender and beautiful beyond compare, was certainly not the mental image she conjured when she heard Ci Lan’s title of ‘Raging Sky Demon’. Maybe that was how she liked it, make people underestimate her. Certainly a trick Talia had pulled once or twice.

“There are guests waiting for you at the Sect, Talia” the woman spoke, taking a few steps into the room, and eyeing Fushaka.

“Would these guests have swollen eyes and bloody noses, mother?” Talia asked, her tone tart sweet and clearly dismissive of these guests.

“Relatives of, yes. If you run your mouth around my daughter, prepare to back them up. But at the same time, diplomacy is a must for civilization. We are not the Valley Sects, after all. We have a reputation to maintain”

Talia would listen, grumble a little, and then turn, and take Fushaka’s hand, swinging around to her mother with it.

“Fine, but they apologize to Fushaka. I can handle myself, but bullying her is just cruelty” Talia exclaimed, holding Fu’s hand tightly. Though it merely raised an eyebrow from Ci.

“I like your spirit and determination to protect your friends, but having the Discipline Elder of the Jiang Sect apologize to a Gregari is…a little much” Ci commented. Talia seemed poised to jump on anyone speaking negatively about Fu, but couldn’t say anything, given that Ci had used her proper occupational title, rather than the derogatory one.

“Then I’ll marry her” Talia exclaimed, crossing her arms and staring at Ci. She was very much an Ancient, as even such a radical proclamation merely raised the second of her two eyebrows.

“Your mother continues to be an influence, I see” Ci commented, before letting out a sigh. “She learns Twelve Stars, ok?”

Whatever that was, it was pretty not something that was just learned, because Talia took a step back and looked to Fushaka.

“Mother! That isn’t just something you learn!” she exclaimed, holding Fushaka as if she was going to disintegrate.

“You want my daughter-in-law to learn something lesser?” Ci would ask, in that ‘that is so not going to happen’ kind of voice. It cowed Talia easily enough, and left Fushaka just standing there looking dumbstruck.

In one swift move, she’d been dragged into a Martial Sect - The Tsu Clan’s Asura Formation Sect, no less - and apparently married off to her friend. Slash regular customer. How was she even going to keep up with these people who were born and raised to fight? Terrifying though this whole situation was, she had to speak up.

“How am I going to fit into a sect like the Asura Formation? I’m a twenty one year old orphan. I don’t even remotely have any skills like that and I am far too old by the usual standards” Fushaka put in, trying to reclaim some control of the situation. It didn’t work, as Talia and Ci both looked at her, and then Talia jabbed her finger at Fu suddenly.

Startled, Fu shifted backwards, getting just out of range of the finger by the time the arm fully extended. Clearly, they saw something she didn’t, as Ci nodded gently in affirmation of what just happened.

“Don’t put yourself down so much, and just trust me on this, ok? You are better than you think” Talia commented, dropping her arm and then heading out of the room with Ci. The unspoken command to follow them was followed, and Fushaka exited the room. Six men were gathered outside, each ready to give Fu the few seconds she needed to scurry away. None of them had any illusions of lasting more than a few seconds though, and the relief when nothing bad happened was palatable.

“I hope you maintain diligence, Fushaka. We demand nothing less of our family” Ci exclaimed, leading the procession out of the brothel.