Really, did you have to grab me like that? thought Bassam, glowering at Yang Li. He was saying something but who could listen when they were practically being choked by their own blasted skin! If Bassam were given the chance he'd have clawed his way free, but the other was quick and moved on faster. From one moment he was suspended in mid air and in the next tucked like a parcel underneath Yang Li's arm. It was almost ginger the way he was being carried. Albeit the jinni would sooner believe himself considered a weapon than anything friendly in the eyes of his prince.

However he was being carried, Bassam did not enjoy it- he needed his feet on the ground, to be moving. Even if it was mild, any feeling of containment had his heart racing. Visions of dark entrapment and glittering rings swam round his head. In a flurry of kicking, Bassam managed to scramble out of Yang Li's arms and pad on ahead towards the prince's chamber. They were going to set some boundaries on touching as soon as Bassam could switch to a form with speech.

--------

"You're our contact?" uttered Ammon thoughtlessly. He flinched beneath Elham's quick glance, picking up on the unsaid "Obviously." Despite the enigma of a figure, more silhouette than human, his sister remained unaffected. Years of mercenary work gave her all the stoicism Ammon lacked.

"We're ready for anything, mistress," said Elham without inflection. "Are you prepared for what that will cost? I require half of the payment up front, as agreed." She was evaluating the stranger, sizing them up with shrewd eyes. Elham missed nothing because she looked for everything. But this was clearly the first time she had met this woman, which confused Ammon. How and for how long had they been in contact? "Once I see your coin is good we can talk business," she concluded.

Yang Li tsked under his breath when the cat escaped his arms, but the let the creature go, having no intentions of forcing him to stay. The point was just to get them where he wanted to be. Any way that happened was fine with him. Once in his chambers, he resisted the urge to groan with stiff muscles or show any change on his face. Instead, he turned the jinni with his usual commanding appearance. "Will you change this ridiculous appearance of yours already and be useful? I'm going to need a jinni on this campaign, not a cat!" he snapped before sighing. He dragged a hand through his hair, loosening the delicate knot it had been tied to at the back of his head. The long strands hung loose about his shoulders, feeling far more comfortable.

------

Deep in the shadows of her hood, the figure smiled though no one would see it or the fever bright eyes. She didn't seem bothered by Ammon's doubt and said nothing in response to that. Instead, she reached deep into the recesses of her cloak and pulled out a cloth bag. She set it on the table, the metal coins inside clinking. They were the chosen money of the Yang Empire and enough to make most hearts quicken. "Count it if you must. It's as we discussed."

She shifted back again, once again hiding herself on the edge of shadow and light. Although she contacted the mercenary group before, it was always through messages and second parties. This might be the first time they met, but even with a delicate voice, the woman appeared no less shakeable than the female leader of this mercenary group.

The cat dissolved, becoming shapeless smoke that spilled upwards into a human shape. Bassam had made no progress in quickening his shape-shifting during the few days he'd been free and it was infuriating. Being manhandled didn't help.

"That's not the only thing you'll need if you grab me like that again," said Bassam evenly, just managing to bridle his temper. "Of course I wouldn't be a cat during your campaign, don't be silly. But do tell me what you desire of me, Your Highness." He flicked his wrist and drawled the last several words in a clear taunt. It wasn't just being under someone's thumb again- Bassam hated being reminded of how easily he could be trapped. How for what was the majority of his life he was never in control. Never his own person. Part of him regretted making a contract so easily, another was too tenacious to see any other option.

-------

Elham weighed the purse in a callused hand. Her knitted brows smoothed as she pocketed the payment.

"No," she spoke slowly. "It's as we discussed. Now let's talk details. Your last letter said that the bulk of Emperor Yang's army would be absent in the upcoming days." Ammon watched as his sister turned fully away from him towards the figure. It was clear that he was to have no say or input at all in this. He was there simply to watch. How could he had hoped otherwise? There Elham was, bathed in light and importance while he slunk passive in the shadowed corner. Opposite him stood the woman who only inspired increasing unease. Right from the beginning Ammon had seen nothing but bad omens of this job. Something was just not right, there was too much secrecy, too many shifty places and people. As soon as their business was done, he swore to try and talk Elham out of this a final time.

Yang Li's eyes narrowed just slightly at what he interpreted to be a threat. He said nothing though, finding it unwise to challenge a jinni without calculable odds in his favor. As of yet, he did not know the best ways to curb the beings power, though he imagined it was great, the sort of thing only the strongest magic could contain. "I'm leading a small army in a surprise attack against a force twice the size of my own. And while I do not doubt the strength of my men, I will need an edge. We can talk more as we ride. I have things to attend to now."

In reality, he'd yet to fully flesh out his plan, but it would take a three days ride on horse to reach the enemy force. In that time, he could come up with dozens of possible permutations to pick from when he saw the situation with his own eyes. "Is there anything you need me to prepare for you?"

-----

The woman eyed the two mercenaries as if weighing the weaknesses in them and between them. She sensed one and though it didn't matter to her, she filed away the fact. "Indeed," she hummed. "For at least a week, the army will be stretched thin and the general of the western army....elsewhere." She paused, as if savoring that fact, or maybe lost in thought about some other detail. But she sounded both pleased and disappointed either way.

"The name of the boy you're to kidnap is Yang Zhen, the younger prince. Dispose of him however you please, but he must be disposed of. And remember, if caught, you were hired by the [x] Empire." A grin flitted over her face again. After all, who else would they suspect but the obvious enemy.