Artist's commentary
Thieving Fox
狐儿 (Hu-er)
"The golden seal was pressed firmly upon the parchment, engraving upon it the unmistakable emblem of the Magistrate. Yun let out a breath of relief as he saw his Master's gentle smile radiate gratitude towards the elder official. They were finally able to secure patronage for Wudang, and seemingly without incident. Yun returned his gaze to Hu-er. She had been engrossed in conversation with the Magistrate's young daughter during the entire meeting. Hu-er had a habit of escalating calm into chaos when she found herself bored. They had feared for the worst when the Magistrate personally extended his invitation to her as well, but it appeared his daughter was enough to keep her interest. Yun finally relaxed his shoulders.
Hu-er locked eyes with him and smirked. Yun felt a cold drop of sweat run down his forehead. Hu-er continued her engagement with the Magistrate's daughter, but flashed her hand over her head. It was only for the briefest of moments, but Yun caught sight of what appeared to be a jade charm, engraved with the sigils of the Magistrate's lineage. Yun was certain he saw it adorn the Magistrate's daughter's hair but few moments earlier. How Hu-er was able to extricate it without the owner noticing was beyond his comprehension. Perhaps she really was the greatest thief in southwest region.
The Magistrate's daughter seemed to have been overcome with a fit of giggles. Hu-er again looked towards Yun, put her forefinger to her lips, and gave him a quick wink. Yun was sure she was doing this on purpose. He glanced back towards his Master, wondering if she had caught sight of the potential disaster. The answer was immediately obvious. Meiyu's eyes looked as if twice their normal size, and her pale complexion somehow became even more ethereal. Her beaming smile had disappeared without a trace, and even from this distance Yun could tell... she was biting her lip.
That was never a good sign."