Like the previous day, the long dining room table has been set for three, with the same arrangement as before. The food, however, is different. A scattering of plates offers a wide and diverse selection of colorful, elegantly presented sushi. The sheer variety in appearance of both the seaweed wrappings and the meats of some of the maki is a hint at what a look at the holographic labels, once again helpfully presented by Guang Huan, would
#SunTower – April 21, 2026
reveal: The selection is sourced not only from all over Earth, but beyond - popular meats and plants from Thessia, Kahje, and Sur'Kesh are included in the ingredients. The drink offerings are similar to before, but the red wine has been replaced with white and rosé. Outside the sweeping windows, the evening sky to the east is a dark blue over an equally blue ocean. The sight is broken up by the gleaming spires of the coastline, but also by
blazing orange strips of clouds, lit from underneath by the just-set sun on the opposite side of the building. The same member of the kitchen staff that greeted Jessica and Yan Sun the day prior is still placing the last of the plates on the table as they arrive.
Sau is sitting at the head of the table. He looks contemplative, elbows rested against the table, hands clasped against his chin, although his gaze lifts on their arrival, gesturing for the two of them to have a seat.
Yan Sun offers the woman from the kitchen staff a small, slightly awkward smile before taking her seat, not yet saying anything. There's a subtle tension to her body that's immediate upon entering the same room as her father.
Jessica greets the staff with an upnod as she arrives in the dining room, her attention quickly shifting to the array of food set out as she takes her seat. She's less tense than Yan Sun, moreso just in a 'just get it over with' mindset, but the view inevitably causes an inadvertant smile to tug at the edge of her mouth.
The woman from the kitchen staffs places the last plate, and after a look to Sau Sun for confirmation, departs with a silent bow without introducing the meal, rolling her cart out into the corridor.
Sau looks more put together than before, but there's still something drained and distant in his eyes. "Yan. Miss Kaya," he greets, coming to life more. "Thank you for joining me again. I do hope our guest has found our hospitality to her satisfaction? I have had less time than I would have preferred to play the role of host as my duties have kept me occupied."
Yan Sun returns the greeting with an inclination of her head and a "Father." She ends up looking to Jessica next to her at the question.
Jessica is in the middle of reading over all of the holographic labels, brows furrowed thoughtfully when she's addressed. "Mm?" she hums in response before Sau continues. While he's talking she looks to Yan Sun, grin crossing her lips and leans over her way a little. "I am guest." she repeats quietly to Yan Sun, as if informing her. As Sau finishes, she merely gives a hum of affirmation at first. But the look leveled on her by Yan Sun
causes her grin to slip away, suddenly feeling put on the spot to actually interact in some meaningful way with the expensive creature at the head of the table. "I like the pool." she decides, splitting her attention between the two Suns. Her grin resurfaces like a secret wink to Yan Sun.
Sau 's eyebrow rises slightly, but he offers no comment beyond a hum of acknowledgement. "And you, dear daughter, how are you doing?" There's a shift in his voice as he addresses Yan Sun. A stiffness and distance remains, but his gaze turns softer, and his concern seems genuine.
Yan Sun flashes a brief, half-hearted smile. "I-... better. Adjusting," she settles for initially, before adding that "Having Jessica here with me has... helped a lot." and reaching over to place her hand over hers, giving it a squeeze as if to make a point, but there's real gratitude in her eyes when she looks her way.
Jessica doesn't say anything but she does look Yan Sun's way when she's mentioned, her own expression softening when their eyes meet. She turns her hand over, palm up, to return the gesture. Her gaze briefly turns from Yan Sun to her father.
Sau 's eyebrows furrow thoughtfully as his gaze lingers on the two of them, and he doesn't speak right away. "Then I thank you for being there for my daughter, Miss Kaya," he says when he finally does, inclining his head slightly.
Yan Sun looks both relieved and surprised by how... not terribly things are going so far, some small bit of the tension in her body easing up.
Sau gestures to the table. "Now please, help yourselves to some food. For today's meal, our chef has prepared an array of sushi made with the finest ingredients from across civilized space. Guang Huan can answer any questions you may have," he says, the last bit clearly directed at Jessica.
Jessica even seems a little caught off guard- suspicious even- by Sau's response given everything Yan Sun has said about him. She studies the man for a moment before shifting in her seat and clearing her throat a little, nodding when he finishes speaking. There's a mixture of uncertainty and discomfort as if she's not really sure how to proceed but, after a moment, she speaks. "...Jessica." she offers, looking his way with a shrug.
Whether it's an olive branch or a way to avoid spending the rest of her time here being referred to as 'Miss Kaya' is unclear.
Sau shifts slightly in his seat and offers a vague noise of acknowledgement of Jessica's offered name. No reciprocal offer is made.
Yan Sun collects a few sushi rolls for her plate, and then pours herself a glass of rosé. "Do you want some?" she asks Jessica, still holding the bottle. Normally, the staff would handle drink pours at dinners in the Sun home, but it seems Sau has favored privacy again today.
Jessica is collecting a few food items when the question comes in. Judging by her plate, she's taken the 'try one of each' approach since she doesn't know what any of this shit is and she's not picky. "Mm?" she hums as she looks to Yan Sun. Noticing the bottle she takes a moment to study it before a look of distaste crosses her face and she shakes her head. She's already had more shit wine than she'd like during their stay here, and
that was mostly drank out of spite and a desire to drink someone else's money. "There is beer...?" she asks, turning her focus back to the dinner table to look around.
Sau looks Jessica's way, and then at the air above the table. "Guang Huan, have some Japanese lagers brought out," he instructs.
Jessica shoots a glance Sau's way, brow furrowing slightly. "This is beer, yes...?" she surmises, focus turning from him to Yan Sun for some clarification.
It's a matter of seconds before the woman from before returns with an ice bucket holding a selection of three different Japanese lagers in glass bottles, placing it on the table before disappearing just as quickly with another bow.
Jessica doesn't seem to notice Sau's curious expression. When the bucket is delivered, she responds to the woman's bow with another upnod and leans forward in her seat, reaching out over her plate to grip one of the bottles by the neck and scoop it out of the bucket. As she brings it in close she furrows her brow, studying the label. After a few moments she nods to herself. "Mm. Lager. I have seen this before." she confirms confidently.
Sau looks a little perplexed, but allows Jessica's behavior to go uncommented, instead taking a sip of his wine.
Yan Sun grabs her chopsticks - the only cutlery on offer - and picks up a piece of sushi. The left side of her mouth quirks upwards fondly at Jessica's familiar, unearned confidence.
Jessica continues to study the label for a few more moments and offers one final nod, as if satisfied with the selection. She tilts her head to the side, hooking the underside of the cap behind her back lower teeth and bracing it against the top in her usual ritual. With a little force and a quick snap of her wrist, the cap pops right off.
Yan Sun pops the piece of sushi into her mouth, but soon afterwards her eyes widen a little when she realizes what Jessica is doing, but with her mouth full she only manages a delayed "Hnm!" as she tries to indicate the bottle opener, wincing as she pops the cap with her teeth.
Sau 's face scrunches up in distaste, but rather than mentioning it he, after putting his glass down, addresses his daughter. "Yan... please, tell me of your time off-world."
Yan Sun looks put on the spot. "Oh. Uh..." She reaches for her glass, taking a sip to buy some time as she formulates her reply. "I... I freelanced as a technical specialist on a survey expedition to an uncharted planet. That was how I met Jessica. She was part of the security team," she explains, choosing her words carefully, voice a little uneven. Her nerves are obvious - this is a situation she never expected, and part of her is just
Jessica catches Sau's expression out of the corner of her eye and glances his way, still holding the bottle cap between her teeth, and gives him a small lift of her brows as if understanding why he would be impressed with her technique. She spits the cap into her free hand and drops it onto the side of her plate before taking a quick sip of her beer. There's a near-immediate furrowing of her brow and she rotates the bottle to study the
label once again. Then she sniffs it. Then a smirk tugs at her lips, silently chalking it up to rich people things. Fancy name and label and they must not even realize that this lager shit tastes just like normal beer. But she's pulled from her thoughts as Yan Sun begins to tell the story of how they met, causing her smirk to grow. "Mm." she confirms what's been said so far, but she has an amused expression etched into
her features, well aware of why her partner is so uneasy. "She was verrry important on the job." she adds.
Sau picks up his chopsticks as he listens. "Hmh. I would expect no different. I have an extraordinarily talented daughter, after all. Deep space surveys is well beneath her capacity."
Yan Sun 's shoulders slump with relief after Jessica displays what, for her, passes for restraint. But an edge still remains in her voice, and her gaze rarely lands directly on her father's, often falling to the table between them. "It was a rewarding and educational experience. I got to see parts of the galaxy that few have."
Sau considers these words for a moment before nodding. "Mm, I can... see the value in perspective gained from such an experience," he decides before having a piece of sushi.
Jessica nods along, grin still on display. "Mm." she agrees with Sau's initial assessment. "Everyone would probably be dead if she is not there. And-..." she continues, casting a glance Yan Sun's way, grin growing, "...she even fixes the elevator on the ship when it break-... broke down." she muses, gaze lingering on Yan Sun for just a moment longer than necessary before returning to Sau, "So I get to see exactly how talented she is
Yan Sun nearly chokes mid-sip of her wine, keeping her glass raised near her face and angling her head Jessica's way to obscure the brief, cautioning glare she shoots her.
Yan Sun looks back to her father and is quick to continue before Jessica can comment again. "After that, I... spent some time on Aite, in, uh, in the Phoenix Massing. Jessica showed me around the planet."
Jessica sucks in her lips to restrain her own smile. "Mm." she agrees once again. "And now we are here." she adds, as if that sums things up well enough. She casts another quick look Yan Sun's way before popping a piece of sushi in her mouth. She doesn't even attempt to use the chopsticks. She totally could if she wanted to, but she doesn't. Her fingers work just fine!
Sau frowns and leans forward. "Daughter, what would possess you to visit such a place? A war-torn Terminus backwater? You could have been killed."
Yan Sun is quick to shake her head. "I... I was perfectly safe, Father. And Aite was a beautiful world. We spent most of our time in a settlement run by an asari Matriarch who is researching the planet's unique situation with its moon," she says, opting to lean heavily on what she hopes will sound good to the man at the head of the table.
Sau relaxes slightly into his chair, some part of Yan Sun's words seeming to mollify him beyond expectation, leaving him in thought. "Hrmh..."
Jessica glares at Sau as she eats her sushi, his words brushing against a sore spot. Not that he's wrong about what Aite is. She's certainly used much more colorful words to describe it. But he doesn't have that right. And she doesn't have the same desire to placate him that Yan Sun does. "That war-torn Terminus backwater is my home." she warns pointedly, one brow lifting as if challenging him to continue his assessment of Aite.
Sau 's gaze shifts to Jessica as he chews on a piece of sushi. There's no surprise there, he must already be aware of this fact, but he does offer a nod of acknowledgement. "Of course. It is unbecoming of me to speak ill of the home of a guest."
Yan Sun seems relieved by her father's reaction, but when he speaks again, her attention darts to Jessica, gaze silently begging her to keep things palatable.
Jessica's gaze never leaves Sau, fingers idly rotating her beer on the table just beside her plate. She doesn't answer immediately and she doesn't take her eyes off of Sau to look at the woman seated beside her. "I am from a war-torn city on a backwater planet in the Terminus." she says, her tone implying that he's already said everything that needs to be said about her. "What else you are needing to know? Mm?"
Yan Sun shrinks in on herself a little as the tension in the room mounts, focusing on her plate and poking at one of her rolls.
Sau makes a face that... well, it's not quite a sneer, but it's as close as one could get while maintaining plausible deniability. "If my questions are unwanted, I shall leave them be," he proclaims, turning his attention to eating.
Jessica continues to stare Sau down for a few more moments before accepting his decision to look away as victory. She passes a glance Yan Sun's way, the annoyance plain to see on her face, before returning her focus to her plate. The bouncing leg. The way her jaw is bulging from biting down so hard. Given the time they've spent together it's probably pretty obvious to Yan Sun that she's biting back- figuratively and literally- on what
she'd really like to say right now. She reaches for another piece of sushi and pops it into her mouth.
Yan Sun is more than a little tempted to just eat in silence and escape back to her room, but Jessica's barely restrained anger leaves her unable to push down her own feelings, and she takes a long sip of her wine before setting the glass down and straightening up in her seat. Her unease, her nerves, are still obvious, but there's something else there too as she looks to Sau. "Jessica..." she falters, heart pounding in her chest, but tries
again. "Jessica saved my life out there, Father," she says sharply. "And she was the best part of my time off-world. She's an incredible, strong, passionate person that I..." There's a tremble in her voice, but her hand seeks out Jessica's, giving it a squeeze, and she steels herself, pressing on. "...that I love. And if you don't treat her with respect, we're leaving, and we're not coming back."
Sau looks more than a little caught off-guard when Yan Sun speaks up, a stunned frown etched into his face as he listens silently to what she has to say.
Jessica's leg continues to bounce and she stares at a piece of sushi on her plate, willing herself to not speak the words on the tip of her tongue. Reminding herself why she's here. Why she needs to ignore that urge to walk out right now. Because his opinion doesn't matter. He's nobody. But when Yan Sun begins to speak her leg slows. The scowl on her face tempers into a soft frown- more sad than angry while Yan Sun lists off things she
sees in Jessica that she's unable to see in herself- and her gaze falls to the hand that finds hers. She listens, swallowing at the lump in her throat that always seems to be conjured up by that four-letter word and shift a little in her seat, gaze tilting Sau's way as if to gauge his reaction. But the final addition, a warning to walk out on everything, draws a heavy breath out of her and makes her focus turn sharply to Yan
Sau 's eyes widen at his daughter's assertion of 'love', and the ultimatum that follows makes his frown deepen. There's concern there, concern that he's going to push his daughter away again, and that's enough, at least at the moment, to make him swallow his distaste and outrage, and instead offer a somber nod. "Please... accept my apologies, Miss Kaya. I thank you for keeping my daughter safe."
Yan Sun lets out an uneven breath, bringing her right hand down under the table. Unlike her left, which is kept steady by cybernetic nerve signal buffers, her right is shaking, adrenaline coursing through her body. Jessica's look goes unnoticed, Yan Sun's gaze travelling immediately from her father to her glass, her left hand leaving Jessica's to take another big sip of wine in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
Jessica's gaze rests on Yan Sun for the moment, studying her with concern. That is, until Sau apologizes. That causes her focus to jerk right back to Sau with a loud scoff, looking more offended by the apology than by his insulting commentary on her home. "Fuck you." she says matter-of-factly, dropping the fake pleasantries.
Sau 's mouth twists, far more honest words on the tip of his tongue, but after one look at his daughter he bites them back.
Yan Sun abruptly stands up. "I-I need..." She trails off into a mumble and gestures, only the word "air" audible, and walk off in the direction of the balcony.
Jessica shifts in her seat, clearly intending to follow after Yan Sun, but quickly seems to decide against it. If it were her, she'd want her space. So she simply watches as Yan Sun exits through the balcony door, deciding it's probably best to give her a few minutes to herself first. Now alone with Sau, her focus returns to him and the harsh look on her face says what her mouth doesn't. This is your fault.
Sau watches Yan make her retreat with a concerned frown. He makes little effort to hide his displeasure in his daughter's absence as his attention returns to Jessica. "Are you pleased with yourself, Miss Kaya?" he asks, evidently not sharing her view on who is at fault here.