Subika

On the day of their first official duel, Subika’s opponent stared, not at the katana in their hand, but at the small octopus calmly rearranging the war paint on Subika’s cheek. The starting gong rang. The octopus squirted. The duel was over. Years later, during a tense negotiation in The Teikodian Empire, the same creature, now a bit larger, stealthily pilfered a rare gem from a visiting dignitary's sash. Subika, mid-sentence about spiritual harmony, simply winked at it. Most recently, they were asked by a general if the octopus was a tactical liability. Subika replied with a straight face that it was a sacred oracle that only communicated prophecies through interpretive dance. The court has been trying to decipher its wiggles ever since.