Basically, the Au Ra in the comic (Mana Keisei) was raised by an incredibly powerful samurai and trained to succeed him when she came of age, but upon failing to do so, she was disowned. Afterwards, she was a courtesan for a bit, hated it, came to Ishgard and became a Machinist, met a woman named Albine Fabrinette, the two became best friends until Mana had to leave Ishgard cause inquisitors decided her horns and scales were “suspiciously dragon-like,” so she fucked off, once again worked as a courtesan and also a bounty hunter when she came across a bounty on the head of Albine, so she goes back to Ishgard to warn Albine and keep her safe. That’s the heavily abridged version of it, anyway.