Tiānshì Imperial Palace

Shin'ichi offered no further response as Kaida departed the small shrine.

As Kaida departed, another figure stepped into the chamber. It was the young face of Shimizu Takayama, alone and without any guards.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said, hands clasped in front of him. "Prime Minister Kayabuki mentioned you walking you, is something on your mind that you'd like to discuss with me? I know that this is a difficult time, and I am here to listen to any concerns you may have."

Shin'ichi looked up as Shimizu spoke, and for a time he seemed perplexed as to who was addressing him. It took a moment for recognition to dawn on him and he inclined his head in the slightest of nod of greeting.

"Prince Shimizu," he offered.

He continued to scrub the bristled brush rigorously against Tamotsu's hide. The dragon shifted its head around to keep an eye on Shimizu. He was unfamiliar with the Taiyou prince, and thus Shimizu served as a point of curiosity for the animal.

"I apologize for my abrupt departure and any offense it may have posed. I am afraid that matters of politics are better handled by my sister. I never did have a mind for such things."

Shin'ichi's Taiyou was fluent and well spoken. The man it would seem was well educated in the Taiyou tongue, a language that was less common in Losenji than it was in Volaria.

The Prince ran his hand along the wall as he approached. "You speak our language well, I see the Shogunate has been kind to your people." The Prince said.

He looked around the chamber, and then he offered the other man a soft and assuring smile. "My people have a saying." He said in Taiyou. Then he turned to the Dragon, and then back to Shin'ichi. "My people have a saying, well, my mother's people... 'Din două rele s-alegi pe cea mai mică.' It means... If you are forced to choose between two options, both of which are undesirable, all you can do is choose the one that is less undesirable than the other." He said.

"I understand you may have reservations about this Alliance, but certainly it is better than the alternative."

"The Taiyou Shogunate has had little to do with my people," Shin'ichi corrected. "It was my own decision to learn your tongue."

Though there had been no hostilities between the Losenyu and the Taiyou shogunate, neither were they as closely affiliated as the Volarians were.

"And what is that alternative?" Shin'ichi asked.

He couldn't help but wonder if Shimizu's words held a veiled threat.

"Your own decision to learn our tongue? I find Taiyou is a very complex and difficult language, I am not a native speaker myself." He said, clasping his hands behind his back.

"You see, I was raised on Langara, where I studied until I was old enough to take the duties of the Taiyou throne. My mother did not have much faith in Taiyou education." Shimizu explained.

"Sometimes there comes a time where one must make a choice." The Prince added. "Had you chose not to go with either the AXIS or the TNG, your nation would inevitably have to choose to align with one or the other, or a third party nation or face destruction. I assure you our proposition was... what was best for your nation."

"Will that be all?" Shin'ichi asked.

The Losenyu prince didn't much care for the Taiyou man, and something about him just rubbed Shin'ichi the wrong way. An instinctive unease that left him less than comfortable with Shimizu's presence here.

His unease didn't reach his voice though, and he seemed at ease despite the internal distrust. Working the brush over the dragon's scales was a good distraction behind which to maintain a facade of calm introvertedness.

Shimizu scowled. "I believe so... Oh and..."

He turned and started to walk away, before he paused to turn back to the other.

"Do be careful, Terra is a very dangerous place I hear." He inclined his head respectfully. "There are some things that reservations cannot stop, Change is one of them. If you have any concerns, Do not hesitate to contact me." The Prince said as he turned to leave, but something seemed different, the look one person gives another when they intend to kill them. The thousand yard stare, a gaze Shin'ichi would likely find painted on Shimizu's face before he turned to leave, stopping by one of his trusted advisors.

"Omoară-l, să-l discret."

Am înțeles, prințul meu. The Advisor responded, then gave Shin'ichi a similar look.