"Beautiful? I am a mere toad in comparison to you, Princess"
Hideo takes another glace at the Shogun, it still appears to be under control. He returns his gaze to Taruko.
"Well, the professional events that require the armor are remembrance days, but if a lady in a stunning kimono walks into the institution, we are bound to make an exception."
Across the room leaning with his back to the wall facing the scene was another pair of eyes studying the entire situation carefully. Few knew of the Shogun's constant personal bodyguard, so trained are the Hatamoto in the arts of subtlety. As soon as Hirotada Watanabe had left the manor after their meeting, Izu had followed, tailing at a respectable distance and blending in after Hirotada-san had entered. Such a feat is usually not difficult, particularly with a stunning kimono-wearing young woman in the bar. As such no one even spared a glance for the undercover Daimyo.
Now he watched them all intently, silently. Watching for instructions, the subtle hand signals and facial gestures used in combinations to give instructions to personal bodyguards without drawing notice. A double scratch of the left cheek. Didn't that mean immediate extraction? The confirming scratch never came though - Hiro was joking with him, he mused, being able to have a completely separate conversation with him with just one hand.
And so he watched, gently relaxing his grip on his Nodachi beneath his thick black robes.
"Taruko, your humility is so graceful, I feel as if I've been blessed by an angel."
Hideo takes a moment to flash his eyes towards the man in the cloak. He receives hints as to whom it may be, but he remains cautious. He snaps back to the conversation.
"An audience with the Shogun? Well that is arranged usually by transmission, but if you're content with meeting him in person, calling a waiter to get his attention indicates business or approaching with a gift indicates friendship and respect."
Hideo leans back in his seat, tapping the bench once with his index finger and twice with his index and middle.
(12-11-2013, 11:44 AM)david.starr Wrote: Tony was starting to bow like the kusarians do, when Hirotada surprised him extending his open right hand. He then shaked hands with the leader of the Watanabe Kazoku.
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm here for less than one hour, but I like the place very much. I'm just waiting for your mechanics to fix one of my engines and I will head back to Ten, Mr. Shogun."
Tony then realised how awkward was to call the man 'Mr. Shogun'. Both were like titles.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I dont know how to properly address you, sir. Shogun? Mr. Watanabe. I'm lost... Oh! And were are my manners?! You want to take a seat, sir? If you have a little time I wanted to talk bussiness..."
Hirotada slowly sat down, rearranged the several items on the table, so they would be positioned completely to his liking. After he was done at last, he looked at Tony again and motioned with his right hand towards the empty seat on the other side of the table.
"Mr. Watanabe will be fine. Let's reserve titles for official encounters, they mean little anyway." - he cleared his throat, reclined into the chair and placed his hands over the table before continuing. - "Business is good. But before we get to that, I'd like to learn your name. I'm afraid I don't remember it from the last time we met."
While waiting for an answer, he glanced over to Izu and offered a sheepish smile to ensure him that everything -was- indeed fine.
Tony observed as the Shogun accepted his invitation to sit, and as the man organized the table items, as if organizing his chain of thought. Then he made the same gesture to Tony, offering a seat.
"Business is good." Watanabe said. "But before we get to that, I'd like to learn your name. I'm afraid I don't remember it from the last time we met."
The Zoner was a little distracted, trying to get a confortable position again on the 'little chair'. At those words, he raised his head and looked at the Shogun, somewhat embarassed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Pardon my manners, Mr. Watanabe. My name is Antonio Rafaello Doria, but I prefer just Tony. I was the pilot of that Marauder fighter that greeted you and your wingman when you arrived at Tau 37, the day you first led us here to Kyoto."
Tony poured some more sake in his cup.
"I'm sorry if I sound boring, you must hear this a lot of times, but I'm really honored to meet your home and yourself as well, Mr. Watanabe. Kyoto and the Dragons are legendary all around Sirius, everyone knows that you guys played a major role at the Nomad War, twenty years ago. Well, at least Zoners do... Some sake, Mr. Watanabe?"
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