Still looking at the elevator door for a couple of seconds after it closed, Saerieve looked back at the door in front of him and told himself 'Let's see how it goes...', then opened the doors and slowly and walked to center of the large room in front of him as he's been told. But instead of kneeling like what the Dragon had suggested, he stood up straight as if he's in front of a couple of Military Admirals than Shoguns of Blood Dragons. Even though not the best impression for such a place, he believed it to be the best choice as it was more of him, than acting like how dragons act.
After standing there for a couple of minutes while no one even looked at him, he finally noticed one of the men inside the room looking up and throwing him a glance which was not welcoming at all, to say the least. So, Saerieve looked straight at the man and started,"I believe you already know me as 'Saerieve', and I'm sent here by your Chrysanthemums sisters just as you have asked. But I guess just like your sisters, you'll be wanting my 'real' name, even though I left that name behind a long time ago... But still, address me as 'Emmanuel Pradier' if you find it more suitable."then paused without keeping his eyes off the man, waiting for his reaction to see how the 'introduction' part went.
Itagaki Dato kept staringat the newcomer for one minute more. He seemed to be meditating an answer, or just scanning every inch of this individual. Dato stepped into the center of the chamber, walking slowly in circles around Saerieve. "Pradier. Emmanuel Pradier. That name doesn't sound Libertonian, or Rheinlander. Maltese, Corsair? No way. Our sisters tend to make friends quite easily, I must say."
He stopped in front of Saerieve. "I have been told that the Sisterhood offered you shelter in Ainu. I have been told that they trust you enough to ask the Blood Dragons to take you here, to Kyoto. Now you have told me your name, and I accepted to talk with you. Consider it a good start, Pradier-san."
The Shogun remained silent, waiting for Saerieve's reply or proposal, if he had any.
Looking at the man in front of him, who was slightly shorter than him, Saerieve smiles and says,"Gallic, actually... Although I'm not sure how much you might know about it, but that's another story anyways..."then cleared his throat, returning to a more formal tone,"...And yes, I've been working with the Chrysanthemums for a time now. First when I got the docking rights on Ainu - where later I got myself a room -, I had a Roc, a good vessel for piracy, but not really good in fighting all those miniature KNF and Hogosha ships... So, I asked your sisters for permission to use one of their Eagles. Well, they gave me a second-hand one of theirs, which worked well enough, but still I believe as it limits my... abilities. As, after all... Eagle is not a 'masterpiece', but just an 'standard'."but then stopped as the man in front of him seemed like having something to say.
"So, I figure you are the kind of man who seeks to overcome 'standards', highlighting over such standards, hai?" The Shogun replied and began to walk in circles around Saerieve again. "But I heard 'piracy', right? I feel curious about it, what moved you into robbing people? I'll be glad to know more about your past...
Thinking for a few seconds to put the words together the best as he can, he finally said,"I've never been a 'Pirate', but direct meaning of the word - who robs people to make a living. I did it only because it simply was my 'brand' of having fun. Sure, I asked for a couple of credits here and there, but that was just to keep the fun going."listening to footsteps of the man walking around him, while still standing straight up without looking around, he continued,"But that was pointless, so I'm not a 'Pirate' anymore. You can look at me as more of a Freelancer, hunting for the GC and their friends."then reviewing the man's questions in his mind, he noticed there's still one unanswered, so he added,"I used to be a Police Officer back in Gallia - funny as it may sound -, and that's where I found hitting on transports 'fun'. You see... Police in Gallia are just as corrupt as any other House Police, but they're much more careless. They don't care if people notice they're not really there to protect them, so instead of doing under the table deals, taking bribes and all that crap, they just do it more... publicly. If you know what I mean."then cleared his throat before he continued,"If it was a Corp trans aiding the Kingdom, we would let it be, but we would play all types of games if a trans was unlucky enough to be a small-time Merchant, a Freelancer, or a minor trading group. But I always wanted to explore, not sit in one system, so after the route was open, I broke out of the place, found myself a couple of friends, and got the life going outside that craphole..."Hatred in his voice was surprising even to himself, it's been more than a year since the last time he had visited Gallia, but still remembered the feeling he had about everything in there when he first left."That's where I picked up the habit from. Just toying around with transports 'You have a Cargo and I have a Gun' style, you know."then clearing his throat once again he added,"But I don't play that game no more, sometimes you'll need to take some things more seriously in life and stop fooling around."
Dato chuckled. "Corruption everywhere, how sad isn't it? Kusari, Gallia..." He stopped right behind Saerieve. "So you said you wanted to explore, then you stumbled upon Sirius and later you decided to help the Sisterhood... Why is that? What moved you to Kusari? I bet a Freelancer could earn more profit in the other corner of Sirius...". The Shogun resumed his vicious walk in circles for umpteenth time.
Saerieve sighed, realizing it's been so long since the last time he met Rin that he didn't even remember her clear enough to call it a 'Memory', he was not even sure if she was real any more, but he took a deep breath and said,"A Girl..."and then said after a pause,"I hope that is enough to answer your question."but as he witnessed the shogun doing two more circles without a word, he continued,"In about a year out of Gallia, I explored nearly every corner of Sirius, saw all there was to see, shot all there was to shoot, but then... I ran into this girl in a Blossom, getting harassed by a bunch of Colonials in Taus. I got her out of that mess, and we spent rest of the day together..."then after another deep breath he continued,"All I've done since then was done just to make her mine. She has a rather high position among the Chrysanthemums, and that is why it is not an easy thing to be done."
Fujiwara was walking along the lines of low stools when he heard familiar voice. He followed the voice to its source, noticing the funny figue and the honourable Shogun doing the Killer Sloth Wardance around him.
He at first listened to their exchange of words, then decided to speak up.
He approached them, coughing slightly and bowing his head almost to the ground, he said:
"Honourable Shogun, forgive me for intruding... But I was listening to your conversation and thought I'd share some thoughts with You..."
"I have personally met this man in space, and although our meeting was very short, he -did- seem to be determined to help our Sisters and by extention, cripple Samura dogs..."
"But, perhaps more importantly, I have also heard other Dragons, although not of the Rising Sons' affiliation, talk highly of him, noting his contribution and talking about it with respect..."
"That is all, sensei..."
Fujiwara then bowed his head again and headed back to the stools.
The Shogun kept walking even when Fujiwara spoke. Few minutes later, Dato replied. "Let me recap. You left Gallia, willing to explore every corner of Sirius and you eventually met a Chrysanthemum who changed your life and linking you to the Sisterhood. Interesting."
He stopped and gazed at Fujiwara in the stools, then he resumed his 'wardance'.
"You also earned a good reputation among some of our brothers... But I should ask you now, do you really think you deserve to be treated as a 'friend' by the Rising Sons? If so, what do you want from us in exchange of our gratitude and friendliness? Overcoming those standards you talked about earlier...?"
"Although I understand your main ideology about all the 'Honor' and 'Pride' and 'Respect' and 'Warriorship' and whatnot..."He said but then paused to pick the best words not to sound offensive to the shogun,"But, the way I see it... It doesn't hurt if we look at life like a business from time to time... Not that we treat it as business, but just to compare it as an example."then cleared his throat and continued,"Let's say we're making a deal now... Why would you accept my proposition? Because... If I trust you, and you trust me, we will work together, and if we work together, it will mean doubling up our capabilities, and -That- means getting an extra hand whenever we need one, which in most simple form means 'profit' for both of us."but then repeated himself so the shogun wont misunderstand him,"But as I said, I'm not telling you to treat this as a business meeting... Just throwing it in as an example..."
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