Nice Work If You Can Get It

[Ryuu Sato-Chiba]

There was something about music that just... made a man feel alive. Especially during a trying day at work. Not that it was day anymore, really. The last of the sun had disappeared and evening had arrived in its dark glory. Yet Ryuu was still at work. Which was normal for a Wednesday. As head of the police force, he also served as judge, which meant understanding cases. He was able to divide cases amongst the various judges in the country, but it was his glorious duty to review them all and determine which judge got which case and also if he should review a case himself. So Wednesdays he'd stayed late reviewing cases in order to get them passed around the following day.

But that didn't mean he was sitting behind his desk, shoulders hunched and brow furrowed. That was for daytime! Being that strange commodity of being police chief for an entire nation, he didn't really work at the police office. He worked in an office building; a nice governmental building. And he had learned over the past year that Wednesdays, people seemed to clear out faster than normal. So after the last of the surrounding offices had their doors shut and lights off, Ryuu really got started. He would turn to the small boombox on the corner of his desk and throw in a cd of choice. Then he would grab a case file and stand up, feet tapping as he got the beat. He would read and muse, dancing circles around his office as he determined just what to do with each case. He found it kept his mind clear and focused, and sometimes helped to adjust to the horrors of some of the cases.

The CD he started with was an old favorite, Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings. He hummed along and began to review a case regarding a man accused of bank robbery. As was normal with Fred Astaire, it was a lot of ballroom dancing. And that's all it was that could be heard through his area of the building. Music softly playing and shoes tapping on the hardwood floor, a sliver of light under the door revealing who still remained at work.

[Yoshida Izanagi]

Night time. It was a glorious thing that allowed others to rest and relax while the man worked in his own world to accomplish things he had yet to get to. Meditating, thinking, reflecting. He envisioned his own mind as water and night was when the waves grew wild, steady and created the new webs of what goes on within life. The beauty of water was something else. He adored watching the ripples that flowed in their own tones and sizes. Images faltered and reformed, swaying as the same with wind of the earth. Nature was always gorgeous and full of new wonders to enjoy. Unfortunately, he was not out and about to adore life's simpler things. He, instead, had a man with which he needed to discuss something. What did this man stand for? His rule was something from before Izanagi was around, but the man was under new laws now and how would he adapt?

Izanagi needed to know. What did this man have to say? Was he for or against? His eyes closed and the sound of crunching grass echoed into his ears and played at his mind. freshly laid dew was turning into ice as the sun disappeared for bed with the people to follow. Above, he could hear the hush of birds and the stirring cicadas that played songs in their place. Somewhere nearby, a cricket called out for its friends and family, silent only a moment as Izanagi stepped near it. A fear of being stepped on, or of being caught?

Into the building, he ventured. His gray eyes were full of intent, but not of a foul kind. Hr simply wondered. Thoughts were often flicking on and off. They came and went with each passing second, giving the Shogun much to contemplate. His eyes fell and he took a soft breath,. Clean, crisp air filled his lungs. Delightful, he loved it, but it was cut short by the stuffy office air. Perhaps they should open a window. Almost instantly his energy was sapped. Such negativity still lingered after people had long since went home. What kind of torture did these people endure that the whole facility felt of drained enthusiasm. Did all other buildings like this feel this terrible? It was as if he were placed in some sort of cage.

Music reached his ears, though not some that he instantly recognized. His sandals led the way, step by step towards it, hoping to find the man he was looking for. A door came to view, light on. Perhaps this was the room? Izanagi knocked twice on the door frame. "Sato-Chiba-sama?" How foolish he would look if he had the wrong man..

[Ryuu Sato-Chiba]

Ryuu dropped a case file on one of the five piles on his desk. Another case had been successfully sorted. However, the remaining pile of cases to review still appeared as large as ever. That was the typical thing, of course. Lots of cases because of lots of cases. Maybe... a lot was a bad word. But considering he had to review every case across the entire huge country of Aerugo... there were a lot. Ryuu gave himself a tiny sigh as he picked up another file. As one song on his CD faded into the end, he could've sworn he heard tapping. It was extremely light and he wasn't entirely sure he had actually heard anything of importance. Yet, he hesitated. Maybe he wasn't hearing anything? He reached over and hit the pause button on his stereo.
"Sato-Chiba-sama?" Ah! He had been right to pause the disc. The tapping had probably been a knock on his door. He put the case file back down on top of his desk and hop-stepped to the door. He opened it and almost instantly recognized the man on the other side. His eyes flared wide for a moment and he stepped back, gesturing with a wide arm and a bow in the same motion. “Shogun. Please, come in.” He waited until Izanagi had entered the room before closing the door behind him. “What brings you here this evening, sir?”

[Csilla Angelis]

{BUMP}

[Yoshida Izanagi]

A man stood outside the door, greeting him formally and naturally, Izanagi bowed in turn to this man. Manners never died and were in fact tied to the very soul within themselves. It didn't matter how little he got to begin with, it was always proper to show respect and this man, deserved a lot of it. After all, he was a man that handled well in the face of other people. He worked with everyday civilians and aristocrats. Izanagi took his steps in, leading him further within the office which was... well.. very different than his dojo. His abode was always just plain wooden floors with blades to surround and sweaty men and women.

He was asked a question, but he did not respond right away. Izanagi was taking in the strange surroundings around him. His eyes closed briefly, to reopen kindly to the man before him, but not a frown nor smile appeared. "Yes. I apologize for not making an.. arrangement? I was around here, when I saw the lights were still on. I wish to speak with you, if that is okay? Or would it be better if I come upon another day?" His words showed how serious he was, while his eyes narrowed, not suspiciously, but with a concern. He would hate to be a bother to the poor man with nearly as much on his plate as he, himself, nearly had.

[Ryuu Sato-Chiba]

"Yes. I apologize for not making an.. arrangement? I was around here, when I saw the lights were still on. I wish to speak with you, if that is okay? Or would it be better if I come upon another day?"

Ryuu wanted to slam his head against a wall. Very, very, slowly. Any other day, he would have been happy to see the shogun and discuss any manner of topics. But caseload night had to be the worst possible time. He'd either have to stay even later tonight, or he'd have to stay late tomorrow. Not that he had anything to do tomorrow... but still. It wasn't really fair. However, he wasn't going to tell the leader of the country to shove off. Not exactly polite. So Ryuu gestured for the shogun to sit across from the desk and he gathered up the stack of cases he had yet to complete. He set them off to the side so when he sat down at his desk, he could see clearly at the man across from him. “There's no time like the present, sir. Please, sit. What do you need to discuss?”


[Sorry this is super short XD]

[Yoshida Izanagi]

“There's no time like the present, sir. Please, sit. What do you need to discuss?” Izanagi could feel a tinge of tension hit the air. That was happening a lot lately. Was he so intimidating? He was just a man. At any rate, he moved his body into a seat and stared at the his host for a few seconds. Izanagi moved his blade with one hand, shifting so it wasn't awkwardly pressing into his side. His gray eyes rose once again to the worker before him. "I promise I will not keep too much of your time." After straightening his back, he debated on how to carry on the conversation.

"I simply thought it wise to talk to you." Izanagi had to pause for a moment. It was not for dramatic effect, but just so he could debate the best way to proceed. "As you know, I am leading this country now. This is a change that is most difficult so.." Feeling a bit jittery, he had to stand to his feet and take a step to his left. "I simply wished to ask, if you perhaps had an opinion in general?" Such a conversation was hard to create the words. Izanagi furrowed his brow, forcing thoughts to focus a bit more. "You work the closest with the people. I simply wished to know if you have any observations.. any ideas?" The next line was paused on purpose, as he knew how heavy it could be. "We will be working together a lot.. I need to trust you. I hope that is.. alright with you?" The stare turned to Ryuu. A hard stare that spoke of a hardened man who wasn't going to put up with some sort of tom-foolery in his highest departments.

[Ryuu Sato-Chiba]

It was interesting to see the shogun walking in a government building, a blade comfortably at his hip. Did the man not feel safe in these halls? Or perhaps it was just a habit of his? Nevertheless, Ryuu watched as Izanagi settled the blade comfortably, apologizing for interrupting him. Ryuu smiled kindly and made a small gesture with his hand that it was no matter, and to let the shogun continue. Ryuu watched the man carefully as he attempted to bring up the topic of conversation. It didn't immediately appear that Ryuu was being asked to vacate his job, so that was a good sign. Yet he was being asked his opinion. In general? Ryuu managed to keep the puzzlement off his face, except for a small twitch of his jaw. What exactly was he being asked?

"You work the closest with the people. I simply wished to know if you have any observations.. any ideas?" Well, that wasn't exactly true anymore. He had once, but now he mostly worked with other higher ups. He tried to see his “average” police officers as often as possible, but it wasn't always easy. But he was the justice of the people, so that counted for something. "We will be working together a lot.. I need to trust you. I hope that is.. alright with you?" This was an interesting predicament and no mistake. Here he was, minding his own business and he's getting sized up by the shogun to determine if he's trustworthy. He stood up slowly, his feet making slow silent steps as he glided around the desk. He had to walk to think sometimes. He looked down at Izanagi in the chair. “I'm not sure what specifically you're asking me to say, so I'll just say what I say, and you can take it from there. I was never particularly fond of the Empress Yuuko's methods. I'm here to serve as judge to the people and deliver fair justice. If you offer a stable environment for the people of Aerugo and justice to the wronged, then I see no reason for us to work poorly together.” He shrugged his shoulders with a small sigh. “I want to see some positive growth in our country. The people have suffered enough.”

[Yoshida Izanagi]

Izanagi watched Ryuu stand and pace, but only slightly. The warrior's eyes trained on his every movement. The slightest wrong one could put the shogun on edge with ease. He could be uptight, suspicious and foreboding if needed. Some of his prior speakings had ended in such a distrusting way. Such as Shinku. Izanagi was taking a huge leap of faith trusting the man, but as for truly trusting him- he wasn't sure he could honestly say he did. Some say that a snake could be spotted with ease, HOWEVER, it was not of his own rights to assume the man was bad news. Everyone deserved a chance. A CHANCE. A chance to forget what had happened before, a chance for a new beginning and a chance for forgiveness. A gut feeling told him not to, but not in a way that made sense.

“I'm not sure what specifically you're asking me to say, so I'll just say what I say, and you can take it from there. I was never particularly fond of the Empress Yuuko's methods. I'm here to serve as judge to the people and deliver fair justice. If you offer a stable environment for the people of Aerugo and justice to the wronged, then I see no reason for us to work poorly together. I want to see some positive growth in our country. The people have suffered enough.”

The words stirred a sort of pride in Izanagi, though the man would die before he truly showed it. Emotion was used against him if he showed it. He was a man, but people took advantage of that. Now moreso than ever. Anything he cared for would soon be a target. His best bets were to focus on Aerugo and the growth of the country. If he had not much else, that HAD to be a focus. His eyes closed and he took a breath. The exhale was nothing short of pure relief. "Your words could not be possibly more true." Sympathy was there, slightly hidden behind the grey clouds. His hand was extended and lightly pressed on Ryuu's back. "You are a good man, I can tell. I put my faith in you. If you ever need anything.. alert me. In this time, we need to hear the people more than ever." The grip was tightened for a moment, then released with the smallest glint of a smile on the shogun's lips.

"Now, forgive me, but I believe you have work to do? I apologize for taking up so much time. I shall take my leave." With that, he bowed towards the man and turned away. Quietly, he slipped from the room and building; a contemplative look on his face.

[Ryuu Sato-Chiba]

Ryuu bowed as Izanagi made his exit. He felt honored that with so little words, the shogun had placed his trust in him. And yet, at the same time, Ryuu was awfully confused. That was literally all the shogun had wanted? What a terribly short visit that was. But he supposed that all Izanagi had needed was an answer, which he got. And it was definitely the right one, which helped. Now Ryuu could return to his own pile of work. After he was sure the shogun had left the building, Ryuu closed the door to his office. He spun on his heel and slid over to his cd player, where he resumed the music he had been dancing to prior. He picked up a case and flipped up the folder. It was going to be a long night still, but he felt better. Almost light-hearted, considering what he was doing. He felt on firmer ground in his position, though. There was now a clear (albeit it brief) understanding between his views and the shogun's and their views matched.

{END THREAD}

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