Mothers don't always know best

[Yoshida Izanagi]

It had been a week ago, that his mother had made a call that even Izanagi did not know about. A month before that, had been an argument with her. He was a shogun now, and in her eyes, that was nearly the same as an Emperor. This meant that he needed to have kids, before he was killed, before he died of some wound. He needed to give her grandkids! HOWEVER, before that! He needed to find a lover and before THAT, he needed to know what love was. As well, her poor son was under so much stress, it was obvious the tension release could do him good. SO! She gathered up some money and she hired a professional in the love game, to maybe teach her son a lesson or two. NATURALLY, he didn't know about this, but as far as she knew he was highly inexperienced in the aspect and maybe, just maybe the temptation to follow would bring him to his senses. He had thus far denied even the most attractive of concubines, claiming he had no use for servants. Even his own father had not been as chaste as was placed upon their son's head, but what better way, than to get him in such a position?

A faint knock hit the door of the dojo. A sweaty shogun paused, not expecting company of even his closest friends. His torso was bare, while he spoke. "Come in." Quickly he dabbed his head with a towel, while he sought to walk acroos the large wooden room and grab his jacket. he did not look upon his guest. "I apologize for my appearance, I did not know I was to have company." His arms slid easily into the holes of the jacket, swiftly buttoned up, to leave him less indecent. "How might I be of service?" He turned to greet the form of a woman... unexpected. Slightly awkward, but barely so.

[Guest]

One Week Ago....

Feona could hear the phone ringing, looking up from her reading on the couch with some curiosity. She hadn't expected any calls today at all, hence her remaining in her nightgown and a simple silk robe. Placing her book mark between the pages, she rose up and strode over to the phone, picking it up as she closed her robe a bit more against the chill of the room. She made a note to turn up the thermostat when she got the chance.

"Hello, Sonohara Mika speaking."
"Hello Miss Sonohara, My name is...."

She could not believe her ears, the Shogun's mother was calling her of all people? What "troublesome proposition" could she have? She certainly wouldn't know that Feona moonlit as a spy of sorts, so it had to be purely for her courtesan skills.

"Can you do this?"

Though she couldn't see it through the phone, Feona smiled, "Of course." And with that, they spoke quickly upon the business of the deal (payment and like) before hanging up the phone. Her hand lingered upon it as she stood there in her living room, staring down towards the floor as her smile fell rather suddenly to a more neutral expression, her hands shaking ever so slightly. She was charged with teaching the Shogun about love and its ways.... It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with important figures in countries before, but this was different. They hadn't been the Shogun for gods sake! Taking a deep breath, she started to turn to go back to her reading....

Present Day

The day was finally here. An odd sort of calm had completely smoothed over all of her fears and nervousness which left her quite focused indeed. She had arrived at the palace with no issue, merely murmuring her name before the servants eyes seemed to glint with an understanding, leading her through the hallways without a single word. She had chosen a somewhat formal kimono for the day, deciding that discression was better than flashing cleavage to the Shogun. Through certain circles she had heard that he did not seem very interested in flesh or love even. If nothing else... She could claim that she entertained the Shogun for a day no matter how it went.

They soon arrived at what appeared to be the dojo, the servant bowing to her to which she nodded her head in return. He was in there then. She knocked very gently as her gaze lowered to the floor, her head remaining slightly bowed as she took one last, deep breath to truly calm her nerves. This would be fine. "Come in." No going back now. Her hand raised and she carefully slid the screen door open, stepping inside enough to be able to close the door behind her. When she raised her eyes enough to glance at him, she had to pause and blush faintly before immediately turning her eyes to the floor. Hooooooooo dear....... He was half naked And sweating. And it was very VERY attractive. He had NOT been told about her coming, had he? Well... this was giong to go off just swimmingly wasn't it? "I apologize for my appearance, I did not know I was to have company."

"I apologize for intruding my lord." She spoke softly, stealing another glance as he picked up his jacket and slid it on over his form. Her violet eyes lowered quickly as she slid her hands into the sleeves of her kimono, raising them a bit before bowing to him much as if she were a fighter defering to her commanding officer (which he was in a way). "How might I be of service?" It was now that she could feel the shift in the atmosphere as he realized something about his guest. That she REALLY was unexpected by him. "Perhaps," She carefully raised her head to look at him, "the question is how I can be of service to you my lord. I do apologize for the suddenness, and unexpectedness, of my visit." She then bowed her head again, truly hoping now that things wouldn't end up too.... awkward, for him.

[Yoshida Izanagi]

The woman was certainly a striking one. He could not deny that, but beauty was an odd thing. Her face held upon it a scar, which made him feel a surge of rage. Harming a woman's face was something he saw punishable by the means of death. Of course, harming someone anywhere was to be a crime, but upon the face was certainly borderline rape in his own book. Nevertheless, it was not his place to be involved, so he took a breath and allowed his nerves to settle. As he opened his grey eyes, he found her there, once again. Polite in manners, that gave him a comfort to relax, even if only a slight bit.

The moment was odd though, for she, herself seemed nervous. What was she unnerved by? Had it been when she had caught him? Perhaps that was the only viable reason. As if trying to ease her mood, he attempted the smile, only managing a gentle tug at the sides of his lips. The muscles needed were so underused as of lately, he wasn't exactly sure he could manage that much.

"Perhaps, the question is how I can be of service to you my lord. I do apologize for the suddenness, and unexpectedness, of my visit." Now there was a statement she found just as confusing as he felt. How was someone to visit him with no agenda? Did he.. know them? His brow furrowed as he tried to replay his past life in hopes for maybe a glimpse. No.. she didn't ring a bell. Of course, saying so was always awkward, but pretending to know someone was even MORE awkward. His stance switched to a more contemplative one.

"I apologize, as well." He started his words, only to hesitate. The dangerous stern eyes rested on her with the twerk of interest behind them. "Have we met before? As, I am confused why you are here, if you do not need anything?" Suddenly he hesitated and grimaced. "Unless.. you are another servant being forced upon me. In which case, I release you now, I have far too many as it is and I dislike the idea of servants entirely." He had not meant the words in an insulting way, naturally, but how this woman took them was entirely up to her. He rose to a straighter posture. "Otherwise, I am at a loss and perhaps you had something to speak with me on?"

[Guest]

Would be be offended by her presence? Would her being a foreigner sully her in his eyes? Or would he merely be as confused as she expected he was and only want to know what it was that she was doing there? She had a feeling that it would be the latter of those three options. She could feel his eyes pass over the scar that marred her pretty face, but her expression did not change. Nay, she barely betrayed a thought in her head except for the nerves that she couldn't seem to be rid of. Most women would feel self-conscious about a scar upon their face, a sense of shame perhaps. But Feona? She felt nothing. An event caused it and she had come to terms with it long ago. None of her clients seemed to mind either which was for the better. Seine even found it rather attractive, which puzzled her at times depending on the particular client. But hey, she was hardly one to judge.

Since he did not immediately send her away, she raised her head again, slowly straightening up. He did not object and she saw no change in his expression, no warning flags coming up on her radar that indicated she had done wrong by finishing her bow now. Her hands lowered but remained clasped, giving her a somewhat demure air, but she was hardly a wilting flower before him. Of course she would defer to him, but she began to regain a sureness of self as she stood there before him. As he tried to smile, she could see it for what it was and relaxed more, a smile of her own coming to settle upon her lips.

"I apologize, as well." He....what? her eyebrows raisd in quesetion since the shogun was apologizing to HER. a serf, a....whore... as some would say. She could see the interest in his eyes then, and she was humbled, "Have we met before? As, I am confused why you are here, if you do not need anything?" Oh dear. She hadn't thought about that either. Se may as well be honest. "It is possible you have seen me Yoshida-sama." He suddenly grimaced which made her falter a little, "Unless.. you are another servant being forced upon me. In which case, I release you now, I have far too many as it is and I dislike the idea of servants entirely." Erm.... Yes it was best to NOT mention her true purpose here then. But she could still attempt to teach him and confirm his thoughts on the realm that she dwelled in. Love.

She shook her head slowly as her eyes lowered to the floor, "I am not my lord." She raised those purple orbs to him again, the smile returning as she waited for a clear sign it was alright for her to approach. She remained by the door, observing him in his entirety. "Otherwise, I am at a loss and perhaps you had something to speak with me on?" Well, he was real gentleman wasn't he? "I merely wish to visit with you, if I am not intruding. My name is Sonohara Mika. I am honored to meet you." Her smile seemed to flash with a brilliant sweetness that was far from sickening or false. She really was actually quite excited about this job. "Do you wish me to leave for a moment? I did not mean to interrupt your training."

[Yoshida Izanagi]

"I merely wish to visit with you, if I am not intruding. My name is Sonohara Mika. I am honored to meet you. Do you wish me to leave for a moment? I did not mean to interrupt your training."

Izanagi was a bit dumbfounded. He stared at the woman with his brow furrowed, not in anger or suspicion, but with curiosity. His eyes sought hers for information or explanation. It just didn't.. make sense. No people 'just visited him' unless it was his sister. Sometimes Ryuji did, but the nature of his job required him by Izanagi anyways, so.. it just didn't add up. NO matter how many times he did the math. Nevertheless, here she was, wishing to .. visit with him? What did people do on a visit? "Oh.. of course." he referenced to the meeting, cluelessly speaking.

"No need for that. It is just about time for tea, anyways, is it not?" He glanced towards a clock nervously. This was.. strange. What would people do if they knew of him alone with a woman? Perhaps he should call one of his guards in to stand watch. No.. then he looked a bit foolish and skirmish. He had self control, there would be nothing happening to this woman, he could never do something so.. immoral. After closing his eyes,he regained some of his composure. "Now then. Would you, yourself like some tea? Perhaps coffee?" Despite the fact he disliked it, he could still over it to a guest. "Have you traveled far? Would you like a dumpling?" He... wasn't exactly commonly a host. Normally his guests were expected and he was mentally prepared. This time? no. he wasn't exactly ready. Nonetheless, he could at least entertain this woman for a little while until she decided to leave. Obviously if his guards let her in, she was no threat?

[Guest]

It was an instant sensation in her mind, a tickling in her belly that rolled around and only urged her to continue smiling the way she was at him. She had completely dumbfounded the Shogun. Did.... he even get ANY social interaction with anyone that wasn't on business or some formal event? She knew that he had an older brother he didn't talk to, and a younger sister that he adored and possibly even coddled a little bit. So if his sister didn't count as a social interaction for him, then what was left? Now she was truly curious, as if she hadn't been already. Whether Izanagi realized it or not, there was an air of mystery to him and yet... such simplicity that intrigued Feona. She didn't just to get to know her clients just because she was supposed to, she also wanted to get to know them because she liked meeting new people. So what if she was probably going to see them with their pants off by the end of the day? That wasn't the point. The point was the company of her clients. Thus she merely returned the Shogun's disbelieving stare as he attempted to glean any kind of other motive or reason from her which she didn't have for him except for what she had already told him. "Oh.. of course." Heh.... Had she even stolen his ability to speak too?

It was no matter really for he continued, "No need for that. It is just about time for tea, anyways, is it not?" She only straightened up a little more, a delicate hand coming out of her sleeves to brush a single, infuriating, stray hair that was brushing against her face. God how she hated that feeling more than anything..... But anyways, back to the question at hand. "I suppose it is Yoshida-sama." She answered quietly as he attempted to regain his composure, finally succeeding after closing eyes for just a moment. "Now then. Would you, yourself like some tea? Perhaps coffee?" She was about to answer him, except he just continued right through to his next series of questions, "Have you traveled far? Would you like a dumpling?" Oh... Now wasn't that just adorable... He almost seemed nervous about it. She merely took a careful step towards him, clasping her hands in front of her, a small, gentle chuckle escaping her as her expression softened a little bit. "I would love some tea Yoshida-sama, thank you." Now how did she managed to get him to relax? Granted, this most likely wasn't going to completely happen the first time that they meet, if nothing else due to formality, but how could she get a step closer?

"I have not traveled far, but I would not have minded it if I had." She almost mentioned that she had traveled farther to visit others, but no need to tell him that hm? "Just the tea, thank you though I appreciate the offer. Is there somewhere that you would like to take your tea?" Mmm. Now she was becoming too stiff. "I am not a guest that needs much Yoshida-sama, only the pleasure of your company." She paused and chuckled, "I apologize, that was rather cheesey wasn't it?" Hmmm.... Now she had to wonder... If he didn't get a lot of social interaction, then did he understand slang or certain phrases? If that was the case then this would get even trickier, and yet far more interesting.

[Yoshida Izanagi]

"Just the tea, thank you though I appreciate the offer. Is there somewhere that you would like to take your tea? I am not a guest that needs much Yoshida-sama, only the pleasure of your company. I apologize, that was rather cheesey wasn't it?"

Izanagi showed no real response. his eyes trained on her with a curious blankness to them, but within the confides of his head, a mystery was unraveling. This woman wanted only his company? When he had been a soldier, there had been not a person to request such a thing. He still had the same mind as back then. Mindlessly, he slaughtered people all in the name of the wench that ruled them and for what-? She was gone now, but still he remained as lost as ever. Or at least when it came to socializing. It was as if he were sheltered his whole life (which he was) in ways that prevented him from comprehending such basic things as people wanting to just be around him.

He nodded in response, whether it be to accept her statement or to accept her being in the room, either was rather truthful. "That is good.. I suppose." With that said, he vanished a moment, to return from behind doors with a medium-sized platter Upon which sat his traditional sake cup(which he didn't plan on using yet), two cups and a pitcher with a few tufts of steam swirling out. A bowl of sugar was in his other hand, delicately held, while he placed the items on the short table near the floor. His cushion was adjusted and soon he motioned for her to sit, before seating himself and pouring both cups full. "I fear I am not much for company."

A scoop of sugar was offered to her, eyes trained on her response. How would she respond? It was natural, taking her in as a sort of enemy. She wasn't one, but the evaluations remained the same. Would she be offended by the offer and want to do it herself? nod? Or would she hold up fingers? Such things were non-trivial, but gave away so much on a person's character. He didn't intend to analyze her, it just often happened.

[Guest]

He was a very introverted man, wasn't he? He held everything in, or whatever there was exactly TO hold in since it wasn't like she knew the workings of his mind in the least bit. It was becoming clearer and clearer to her though, why exactly she had been called, the wolf wanting to hound another wolf while disguised in sheeps clothing. It made her feel a bit sorry for him actually, not that she would dare let him know that ever or at all. Just.. no. His family was rather overbearing on him, weren't they? That had to be it. She was well aware of Izaya's leaving, and of Izanami's situation as well. But getting to meet people face to face was very different from just reading some file that held not a single hint of life. Any subtleties would be lost, and misinformation would blossom to create and distract from whatever truth was buried. But in any case, she was straying away from the moment at hand, her violet eyes watching him before demurely looking towards the ground. It was not wise, or polite, to stare too long at a person so. Even if she did want to. Watching a person could tell you so very many things about them.

She saw his nod, and she was again, a little relieved. If things didn't go well, it could reflect very poorly upon her. She shuddered to think if she accidentally offended him. "That is good.. I suppose." And with that he left, her body moving as if to go get it herself, blinking as she stared at the doors, quickly regaining her composure so she was standingly as perfectly and as delicately as before when he returned. She approached the table as he did, not sitting until he had, smoothing out her kimono beneath her. She was already adding notes to the previously noted notes made earlier. He really did like to do everything by himself, possibly another result of the upbringing he had from that oppressive family. So, she concluded, she should not obey the usual rules of decorum and insist on pouring his tea for him while claiming it is out of respect for his position. That would make her like a servant to him, at least she was hypothesizing, praying she was right. "I fear I am not much for company." She shook her head slightly and smiled gently to him, watching as he poured the second cup. "When you have a country and its people to be responsible for, I can only imagine how much true human interaction one could have."

She nodded and smiled, lifting the sleeve of her kimono as she carefully slid her cup a centimeter towards him, showing the delicate and pale skin of her wrist. "Thank you. Yes, you must meet with ministry members, other dignataries, the nobility, but they are not necessarily a true interaction. Your purpose is for state matters, not simply as a person to another person." Her hand lowered for the moment, pulling her tea towards her once it had been sugared. Her eyes lowered as she let her sleeve fall, bringing a cup up to her lips to blow on it, not taking a sip just yet. Her violet eyes raised back up to him, "You do not get many visitors that you would speak to as one person to another aside from your sister, do you? Please pardon me if I am intruding on personal matters you would rather leave unsaid."

[Yoshida Izanagi]

As she spoke, he did not look at her, but simply listened. The sound of her voice told of each movement. She only slightly moved to offer her cup and light 'plop!' sounds echoed with the drop of each sugar cube. Sounds gave away more than speaking. He could tell so much in a person's silence, that it rivaled speaking by far. It was a code he lived strongly in. "You don't get many non-political visitors' was the jest of what she had said. As true as it was, he was pleasantly surprised on how she knew that. Were his talking skills that bad? Or was he just that readable? Maybe his training had slipped? No matter. He simply nodded to her and picked his own cup up. The flavor slid along his tongue in a comforting way. It always brought him home.

His head moved slowly to nod. "What you say is true." Was that all he could manage? He was so pathetic! The gray eyes lifted to her face with gentle tints. "I have little company other than those who wish something of me. To have someone who simply wishes to be near me... it is.. unexpected. Of the few ways there are to catch me off guard that would be one." He sipped his tea again. The calmness settled and swept any anxiety away. "What of you? Surely you have others who are intent upon your attention?" What kind of friends did this woman have, was what he was wondering. Perhaps it was nosy, but as long as she didn't mind, why did it matter? She wanted to be around him and it was in his righst to ask.

[Csilla Angelis]

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[Guest]

Considering he didn't immediately retract and order to leave the room, she had not stepped on any toes by stating her observations to him. That was a great relief, and made her feel a little bit proud of herself. It just meant that her skills at working with important politicians were greatly improved and very solid. After all, it was a little bit risky to be in a position such as her own since her clients could probably have her killed for the slightest offense. "What you say is true." Their gazes met and held since that was clearly a sign that it was alright to. She wouldn't have dared to otherwise. "I have little company other than those who wish something of me. To have someone who simply wishes to be near me... it is.. unexpected. Of the few ways there are to catch me off guard that would be one." Well now wasn't that a pity. Heh... at least she had found the ONE way to do so... Ah well. Now it was out of the way, and they could proceed from there.

While it was her job to be near him at the moment, she truly wanted to since he was the head of the country that she had fallen in love with. That, and he was her boss technically as well. Her cup tilted back and allowed that delicious fluid to roll its warmth down her throat, the sensation spreading and blossoming within her stomach. Ah.... Tea truly was the best. That was another thing that she loved in Aerugo; its tea. In Drachma it was awkward and different, either too bitter or too sweet, or just... Ugh. It couldn't compare. "What of you? Surely you have others who are intent upon your attention?" She lowered her glass to its saucer, the china clinking together quietly as she stared at the table for a moment in thought. It would appear it was her turn to be caught a little off-guard now. How best to answer his question.... Ah yes, she knew how. Feona smiled to him as those violet depths raised again to meet the soft grey of his own, "My younger brother. Though I'm sure he's busy with college and his job so he does not need me to dote upon him more than I do."

Heh... He had teased her just earlier this week about how she took care of him so despite his age and situation, though it was all in good fun. She knew that he understood why it was that she behaved so, and he also knew how careful she was to not smother him either. He deserved his independence as well. Her eyes had grown slightly distant in her brief thoughts, tilting her head as she returned to the moment. "Like you, he is the only one for me who does not expect something out of my company. There was another, but he is gone now." She was not sad at this fact for it was just that, a fact. She had moved on long ago from that, but there was no need for the Shogun to know about that.

[Csilla Angelis]

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