[Hisakawa Yamato]

Political Tact

@all

Yamato patiently waited inside the meeting room for his expected guest to arrive, going over the key points he had prepared ahead of time in his mind. As soon as he had heard the news of a new Raikage, Yamato had scrambled to have a letter delivered to them calling for a meeting in the Land of Hot-Springs. The appointment of a new leader meant a potential change in a shinobi village's international policy, and getting an up-close and immediate read of the new Kage was Yamato's top priority, especially considering his current plans for Kusagakure...

As always, Yamato left the leadership of his village in the hands of Kameki Banri while he was away, also leaving his assistant and jinchuuriki behind. His bodyguards were much more difficult to get rid of, though he knew that wasn't exactly a bad thing. Those bodyguards kept a diligent watch outside of the meeting room, keeping an eye out for any threats to their Lord. However, here in Yu no Kuni there was practically no chance that anybody would dare violate the neutrality of this nation's borders.

There was a hot pot of tea in the center of the table, as was customary for all meeting rooms in this village, but Yamato didn't indulge in it quite yet. It would be rude to drink from the pot until the other party arrived, and besides, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep it down with the anxiety building up in his stomach. Meeting with other village leaders was nerve-wracking, their age or poise or strength always reminding the white-haired Kusa shinobi that he was woefully underprepared for his role. But it was a role he would perform to the best of his ability all the same.

Extra notes;

♥ Chou

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi had never been inclined towards nausea, and certainly never sea-sickness, but the entire trip to the Land of Hot Springs made her feel like she was going to be violently ill. The Lord Eighth of Kusagakure was an ally, according to what she’d been able to surmise, but he was also nothing but a question mark to Kizumi personally, which was far more unsettling to her. She knew the fast facts, that he was some ten years her junior and the latest in a revolving door of Kusa Lords and Ladies, but she knew next to nothing of him personally, and had no idea what he knew of her. This was her first meeting as the standing Raikage of Kumogakure, and Kizumi was trying very hard to be calm. She wasn’t worried about the village—she knew Hayato would have things well in hand—she was worried about completely mucking up an alliance. It was fine. It would be fine. Two bodyguards accompanied her as more of a formality than anything else; they were obliged to be there but almost certainly unnecessary. Kizumi herself wore no weapons openly, though her leather sealing bracelets remained on her wrists. She was very lightly kitted, forgoing her preferred mobile arsenal in favor of the plain, thick white robes that denoted her status, though she wore the garb untied over her usual gear. The yellow-and-white tipped hat she kept tucked under her arm, though her dark hair remained loose and unbound so she could put it on without having to awkwardly fuss with her hairsticks if she had to. Not exactly the picture of formality, but then, she didn’t really want to be. She was escorted to the meeting room, and after her own bodyguards took up their posts alongside the Kusa Lord’s detail, she was allowed inside. It’s just nerves. You’ll be fine. "Lord Hisawaka,” she said warmly as she entered. The door was quietly shut behind her, and she offered a short, polite bow. "It’s nice to meet you in person, thank you for inviting me.”

Hisakawa Yamato -- 361

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hisakawa Yamato]

Political Tact

@all

Yamato stood up a lot more quickly that he planned to when the woman entered the room, his own bow stiff but deep as she greeted him politely. He waited until she was at her seat across the table before moving to pour both of them a cup of tea.

"It's nice to meet you in person as well, Hachidaime Raikage. I never formally met with your predecessor but we were on good enough terms to allow our respective jinchuuriki to train together. I do hope to maintain that practice as a sign of continued goodwill between our villages."

As he opened up their discussion he finished pouring the tea, carefully sliding one cup to Kizumi and taking his own back to his seat where he gingerly sat back down. Unlike the Raikage he wore his typical shinobi attire. It was unlikely to be attacked here in the land of Hot Springs, but there wasn't a cost to being prepared just in case. And of course it wasn't as if though he were a leader of one of the major shinobi villages, so there was less of a protocol to follow. Along with his usual shinobi gear, Yamato's purple book lay on the table slightly off to the side, within arms reach for sure but not immediately at his fingertips.

"I greatly appreciate you agreeing to meet with me. I know firsthand that there is much to be done after being appointed the Kage of a village, but I also think it is important to establish rapport and discuss... our views on sensitive topics as soon as possible."

He paused to gauge Kizumi's reaction to the latter portion of his opening statements, carefully sipping from his teacup and stifling a cringe: Kisei tea was much better.

Extra notes;

♥ Chou

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

The Lord Eighth of Kusagakure was even more casually dressed than Kizumi was, kitted out in what looked like regular shinobi gear, which was honestly something of a relief; this level of formality was still something of a foreign concept to her, and it was good to know that Lord Hisakawa wouldn’t hold too fast to social niceties. "Thank you,” she said, settling into her own seat and graciously accepting the cup of tea. "Kumogakure’s jinchuuriki would be thrilled to keep the training going, I’m sure. She loves an excuse to stretch her wings.” Gods, her words felt so stiff and unnatural leaving her lips. Was this just what it was like to have a meeting between leaders? Hopefully it would get easier over time. Her eye flickered briefly to the purple book resting on the table—for notetaking, maybe?—but her attention was quickly drawn back to the man himself. Sensitive topics, he said. Kizumi took a long sip of her tea—which was quite nice, actually, very high quality—taking her time so she could turn the phrase over in her head. She smiled, setting her cup back down on the table. "Of course,” she said. "There’s a lot to do, but I hope I won’t lose sight of the need to make time for my village’s trusted allies.” She held the cup between her hands, the warmth of the tea a steady comfort against her skin. "I know the world stage is… ah, tense, at the moment. Were you present for the incident at the Chuunin Exams in Kirigakure?” Toshizou had been there, given her the run-down in a letter not long after the fact; all in all it had seemed like a complete mess. Was that one of the sensitive topics Lord Hisakawa was alluding to?

Hisakawa Yamato -- 296

LAIKA OF THQ