Useful notes to this one mainly are that a han is like a fiefdom and dapanji is something like chicken stir-fry cooked in beer. I'm not sure that's soldier rations but they have to eat something. ;)
He had been lost, wandering through the palace in attempt to reach the barracks, having been sent off on his own. The morning sun shone brightly through the branches of the cherry trees, a latticework of sun and shadow marked across the trail shifting with the stirring of the wind. A stream ran lightly through the garden and Luca paused as he crossed the low bridge that passed over it, resting his hand lightly against the brightly painted red railing. The beauty and quietude of the garden reinforced a feeling that this was not a place he should be wandering through. He knew that to deviate from the path he had been instructed to follow would only find him more astray, but being new to the Tenkujyou imperial palace it was unnerving to think he might be treading across grounds he shouldn't. He had little choice but to trust that he was headed the right direction and hope that if he was wrong anyone he may encounter would not jump to hasty conclusions about his presence and could set him the right way. Despite himself he couldn't help but take in the beauty of the place as he went—the lush greenery and peaceful air that permeated the garden, the soothing sounds of the song birds, the running brook. There was a profound harmony to it all, a balance of sun and sky and earth and water. As he reached the edge of a row of plum trees, Luca came to an utter standstill. Seated at the edge of the riverbank was a solitary figure.
He was looking at a living flower, more beautiful than all the rest in the garden. The young man was unmoving; his vermillion eyes locked on Luca's with a faintly surprised expression. Violet locks elaborately styled and woven together around a coronal of red and gold fell across his back, the longest strands brushing the ground on which he sat. Dressed in opulent silk, the poise the man held bespoke grace and dignity.
Could he have stumbled upon one of the palace courtesans? Surely it would be criminal if he were caught here, unsolicited, with one of the Regent's favourites. Luca's mind raced, unsure of the proper protocol. He was certain now that he shouldn't be here. He quickly bent down on one knee and dipped his head very low, trying to convey his sincerity through gesture. "I ask for your mercy and lenience," he spoke with his head bowed. "I have lost my way and wandered here unintentionally. Please forgive my unseemly intrusion." He heard rustling as the other man stood to his full height. Luca kept his eyes averted, waiting tensely for his response.
"You may stand," the young man said evenly. Luca didn't move. "Be at ease. For the present you have my permission to be here."
"I'm not sure my presence is appropriate here," Luca said, raising his eyes to meet the other's gaze.
"Perhaps not, but I have the power at least to say who can enter my garden."
"I thank you for your courtesy," Luca replied as he rose to stand, still caught in the light of those flame-red eyes.
"Where were you intending to wander?" the young man asked, his tone and expression completely neutral.
"I was heading for the barracks. I've arrived only recently from Yanagi to serve as a royal bodyguard in the palace."
"However did that lead you here?" the other man said, a perplexed look crossing his face. He finally adopted a warmer expression before continuing, "No matter. I will accompany you to the edge of this quarter and let you wend your way from there."
"That is most gracious of you," Luca said, falling into step with the violet haired man as he walked in the opposite direction from which Luca came. Although he made an effort not to stare at his companion, to catch even that wisp of a smile from the other man was strangely tempting.
It wasn't long before his guide picked up the thread of conversation again. "You mentioned Yanagi. I must admit I'm not terribly familiar. What were you doing there?"
"I am not surprised, it is a sleepy han and it is only having come here that I've started to realize how little news travels to or from the small prefectures in the East," Luca replied, "but that is where I've been raised since youth. I trained under the lord there, Master Reida—formerly among the King's Guard—for many years. He is ailing of late and despite my fear for how he will fare in my absence, he was determined that I enter into royal service. It is on his recommendation that I have been accepted here."
"He must be a venerable man. Usually these things are not so simple, I understand." The young man paused briefly and turned to smile half-heartedly at Luca as though concealing some secret thought. "I wonder if I might ever meet him."
"Is such a thing permissible?" Luca asked, perhaps too boldly. But for a courtesan of the Regent to meet with a former guard living far from the capital would be considered very strange to be sure.
The violet haired man gazed down at his tightly-knitted hands blankly. "It may not be," he replied. "Come, this way," he continued and they began to walk again.
Luca worried that he had offended him by his question and resolved to follow along in silence. However, it was only moments before the other man became animated once more. "How are you finding your initiation here, in a place so different from your home?"
"It is both pleasant and overwhelming," Luca replied honestly. Taking a moment to meet those fiery eyes he added, "Sometimes unexpectedly so." He was treated with a sweet smile in return.
"I have no doubt the unexpected will soon wash away into simple routine. The unexpected moments quickly become the most beautiful ones. I encourage you not to wish them away too quickly."
"I will keep that in mind," Luca replied, letting a small smile slip past his lips as well. This conversation was certainly treading onto thin ice if his suspicions were correct but it was hard when under the spell of the beautiful garden and bright eyes to focus on the disparity between the two of them.
They walked on for some time before arriving at a small gate. The young man came to a stop before the door. "From here, turn right and head straight until the wide bridge, then turn left at the fork after it. You'll be by the barracks soon enough."
"Thank you for you kindness," Luca replied. He hesitated a moment before deciding to ask the question he had yet to find any answer to: "May I ask whom I am addressing?"
"You didn't know? And yet you are so formal," the young man replied, surprised but with a hint of teasing in his tone.
"My apologies if I have behaved uncouthly, it is apparent from your bearing you are far above me," Luca immediately replied, dipping his head in deference to affirm his contrition. Although he had been lulled into a false feeling of affinity from their earlier chatter, his awareness of his status came back to him once more. He could not expect an answer now.
The violet haired man contemplated him for a moment before giving his reply. "I am Rei. Suzaku no Rei."
Luca looked up in pure shock. He wasn't speaking to some favoured courtesan, he was speaking to the Crown Prince. All this time he had just assumed based on no more than wild conjecture. How shameful to even think such a thing. As this knowledge set in Luca quickly dropped down to his knee. "Forgive me, your highness, for my ignorance and boldness. I had no intentions of disturbing you here or..."
"I know," Rei cut in, smiling gently, "you and I have been speaking for some time, if you have not already forgotten. You need not fret now."
Luca simply nodded in acquiescence, remaining in his humbled position on the ground.
"I am afraid that you must make haste though," Rei said, "you no doubt have lost much time in your detour through my gardens. Farewell."
"Farewell, your highness," Luca replied, watching the prince slowly retreat past the line of trees before finally rising to his feet. He rested his hand against the latch of the door for a moment before turning to look back at the path along which the prince had disappeared but amidst the falling plum blossoms there was no one to be seen—a vision on which the curtain had, no doubt, been forever closed. Luca stepped through the door and went on his way.
In spite of this assertion, it had not ended there.
"Gai!"
Looking up from his food Gai turned to see Maya waving madly at him as he scurried across the mess hall. He waved briskly before turning back to his dapanji, eating with zeal.
"Is it true you were assigned to the winter palace entourage?" Maya asked as he dropped into the seat across from him.
Gai took a moment to swallow before replying, "Just my luck, eh? While you guys are stuck here frozen in the snow, I'll be basking in much warmer climes. " He grinned widely at his friend.
"But it'll be so long until we see each other again," Maya complained, getting right to the heart of the matter.
"It's not that long, you'll see," Gai replied, briefly losing his focus on his food to reassure his friend.
"Maybe," Maya replied gloomily.
"Cheer up!" Gai said, trying to raise his usually energetic friend's spirits, "Maybe I'll get the chance to pick up some neat trinkets when I'm there. Yugong is known for their wood handicrafts, right? And when I get back I'll give them to you and you can tell me all about the stuff that happened here while I was gone and then we can annoy Kira and we can beat everyone at dice!"
It took very little to restore Maya's spirits and quickly they had left behind the topic of separation and were plotting their odds of winning back some of their money from Daira and Phiale later that night.
Judas reviewed the list of guards who would be remaining at Central Palace for the winter months. With the absence of a royal presence the watches would have to be revised to match the smaller demand. It had been a very long night just sorting through the numerous units and omitting the individuals he had recommended for the winter palace escort in attempt to compile a roster of those remaining. His eyes were sure to become sore if he did this for much longer. On the other hand, it kept his mind from his restless thoughts.
The situation in Chikyuu still sat ill at ease with him. The Regent's threats were not idle and there was a possibility of outright war on that front as the discontent of the Chikyuu people grew at their government's quickness to appease Zeus' wrath. And despite the assurances that the Chikyuu intelligence were doing their utmost to track down the traitors Zeus believed to be in their midst, there was also the distant possibility that the former General really was being harboured somewhere within Chikyuu territory and would use the situation to his advantage. Judas' former idol was a formidable tactician.
In the thick of this turmoil, Judas was quite grateful that Luca would be remaining at the palace as well. Of all people to seek counsel from, Luca might be the only one he could truly trust with his thoughts that were so dangerous in this climate. To have an ally and a friend close at hand was indispensable.
Judas sighed as he once again pulled back from his restless meditation, trying to bury himself once more in the scrolls before him. For the moment he simply had to focus; there would be enough time to brood in the coming months.