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------------------------- a few days later -----------------------------------------------------
It was early afternoon, and Shizu had returned to the grounds from a meeting at the Palace, retiring to his personal study, an old room that was kept clean and livable only due to the diligent work of Aijou, its shelves were in disrepair, and the old desk seemed as though it woudl crack under the weight of the books and documents that were always piled upon it. Almost more library than study, it was Shizu's favorite place to escape to. It was also where he entertained specific kinds of associates, when the discussions needed to be away from the many eyes of the Manor. It was also one of the few places his wife would never bother him at. He had been dressed finely, the meeting was with many court members of high rank, yet upon reaching the study he had released a few of the ties and bindings of the almost uniform looking dark long sleeve high collared top, discarding the short cape all together. He ran his hand through his hair, shaking it free a bit of the combed back look, to its more natural fall, not that it was very long at all.
He was not alone, but had a guest, a man with quite the ill look about him, sunken eyes that gleamed with a sadistic sort of glee, a smile that curved up just wrongly enough to be unnerving. Shizu had no real liking of the man, however he did appreciate certain talents he possessed, talents there we useful to someone trying to play the chess game of the powerful. Shizu had no qualms about using people if it suited a greater purpose in his mind.
"Make yourself at home, Ikkeda, and now that we've lost that stuffy group we can discuss some real business?"
The meetings were a necessary formality, but most of those attending, including the King, didn't want to know the details of what Shizu was up to and especially what sort of tasks he might have for someone like Ikkeda, they preferred ignorance, which in fact suited Shizu just as well, much easier to act without someone looking over your shoulder, and the King had been doing that much more than normal lately, so it was good to have something not be directly overseen again. Shizu was focused on business, however there was a moment's thought spared to the boy, wondering if Aijou was going to be about this afternoon and if he would be coming to the study. Usually one of the servants would come to offer refreshments, and most of them didn't come into the study if Aijou was around to do it. Still, they also knew their Master's work was confidential, and they might not come at all.
It didn't matter, except that he found himself hoping to see the boy, not having done so since morning. could he miss his servant? It was an idle thought and distracting from the matter at hand, so he pushed it aside. But that was only a temporary solution, for little did he know something was building much deeper within him, something that could not be pushed aside in the long run.
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