Hiro looked between the general, his steward, and Akito. He didn’t have a part in their plans. All he had to do was get on the horse and let the steward take him to their carriage, and then they’d be off home. He stayed quiet, watching as their facial expressions changed over and over. He would have questioned it a bit further, but he deemed that it wasn’t all that important anyway. Upon seeing the horse nice and ready to go, Hiro had straightened up, prepared to be given a boost onto the horse. The expectation was short lived. Swift as ever, Akito hopped onto the horse and Hiro was suddenly pulled along with him. “Whoa.” He wasn’t sure whether to be surprised towards how easily he was lifted off the ground or just how fluidly Akito moved the both of them. Then again, he shouldn’t have been too surprised. Akito was a soldier. Despite looking devilishly cute and scared of many, many things his betrothed was trained in fighting and as traditions foretold it, the best of the best. There were plenty of things Akito could do that Hiro wasn’t aware of.
’Back at the palace?’ “We will- oh.” The sudden run made him jerk backwards. Reaching for the horse’s mane, he paused when he felt the hand around his waist. Hiro had half a mind to thank him for the ‘save’, but instead gave a small nod before straightening up. He adjusted in order to get comfortable, holding the horse’s mane lightly. He could have held the reigns, but he didn’t want to accidentally pull them or do something he shouldn’t have. It made him remember a time when he was younger. His father took him a few times riding a horse around the large fields of their palace- a simpler and easier time, Hiro remembered. He had never actually learned, but it was fun nonetheless. Now wasn’t so different. He was just taller and knew how not to fall off.
The whistles made the prince turn his head. ’What are the soldiers doing?’ Recognizing their facial expressions and cheers, it clicked. In fact, it made Hiro give out a short laugh. “Ha, very encouraging bunch.” He didn’t speak directly to Akito, more like speaking aloud to himself. First they had given Hiro rather suspicious and unfriendly gazes, thinking he had done Akito wrong and now they were cheering for the soldier as if he had done something utterly fantastic. . .Or was about to do? Taking a quick glance at Akito made it clear that the soldier didn’t have any of those intentions in mind. He was just taking them. . .Not to the palace?
Hiro remembered the carriage being to the right, meaning the palace would have been that way too. However, Akito went left. His curious gaze turned towards the approaching village. He wasn’t going to stop Hiro from leading the way. ’Where would i like to go?’ This was a spur of the moment action. Hiro hadn’t been prepared to suddenly be going to the village. Looking around, Hiro took in the sights he could see. It was smaller than he remembered. Maybe it was because he was closer and had actually stopped to see. There were a few women, young and old, mingling with each other and weaving clothes? blankets? Hiro’s gaze went to the colorful fabrics hanging above their heads. “Oh, how nice. . .”
Realizing he hadn’t answered Akito’s question, Hiro looked over at him with a small shrug. “I’m not sure. What do the. . .people do around here all day? Surely they have something interesting in around here?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Hiro is quiet at first, and Akito worries that the prince isn't liking his 'gift' at all, but then he notices the man looking around with a fascinated expression on his face and he relaxes a bit, giving his betrothed time to adjust to the new surroundings. The village is peaceful enough, raised voices only here, and there, and always in a joyous or concerned note. As they enter many faces turn up to see who it is riding through their small town, and at first most simply dismiss the sight as another soldier passing through. However, as they move along, Hiro's presence seems to draw more and more attention until at last the place is all abuzz.
Akito keeps an eye on all of these watching faces, looking for anything out of place in his state of constant vigilance, but his attention turned to the man in front of him as he finally speaks up. With a small smile he lets out a half sigh as he goes back to looking at the people.”Most of them work most of the day, some are in apprenticeships, the children even have tasks they need to complete, but I suppose there will be one thing or another to actually do around here besides work. . .” Slipping from the horse he leads it forward a few steps before catching the attention of a woman and speaking with her quietly. Once he's gotten the information he wants he turns and holds out a hand to help Hiro down from the horse. “There's a game going on across the way, but it would be better if we go one foot, to avoid drawing any more attention.” While Hiro may be used to being stared at wherever he goes, it's clear all the eyes on him is not something Akito enjoys.
~~~~~~~~
The loud whispers, the staring eyes, and even a few excited gasps did little to deter Hiro. He simply gazed around nodding to some and waving to others. He was used to the attention and the gawking, after all, he was a prince. Hearing about the constant working life made him frown a little in disappointment. They had to have had some sort of hobby to keep themselves occupied or entertained. They couldn’t possibly have slaved away doing work. . .Even the servants got breaks! Well, that’s what he assumed. The disappointment didn’t last much longer when Akito managed to come up with some idea.
A few people started to come out of their small homes in order to see if the news was true. They all wondered the same things. They questioned why the prince was in the village or at least not with his family and even who the soldier was, but none came too close and bombarded him.
“A game?” Hiro echoed, keeping his hand in Akito’s after he got off the horse. With a soft giggle, Hiro squeezed Akito’s hand gently. “Ah, they don’t normally do anything. They’ll only watch, maybe yell out a few things, but usually their fine. But about this game.” He looked around, expecting the answer to jump out in front of him. Only seeing more of the houses, made him even more curious in more ways than one. “How do people live in such tiny places. . ?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Akito remains uncomfortable looking even as Hiro explains that this is “normal”, but he takes a slight comfort in the little squeeze as they make their way down the street. Raising an eyebrow at the man's question he wonders if he's joking or not for a moment before deciding to answer seriously. “Well, they can't afford any better, and honestly each house has everything needed for surviving, and even a little room for living. It has all the needs, with very little of the wants, but in a town like this there is such little want since it's too peaceful people are content with having their needs covered for the safety they get from being so close to the palace.”
Slipping between two houses he makes shooing motions at a few kids that had stopped in their way to gawk and with giggles the two run around behind the prince and his betrothed and begin seeing who's brave enough to get close enough to the prince to touch his kimono. It's an old game he's seen many times so despite the constant giggling and squealing, Akito pays them no mind. Instead he carefully direct Hiro through the area until they can hear voices in the distance. This is when he finally decides to talk about the game they are going to watch.
“The game is an old past time for farming and other small villages like this. Anyone can play, and the rules are rather loose, but basically, without using your hands, you're trying to get a ball into a basket laid on it's side on the ground.” Coming out from between two houses the field comes into view, the spectators sitting in the grass around the area, cheering and occasionally swapping places with one of the players when they decide to take a break or they have to get back to work. Akito slowly moves them into a front position and settles down in the grass, pulling Hiro down to sit between his knees as the space up front is limited and he doesn't want to seem rude. Focused now on watching the game, and those in the surrounding area, he doesn't even seem to notice how close he now is to the young prince.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince doesn’t respond to Akito’s answer about the homes. It just gives him something new to think about. He knew not everyone could own their own palace, but being so close to the houses he realized just how small they were. If they were as peaceful as Akito said they were then good for them.
Hiro laughed lightly and waved as the kids surrounding them were shooed away by Akito, only for them all to hover behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, making the kids freeze up- one closer to him than the kids. Hiro playfully stuck his tongue at the kids and then hurried behind his betrothed until they came into a clearer area. There’s nothing special about the field in front of them and yet there are several people sitting around and cheering the ones running back and forth. Hiro sat down with Akito, not minding the small space between the two. The prince began to analyze just what was going on. There were two groups trying to get the ball into opposite goals.
A few of the patrons watching the game had noticed Hiro, getting even more excited for the simple game when he began to cheer along as each team scored. “Hm, how do you know if they win? Does anyone keep count of the goals?” Sometime while he was cheering them on, he had leaned against Akito for support. When he asked a question, he looked up at Akito, however a person in earshot decided to answer cheerfully.
“The game is just for fun! There’s no winner or loser. If there was, it would take away from the whole purpose of playing!”
“Oh? What’s the purpose then?”
“To have fun and spend time with each other.”
Hiro slowly nodded, leaning against Akito again as he watched the game. ’Huh, so when they don’t work, they spend time playing games with each other. And he assumed they were all strangers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The game is rather fast paced, seemingly mainly populated by the young men and teens of the village at the moment, and despite the competitive nature of it all, still rather friendly. While initially not even thinking about it, when Hiro leans into him Akito can't help the faint flush that rises in his cheeks. After a few minutes however he manages to relax, resting his hands on his knees and turning his attention once more to the game. He smiles as his betrothed cheers and seems to be enjoying himself, and is about to answer when he asks about the game, but his smile widens a little bit further when a villager nearby decides to do so first.
'It's nice to see him around the people. I've seen some royals who would insist on some sort of special treatment in something like this, but instead he just accepts that he is here, with other people, and does things the way they do' Letting out a sigh he relaxes this time when Hiro settles against him, simply enjoying the peace of not having to think for a while. However, after a particularly bad fall that leaves a player to scoot to the sidelines, Akito decides to stop spectating. “Wait here for a bit will you?” he asks softly, gently pulling himself away from the prince and standing.
Pulling his blade, and sheath, from his waist, he hands it off to Hiro, laying it across his lap with a nervous smile. Letting out a little click he watches as Hoko slithers out from his clothing and settles down beneath his blade on Hiro's now crossed legs. With a nod he turns, loosening his top, then pulling it from his shoulders before taking to the field. Many are excited to see what this soldier with their prince can do, and in no time, the game takes off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fall of one of the players made Hiro wince. It looked like it hurt. The player on the other hand managed to scoot to the sidelines in order for a break. He cheered along with the others as the player managed to hold his own. “Oh? Okay?” Hiro sat up, wondering where Akito was planning to go. When he was handed the sword, he let it rest in his lap smiling when he realized just what the soldier planned to do. “Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you’re around.” He gently scratched the top of Hoko’s head before focusing on the game.
He found it rather intriguing that Akito was accepted into the game as a regular person. Most of the time, soldiers and royals were treated with much more...well very differently. Here, no one seemed to mind the trained soldier taking part of the simple game. It made Hiro laugh softly. “Whoo! Go Akito!” He cheered even louder for the soldier, causing the others to get even more riled up about the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Akito's presence changes the tide and tone of the game as he races around the field, caught up in the “fun”. Spotting a skilled player on the field many of the older young men call for the younger players to tag out, and once the field is once more at the right number of players the play resumes. The play is intense, Akito occasionally having a hard time of it as the people who actually play on a regular basis trip him up with tricks and tactics, but with his command of the side he joined the game remains fairly balanced. His ears turn a little pink as he hears Hiro cheering for him, however he remains focused, not letting his shyness around the man get the better of him in the intense match.
His time on the field is barely twenty minutes, and after a particularly spectacular smash into the basket that sent it skidding across the ground a few feet – the sight of it sending a huge roaring cheer through the spectators – Akito feels that he's had quite enough “fun” and waves himself off the field to loud cheering. Kneeling beside the man he is to marry he nods, a bit covered in sweat, and motions towards the outside of the field. “I need to go clean up a bit. You are free to stay and watch if you like.” Reaching out he gently takes his sword, standing up and waiting to see what the prince wants to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hiro cheered with the crowd when the round ended. A few people had hovered a little closer to him, but he didn’t mind- or notice it that much. Looking up at Akito he smiles planning to congratulate him, but looked over in the direction Akito pointed. With a slight wave of his hand Hiro shrugged. “It’s okay, I’ll stay here and keep watching. You can go get cleaned up.” The prince thought about following him, but watching them play was a lot more interesting. That and Akito looked fairly calm as it was, there was no need to get him all flustered, even if it was by accident.
As Akito walked off, he looked down at the furry creature still in his lap. “Oh, you forgot-” Well, he didn’t mind watching Hoko. It couldn’t have been so bad, and he was trained. As the soldier left, he found himself crowded by a few of the people. Compliments, questions, and statements of all kind riled around as the groups took a brief intermission for water. “I- uh..?”
One of the elders chuckled and whistled. “Give the poor boy some room! You can’t expect him to answer anything with you all crowding him like hungry animals.” They all laughed and scooted back, some apologizing. “I brought snacks for some of the kids, but I was wondering if you wanted any your highness?”
Hiro blinked and looked at the basket the woman held in her hand. She was awfully generous. “Oh, no. I couldn’t take your things. I’m okay. Really.” He decided not to mention that there was probably food in the palace he could have eaten too.
“Nonsense! It’s an offering. I don’t mind at all. Besides, if you wait too long it’ll be long gone.”
“Oh- well, okay. If you insist.” He decided to take one of the muffins in the basket. Compared to the other things in the basket, he didn’t eat muffins very often. “Oh, wow. This is really good!” The woman bowed and smiled then went to go let the others take their share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a nod he walks off towards the outer edge of the crowd, pausing only briefly at the sudden rush of people around his intended. He manages to keep his hand from the handle of his blade, but he can still feel the need to go over and shoo the people away. 'It's not that I think they are going to hurt him, I simply worry whenever I lose sight of my target' He shakes his head, trying to remove that word from any association to the man he's suppose to marry, and in the end it isn't until he shoves his face in a barrel of water than he feels himself returning to normal. Using the water on his now soaked torso he scrubs himself a bit, turning to watch the prince as he interacts with the villagers. The elder seems to be keeping things in hand, but with all the noise Akito's unable to hear what exactly is going on between the royal and his people.
One of the girls from the crowd offers him a towel and for the first time he notices a few people actually shuffling around him, obviously wanting to talk to him. His flush returns slightly and he smiles at them, drying off with the proffered towel. The girl who handed it to him asks, her cheeks bright red, “A-are you the p-prince's betrothed?”
Trying not to match her shade of pink he nods, a wave of giggles following the action. One of the young men in the group claps his hands. “You are so lucky! He seems really nice!” Once again Akito does his best to leave some blood for the rest of his body as he nods.
“Yeah, I g-guess I a-am lucky. . .” he murmurs softly, earning more giggles and stares. Waving his hand to clear some of them away to make a path back to the prince. Some of the boys and girls squeal with delight, following him back like a clicking pack of fans who can't get enough of him. By the time he's back at Hiro's side they've dispersed a bit, and the game is back on. Without a word he takes up the position he had before behind the taller man and watches the game resume from over his shoulder. Reaching around he scratches Hoko's head, making the audrat yawn and squeak, settling his head on Hiro's knee so he can sleep. In a soft voice the soldier whispers, “Maybe we can come out here some time in some more. . . .Suitable clothing and you can try your hand at the game. . . .”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn’t take too long for Akito to return, and when he did it appeared as though he had fans as well. When the soldier was close enough, Hiro smiled. “A fan favorite now?” He got comfortable in front of him again, watching as the people began to form new teams. They made sure everyone had a turn to play. Hearing the remark from Akito made Hiro laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be any good at this kind of game. It’s fun to watch though.” He decided to save himself from the potential embarrassment. He already attracted way too much attention as it was. There was no need to make his presence even more noticeable. That and he was never that physical in the first place. . .
“Oh!” He reached up, holding the remaining half of his muffin up. “Try it. The woman. . .ah, over there. She made them. They taste really good.” He turned to the side in order to properly hand it to him, although he had gotten a much better idea. Instead of handing it to him, he raised it to Akito’s lips and smiled as innocently as Hiro could get. “Here, taste it?” Sure he was probably drawing attention to the two, but most of them were focused on the game still.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still bright red from the line about being a 'fan favorite' Akito barely manages a little shake of his head when the prince claims he'll never be any good at the game. “It's easy to learn, and different people are at different levels. You don't have to be good to play, you just have to have fun. . .' He speaks softly, trying to not draw too much attention, however moments later Hiro seems to go out of his way to do exactly that. He'd been ready to take the muffin – it did smell good after all – but before he has time to shift so he can grab it Hiro is holding it on front of his mouth, obviously trying to feed it to him like a cute couple sharing a slice of pie in public.
Turning pure scarlet he listens to those around them whispering and giggling, a few of the older men and woman laughing fondly at the “cute couple” as they watch the obviously mostly one-sided display of affection. Biting his lip for a moment Akito looks at the muffin like it wants to burn his face off before murmuring, “Thanks” and taking a small bite. The action sends a ripple of giggles and squealing through the crowd directly around them and before he can object Akito wraps his arms around Hiro in such a way that he's facing forward once more, and the soldier is able to hide his face against his back. He really, really wants to run and hide from all this, but with the prince as his ward at the moment, he simply can not leave the man alone. His embarrassment only doubles as he realizes that he's using the prince as a human shield for his shame, and that not only is this making everyone giggle harder – drawing more attention – but also that Hiro may not appreciate the gesture.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as he expected, Akito turned various shades darker. He still took a bite of the muffin, which Hiro was surprised he wasn’t too embarrassed to do. What he hadn’t expected was to be turned around so suddenly and used as a shield. The prince blinked and ate the rest of the muffin. “You know,” He paused to finish the food in his mouth. “we’re going to have to work on your shyness.” He didn’t sound upset, and he wasn’t. It was just a bit odd to see a- no the top shoulder so ‘defeated’ against the stares of regular people.
Wiggling out of his grasp, Hiro faces his betrothed. With a calm expression on his face, he doesn’t hesitate to cup the soldier’s face to look him in the eyes. “Relaaaax. You were doing so well earlier.” He smiled reassuringly. “The worst you can get here is probably a jealous gaze from the people. Nothing more. Besides, by the sounds of it, they think we’re cute.” The position they were in didn’t help that very much either. With a slight tilt of his head, he spoke again. “Do you want to go? You know, where there’s less staring and giggling?”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Letting out a pathetic whine he squeezes the man a little tighter but nods. He knows he needs to work on his shyness, but for now he's content with hiding. Unfortunately, his betrothed has other ideas. His hands fall to his knees as Hiro pulls away where they grip the fabric covered appendages so tight the knuckles turn white. His panic only rises at the young man holds his face in a way that he's unaccustomed to, and which is normally reserved for people who are really close from what he's observed. He tries not to let it show, but it's clear from some of the odd looks he's receiving that he's doing a poor job of it. The pity in some of their eyes for his plight seems to be tinged with real worry and he can't help but notice these looks as his eyes wander everywhere to avoid looking at Hiro directly.
He wants desperately to explain that it doesn't matter what they are thinking, it's just the fact that there are eyes on him that he finds troublesome. He spent most of his life alone, only with others besides his fellow soldiers when ordered to, and then he always had his father with him who'd always got more of the attention. And while it's true, most here are looking at the prince and not the extremely awkward soldier, there are enough of them gazing at him with pitying eyes that he feels ready to pop under all the scrutiny. It isn't until Hiro suggests that they can leave that sense returns to him and he realizes he's being rather selfish. 'I did all this for him after all, and here I am ruining the experience for him. I can put up with some eyes. He spends so much time cooped up, I. . . .I can't just take that away. . . .'
Taking a deep breath he gently removes the prince's hands from his face and gives him a strained smile. “What I really want is for you to enjoy your time away from the palace.” Looking back at the game he sees a fairly good player running the ball down the field and he manages to smile a little more honestly. Looking back at Hiro he does his best to speak softly and clearly. “Just, give me time to adjust, and stop drawing so much attention, and. . . .And I'll be fine. If you want to go, we will, if not, please just sit back down and let me calm myself down and enjoy the game with you?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Hiro’s hands went back into his lap and instead of responding, the prince simply nodded. His interest in the game hadn’t dulled quite yet so he turned back around to watch. ’What an odd soldier. . .’ He was once again invested into the sport, letting Akito do whatever it was that calmed him.
A full round had gone past before Hiro stretched. “Alright, we should go and find something else around here.” There was also the option of going home, but he decided to let Akito pick when that would be. Instead of waiting for Akito to find out about other things going on, as Hiro assumed he would, he started going back the way they came. They’d probably be able to find a lot more if they explored the village. Few littered the streets, many doing double takes when they realized just who was wandering the village like a tourist.
“I don’t see why I can’t come down here. Everything seems so quiet and peaceful.” The people didn’t have any qualms. He witnessed them helping each other with chores and tasks. It was a minor thing all good people should have had, but it was rare to see the chivalry around the palace. Then again, with how large the palace was, it was becoming rare if he saw his parents around other than during meal times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Able to relax a little bit when the prince nods Akito shifts a little, letting Hiro settle against him once more, Hoko crawling back into the younger male's lap and letting out a contented yawn. He doesn't know what the humans are up to, but as long as his comfy bed is back in place, he's happy. For his part Akito does his best to focus on the game, the whispers and stares quieting down as the players charge up and down the field and eventually the soldier is able to relax to his normal state of awareness and actually enjoy what he's watching. He doesn't blame the prince, the silly man seemingly trying to help. 'He just fails miserably' Chiding himself he shakes his head, cheering softly as a particularly tricky shot pays off.
Then, just like that, the prince is ready to leave. Akito blushes lightly as the action of stretching causes the younger male to press against him firmly, but it's very light and fades quickly as he follows the youth to his feet. With a nod he tries to think of something else to amuse the man, but without waiting Hiro seems to already have something in mind. As he begins to wander, Akito watches his back and wonders just how much Hiro doesn't know about his people. 'I mean, he does not seem a fool, but out here with him like this, seeing him looking around like all of this is new and different and confusing, it makes me wonder what they teach the royal children growing up. I know they are suppose to learn how to rule, but does that mean they know nothing of common life?'
Following after the man he has to raise an eyebrow at the prince's next statement, once again wondering if he's being serious. And, just as before, he decides to answer calmly and seriously. “Their war has been going on since I was about three, meaning that this country has been at war most if not all of your life. It's understandable that his highness didn't want you too far out of sight at any given moment lest you find yourself at the wrong end of a enemy spear.” Looking around he spots people whispering and smiling at them as they move along and, unlike the claustrophobic feeling of the scrutiny in the crown around the game field, this feels far more manageable.
Slipping a little closer to the prince – all this talk about enemies wanting the royal family dead making him tense a little – he looks around, trying to find something of interest for the youth. Eventually he spots the market, the only place in town with foreigners, and he points it out to his betrothed. “That's likely to be the only other busy place in town, if you'd like to check it out. . . .” He lowers his voice slightly, “However I will ask that you stick close to me as this is the only place in town we are likely to come across people from other lands. . . .It's the least safe place in town. . .”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Surely there hadn’t been a war going on now? His father told so many stories of the victories they earned. He couldn’t have missed it in the many lectures he was given. His father was always repeating himself when he knew the prince wasn’t listening. ’What are they even fighting for?’ Maybe he should have asked his father about it. That would have probably earned him some sort of reward- for simply acknowledging it. Hiro shook his head, dispelling the thoughts.
His gaze goes back to the town and all the people walking about. Hiro hadn’t been told a lot about the people. They worked. They lived day to day lives. And they supported the king. None of it was a lie, but it it still never told him much. It made Hiro start to wonder why so much was demanded from him and yet he was told so little. Sure, he was schooled in royal affairs, but never of the people he would rule or even many of the foreign trades he would have to know. Although, the latter was probably to come later- and maybe for Akito to learn. Who knew. With the tradition still being upheld, when they married, Akito would technically be the next ruling king. Hiro would be one as well, but. . .Well, he wasn’t sure how power played in that situation. HIro simply shrugged it off.
“Oh, sure.” Fortunately Akito had warned him beforehand to keep close because the prince would have walked ahead. He slipped his hands behind his back, glancing to his side to see Akito close by as he had mentioned. The marketplace was definitely busy. Everyone running a stall yelled out to buy something of theirs, and if they weren’t selling they were buying goods or trying to haggle the prices down. “Oh, what a nice design.” Those familiar colorful blankets were hanging from a stall now, waiting to be bought. It was too bad he didn’t take money with him. He could have bought the random fabrics and sculptures, simply because he liked them. He doubted any of his seamstresses could make something similar to it, not that he expected them too.
“I don’t see any reason for it not to be safe. In order to gain trust shouldn’t we trust others? Besides, I don’t have any valuables on me. Nothing for anyone to take.” He shrugged and continued towards the market with his fingers linked behind his back.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The prince slows a little, clearly ready to move off into the crowd ahead of his betrothed in his excitement over being somewhere new, but heeding Akito's advice none the less. The soldier stays close letting his eyes scan the crowd along with slipping over his intended every now and again to make sure he's doing fine. As normal when he's walking through crowds his thumbs are over the top of his obi so that his hands are always near his blade and at the ready. He's heard nothing of there being any immediate dangers in the area, not that anyone would trouble him with such things after it was announced that he would be marrying the prince, but his nature will not allow him to relax and just enjoy himself. Especially in this press of people, all being noise, all going about doing this or that, all supposedly off in their own little worlds but still being a “community”.
His head comes back around and his eyes land on Hiro as he speaks, his trained ears easily picking up the man's words despite all the noise around them. He really wishes he could tell if the man really is this naïve. “Show trust to the wrong person, you wind up dead.” He says softly, moving a little closer to the prince so he can hear. “Also, your eyes are not trained to see danger. I doubt you or your mother would recognize danger in a crowd like this. It's not your job, nor have you need trained for it. Spotting danger I mean.” Looking about again he continues. “I see no danger here, but I must always keep my eyes open. It's just. . . .How I am, and how I've lived.”
Looking down at his hands for a moment he adds softly, “There is an old saying. Greet each person with a smile and the hand of friendship, but always keep your blade sharp.” Looking back at Hiro he nods slowly. “I think that trust is gained through trusting, but there is nothing wrong with learning to recognize when someone deserves your trust, and when trusting someone will get your head removed from your shoulders.”
~~~~~~~~~
Hiro’s gaze went to Akito for a brief moment. Having to watch for danger at every turn sounded like a terrible life. “Have you ever relaxed before? Like, ever? You seem pretty high strung.” His hands went into his sleeves and he nodded. “I suppose that would be rational. Trust others, but at your own cost. I’ve never had to worry about things like that. Obviously. It sounds- well tiresome.”
He paused at a jewelry stand, admiring the different necklaces and bracelets that decorated the table. A lot of them looked hand made which got Hiro’s attention. “Pardon me, but how’d you make those necklaces? I’ve only seen. . .Well never mind that.”
The people at the stand looked surprised that the prince was at their booth and more surprised that he paused to talk to them. One brave person began to speak. gesturing toward each piece of jewelry. “Well your h-highness, these are made from various beads. This one, I found several shells by the ocean when I went.” He smiled sheepishly and watched as the prince gazed over them.
“How nice. I really like them.” He nodded and looked over at Akito. “Don’t you think?”
~~~~~~~~~
A faint sting pangs his chest at the prince's tone when he asks if he's ever relaxed before. He may go on to talk about his views being rational, but the initial hurt of the prince thinking his vigilance is a bad thing sticks with him as they move along. 'It is just how I am. It is how I grew up. . . .Nothing “tiresome” about it, just. . .Is he really that against everything that makes me, me?' With a sight he comes to a stop behind his betrothed as he begins checking out one of the stall, his gaze drifting through the crowd idly as he pays half attention to the conversation going on between the stall owner and Hiro.
When the prince asks him his opinion on the jewelry pieces in display Akito takes a break from watching the crowd and instead looks over the shiny objects. He gives them a critical look, his focus still a bit distracted by the press of people, but he manages a smile after a few moments and a nod. “Very pretty, and done with obvious care.” Smiling at the stall owners, who flushes lightly at the glance, confusing the poor man, he goes back to watching the crowd, staying close to Hiro.
~~~~~~~~~
The prince nodded in agreement before standing straight again.He waved to the merchant before once again journeying through market with Akito. He seemed kind of distracted, but he did say that he was always being vigilant. It made Hiro wonder if there was ever any danger around when he was a kid. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t venture out to the village. “It seems...exciting.” He tried to find a good word for it. “Everything is much more fast paced than at home.” He wondered if these people had fallen into routines of their own as well. He wondered what the people thought of their own lives as the two traversed through the somewhat crowded area.
Seeing so many of the things being sold, Hiro contemplated actually buying some of the things the next time he was able to go to town. It wasn’t like he needed any of the things, he just wanted it. “I don’t think I’ve ever made anything by hand.” ’Unless magic counts.’
Their walk was surprisingly time consuming and soon even Hiro realized it was probably best to head home now. “We should probably head back. Before people start to worry.”
