i cant believe how fucking invested we are in this shit

kato

Kato wasn’t a fan of war, or really all that much of fighting. She was good at the latter, else she wouldn’t be a soldier, but she was tired of fighting back and forth in this war. It seemed like things were going nowhere, and she didn’t feel like it was wise for her to stick around much longer if she wasn’t into it – she felt like she would end up getting herself hurt, so she left. Not without purpose, mind – she had heard rumour that the prince of the country there were against had reservations about the war, and that he had his own force of soldiers, and Kato wondered – what if she went to him, tried to appeal, showed that not everyone on the other side wanted to fight, either?

It felt like a suicide mission.

She had managed to glean vague information on where he would be at and though it was a rough journey (especially when she had to avoid anyone native), she eventually managed to make her way there. It was stressful – there was no telling how this could end up. For all she knew, she could be killed on sight and the rumours might be just that, but she had to try. She certainly couldn’t return to her own country now, not after running away like that, for she would be charged with treason.

It wasn’t long after she’d gotten to the area the prince was supposed to be when she was confronted by two enemy soldiers, and she took a moment to try to explain why she was here – quickly, because she would rather not fight, and she didn’t have time to draw her weapon (and even if she did, they outnumbered her and were both bigger – she wasn’t that great of a fighter). To her surprise, they seemed somewhat intrigued by the explanation, and exchanged a look. One of them took her by her upper arm (she felt the other confiscate her weapon, and while she wanted to protest, she realized now was the time to keep her mouth shut and hope they weren’t taking her to a dungeon), and after a moment, explained that they would be taking her to their superior.

She didn’t know what that meant, but she wanted to hope ‘superior’ referred to the prince she was looking for. Kato would hate to get all this was just to end up being face to face with someone who wanted her dead, though she couldn’t help but think that it would be a whole lot of good luck if it turned out to be the prince (and even more than that if he turned out to be decent, which was what she was hoping for). It didn’t take long before she was led into a camp – she could see tents, and several more soldiers mingling about, though they looked tougher than the soldiers she had seen on the battlefield, and she found herself looking away, realizing she had unconsciously been sizing them up. She wasn’t here to fight.

She was brought to a large tent, escorted inside. She watched the soldier who had confiscated her weapon leave it near the tent flap and walk ahead of them, going towards a young man who was in the tent with him, and relaying something (likely her presence) to him in a hushed tone, one she couldn’t hear. The young man he was speaking to couldn’t be much taller or older than she was, with fair skin and shoulder-length hair. He was partially turned away from her now, so she couldn’t see all of him, but she could see his profile, and couldn’t help but think he was quite attractive. She pushed that thought away quickly, thinking it was something very foolish to consider in the situation she was in. As far as she knew right now, she was surrounded by the enemy, and she was scared to let her guard down. She was not safe quite yet.

Augustus

It wasn't like Augustus wanted to be anywhere near the battlefield, in a tent going over strategies, directing forces, and organising intelligence and news. Frankly, he thought the violence was pointless. The war had been going on for a while now, with no end in sight and little progress actually made beyond losing lives that didn't need to be lost. He was sending loyal men to their deaths, and it felt so wrong. He didn't believe in it, but gods forbid he gave voice to those hesitations. He might be a prince, but there would still be consequences for anyone who opposed the king and queen, even if it was through verbal rebellion. It might make it even worse that he was their own son; he was supposed to be fiercely loyal and obey them, agree with everything that came out of their mouths and not question it, but alas, this was not the case.

Luckily, he did happen to have a small force of soldiers loyal to him that completely agreed with his views, whose hearts were only partially in the war effort, and that honestly made Augustus feel a little better. Knowing he had some people who supported him fully was a comforting and hopeful feeling, and he wasn't sure if it would make a difference in the end, but he liked to think about it, hope that it would.

Generally, they didn't take prisoners of war. He knew that his parents hated prisoners. Their philosophy was basically let no one who dared oppose them live. What use did they really have for prisoners? Augustus didn't agree, but, again, it wasn't like that mattered. As such, he was surprised when two of his men (ones who were loyal to him and shared his views) brought to him a woman. She looked no older than him, but he could tell that she was foreign simply by looking at her face and her complexion. She was definitely someone from the opposing side, and he met the soldier approaching with a curious look, listening to his brief explanation. The woman wanted to speak with him, it seemed, and that was fine. There was no reason not to hear her out. After all, her weapon had been deposited by the entrance, and if she was bold enough to try hand-to-hand combat, he was well versed in that field (he had to be), and even if not, he had two soldiers here with him that could easily best this female. He straightened his posture, tilting his chin up a little and approaching her, keeping his expression professional. He cleared his throat, looking her up and down, studying her a little more closely, before bringing words to his lips. "I am Prince Augustus," he began, giving a brief pause as he allowed her to do what she pleased with that information before he continued. "State your identity and your business here."

kato

As he approached her, Kato noted that he gave off an aura of power, very much held the air of someone who was in charge. She wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was the prince, and her suspicions were immediately confirmed. She wondered if she should be kneeling. Instead, hoping to appease him a little, she bowed her head respectfully, praying it would be enough, and that he wouldn’t punish her. She felt mildly intimidated already, by the aura he put off and the fact that she was surrounded by enemies, but at least she had a chance to speak to him, maybe convince him to try to turn the tide of the war. If not, then, well, she didn’t know what. She couldn’t go back home, that was for sure, so she hoped that he was open minded. “Kato Michiko, your majesty,” she replied, her head still bowed slightly. He wasn’t much taller than her, she noticed, especially now that he was close, so she made an effort to appear small, but her eyes didn’t leave him.

“I am here because I heard tell the prince wasn’t happy with the war,” she said, sounding hesitant, as if she was scared to be accused of doing something like putting words in his mouth. Frankly, he was intimidating, and she was usually quite bold. Being surrounded by enemies didn’t do a lot for her confidence, however, and she swallowed. “I was hoping to appeal to you, and see what could be done about the war.” It sounded weak now, her reasoning, having gone here on a mere whim. She almost recoiled now, realising she was being a little foolish in thinking this had been a good idea, and her gaze dropped away from his face now, scared of what she would see there.

Augustus

Augustus felt a faint, almost involuntary smile flicker over his lips at her slight bow as she introduced herself, finding her formalities to be both satisfying and amusing. She seemed rather nervous, he noted, which realistically, was probably to be expected. She had no idea who he was, if he was a benevolent prince or someone who wanted her head on a platter, much like his parents. He had no intention of doing the latter, however, and he wanted to reassure her of that as soon as possible, so that she could relax and lighten up a little bit. Not that he wouldn't retaliate should she try something funny, which he didn't want to do but was willing to take care of if his safety was on the line, but for some reason, he didn't foresee that happening with this woman. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kato," he said, nodding, making a gesture with his hand that suggested she could loosen up a little, and that such formalities were not necessary at the moment. What she'd said about having heard his opinion on the war, however, certainly caught his interest, and his expression faded to a more curious one, beginning to get an idea of what she was really here for.

"You've heard correctly," he replied warmly, "And you've come to the right place." He looked past her, at his guards for a moment and then at her confiscated weapon. They didn't need to stick around for this, as he had faith that he could deal with her if she became uncooperative. He nodded at the both of them, which was met by a brief look of surprise, and then replaced with understanding. After a moment, they turned to leave the tent, one of them grabbing the girl's weapon on the way out. Once Augustus was sure that they were gone and out of earshot, he let his hand wander to the sword sheathed at its side, lightly patting its hilt, to get across the message that he wouldn't hurt her unless she gave him a reason to do so. However, he offered a faint smile, beginning to speak again. "You have managed to pique my interest, I'll admit. It's rare to find someone else who shares my views. So, did you have anything you wanted to elaborate on, then?" The prince wouldn't mind hearing her out, listening to her suggestions and what she had to say. Maybe there was something that could actually be done about it, though he would make no promises.

kato

Kato could feel relief immediately, noting that his tone suggested nothing concerning. She doubted that anyone after her blood would tell her that it was a pleasure to meet her, after all,so she was inclined to trust his words and leave it at that. His next words were even better, telling her that she had not been incorrect. That was the main thing that she had worried about was making some massive mistake and ending up dead on the other side of the border. She supposed she was technically a traitor already, but it still wouldn’t exactly be favourable. She had gotten this far, though, and as he continued speaking, she realised that she hadn’t really gotten around to thinking about what she would do once she got here. Of course, she had wanted to find him and see if he could do anything to turn the tide of war, but beyond that, nothing. She had been a little more concerned on the idea of actually _getting_ here in the first place, and she had not spared a single thought for how she would discuss this with him once she was here, and she felt just a little bit sheepish all of a sudden, thinking that she really should have spent a lot more time considering that, but it was too late to be thinking that right about now.

She ducked her head slightly, not meeting his gaze. “I’ll be honest with you,” she said, quietly. “I did not really think I would make it here, and… I didn’t really think about that.” What really was there to elaborate on? She could give away information about her own army, but that was really only useful for them if they were to continue attacking. It didn’t do much good for them if they were going to stop the war now, would it? Kato felt quite embarrassed now. “To be quite honest, sir, I thought I would be cut done long before arriving here.” She couldn’t help wanting to treat him with full respect. Even if he wasn’t a prince, he was still ranks above her, and she had been the one to come begging for his help. “However, I’m… willing to extend whatever services necessary to aid in ending the war. My blade is yours.” It might be a little presumptuous to be offering that much, but hey what was there to lose?