Once again, the idea of spending time alone with the prince is brought up by Hiro's mother and the implication makes Akito flush. He keeps his eyes on his food however and keeps himself from overreacting to the tease. Hiro himself has a comeback and Akito is glad it's to fend her off a bit. He knows things will eventually need to happen between them, but for now, he's happy that his betrothed isn't rushing things. 

While not a master of understanding people, Akito can tell that Hiro is mostly trying to humor his parents rather than having any actual interest in playing. He sets the idea in the back of his mind to play with the prince only when he brings it up, leaving more free time for them to find something Hiro would actually enjoy doing. [i]'I already know he likes magic, and. . .'[/i] His thoughts pause as the king chides his betrothed on his enjoyment of books and Aki feels a little tug in his chest at the idea that his father actually disappointing of something Hiro has a passion for. He looks to the lord of the household and wonders if there's a way to help him see that it's actually a bit mean to say stuff like that, but keeps his thoughts to himself for now. [i]'I've already had a victory today, and I think time out of the palace will be good for. . .Hiro'[/i] He smiles, proud of himself for growing more comfortable in this environment, and even more proud that he's learning to look forward to spending his time with the man he's meant to marry.

The smile becomes a little plastered on when Hiro rises to leave and he knows he can't just up and follow. He's not done eating, and Hoko is still nibbling away at the little treats he's getting from his plate. He watches the man leave, dragging his eyes back to the table once he's out of sight, and smiling at his soon-to-be in-laws before turning his attention to his food. Jezura seems to sense his discomfort and smiles at his before turning to talk to her husband about some ideas for the baby's room. Akito is grateful and eats his meal silently, looking up to listen once in a while so he doesn't seem rude.

They manage to make it through the rest of the meal without Akito jumping out of his skin and once he is finished he leaves, bowing respectfully. On his way out he notices the servants gathered in a shadowing corner whispering to one another and despite knowing that this is probably a normal occurrence he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stiffen. He doesn't stand there staring however and instead slips out of the room and begins wandering through the halls. He keeps the basic layout of the palace in the back of his mind and eventually heads for the back garden best he can. I knows he wants to eventually wind up in the practice area, but he figures that watching Hoko run around catching bugs will give him time to relax and think.

Walking outside he watches the few servants in the garden bow and move off away from him to give him space. He bows back and tries to suppress the feeling that they just don't want to be around him. Taking a seat on one of the stone benches he pulls his legs up so he can sit cross-legged and clicks so Hoko knows he's free to wander. The critter slides out slowly, a little lethargic over having such a hearty meal, but after a few quick breaths of fresh air he's off to play in the flowers and reeds. His eyes slide out of focus as he watches his companion chase a small lizard across a patch of white flowers and he wonders what the future holds for him.