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It was astounding to see the sun make its way through the sky; the orb of fire began its journey to the east, slowly but surely creeping its way over the broad expanse of violets and azures. As the dawn inched its way into the morning, the sky's pale colors blossomed into a vibrant blue. Not a single cloud clotted out the sun's rays, and so the heat constantly beat against the earth. The bright and scorching circle granted no mercy to both human, creature, and plant-- many watering holes that animals used to drink from were beginning to dry up and once colorful fields of grass and flowers had turned brown and stiff. Many people were beginning to grow weary of the sun's relentless force upon the land, no matter how beautiful or mysterious it might have been. 

It wasn't often that droughts plagued Sariwon, especially to that extent. With water becoming scarce and farmers' crops beginning to die out, the relationship between Houses had become more than tense. Most of the Houses have sent their people to scout over the fields and plains in search of water or somewhere where they could dig a well, but over three quarters of the nation had become drier than Ashines itself. Several of the Sari people deemed the drought had been a punishment from the gods, complaining that it was due to the fact that there were too many mages within the borders of their great nation. House Tosen and House Aseryo, however, pointed the finger at each other. They both deemed that the other had cursed them using some sort of magical ability.

Either way, the mages were almost always at fault; they were either the cause of suicides or forbidden lovers eloping. Akane didn't feel particularly friendly towards the magic-users, but she believed that they had no reason to be blamed so much. It seemed like House Tosen had nothing better to do than point the finger at the Aseryo's mages, but she was pretty sure that Ryoichi would never allow such a thing. Did they even [i]have[/i] mages to blame? She hadn't caught sight of robed figures ever since she arrived at their doorstep. What she didn't question, however, was that their meeting with the Tosen would not go as smoothly as she wanted it to be. If the Tosen bared their blades at her House members, though, she wouldn't hesitate to show hers as well.

The sun was halfway in the sky when they reached House Tosen's stronghold. The castle was extremely well-kept, but some dust was sprinkled across the outer walls of the establishment. Dry earth staining the walls was not an uncommon sight any longer due to the drought that had plagued their land for almost half a year. It happened to almost everyone, no matter how cleanly or neat the person could be. Akane's weary gaze scanned the area, taking in her surroundings. Much like Hose Aseryo's castle, the Tosen's castle was located in a broad expanse of grass fields. A slight cool breeze often worked its way across the plains, making the dead weeds and ferns rustle and sway. It looked much duller than she imagined, she had to admit; she heard stories of House Tosen's fields being filled with life and colorful flora, but all she saw was a sickly and tawny shade of brown surrounding a large building.

Their group was not that large, and so the Tosen guards had no trouble working them into the castle to prepare for the meeting. They were treated coldly yet carefully, and every so often, the armored men tossed a few of them sharp glares. Akane did not falter under their hostility, and she met every glare with her own heated glower. They did not confront her about it; it was most likely because they did not wish to be the ones that would start the clash between Houses in their very home. The four or five guards led them through ornamented hallways in silence, and the only thing that could be heard was the clanking of metal and the hushed whispers of the Aseryo as they conversed amongst themselves. She was one of the few that did not speak-- instead, she stuck close to the front of the group, near her Lord. Her face was set in a deadpan; she did not allow for either worry or amazement to grace her features, even if the hallways were rather pretty.

The guards led them into a large, heavily decorated room. The sounds of their footsteps echoed off of the walls, attracting attention from some of the people that were already inside. Akane noticed that they were from House Tosen, and already, tension started to crackle between the groups. It was as if the slightest sound could trigger someone to unsheathe their swords or recoil into a defensive position. Personally, she was not a fan of the situation-- she had been in many of these conditions, and they usually did not end well. As the Aseryo filed into the large room, Tosen servants began to bring out a variety of foods and drinks. They rushed to set down the plates and jars of liquids as fast as possible in front of the men and women, some of them bearing furrowed brows and pouts. [i]Even the servants are nervous...[/i] Akane noticed as one of them, a shaky-looking woman, put down a plate of dull-looking food near her. Even for a House of important status, the drought had taken a toll on them. She doubted that the "large" meal would be enough to fill all of their bellies, and they would likely have to share most of the food. 

Akane knelt down on the floor, sparing the nearest plate of food an uninterested glance. Even though her stomach rumbled slightly, she dare not eat the brownish and dry rice that was within her reach. It would probably give her a stomachache. [i]Thank the gods that this place isn't crowded.[/i] she thought, glancing once more around the room. Probably half of the large meeting hall was filled with people. Not that she minded; less people meant less noise and less chance of an argument breaking out. It was smart of Ryoichi and the Tosen lord to only choose a few people to attend the meeting. Not that she expected anything less out of her lord and one who apparently did not want issues to break out. The myrmidon stayed silent, placing her hands in her lap as she waited for the appearance of the head of House Tosen.