[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/A9Vw6CK.png[/img] [h2]The Eastern Field[/h2] [/center] [hr] Quite a few surprises had arisen. For one thing, his existence was more affirmed than he thought. It seemed they'd misjudged Airi's capacity. Due to the contract being formed having opening her circuits for the first time, it had placed greater burden on her than subsequent recovery. The Emperor holding his own Command Spells as a result of the mistake was fortunate. Dangerous, from a magus perspective, but not needing to subsist off them for prana while manifested helped significantly. To say that was a relief would be...an understatement. Still, he would not be able to fight at full strength for any substantial time. However, his prana was otherwise stabilized. The priest's arrival had cued him to reunite with Airi, and they made plans to arrive at the meeting. On the way, however, he requested alternative clothes, cheap was fine, for the sake of being able to manifest without giving away his identity. This in turn led to addressing the issue of communication between the two of them. The Emperor appreciated bombast, but not in a situation where discretion meant more. A thrift store made perfect sense, though his taste in the available options...perhaps less so. Afterwards, actually getting to visit a store of modern technology's convenience was interesting! Claiming that he was an overseas friend of Airi's grandfather and a bit 'behind the times' would have been an easy to accept excuse. But, it wasn't even necessary to say what he'd prepared just in case, as the cashier was all too happy to conduct the sale. A cellphone and hands-free earpiece he could wear would do the job nicely. Both were sublimated into Kindly Alms, allowing Norton to manifest or dematerialize them as freely he would any other part of himself. Along the way, continuing to head north through Shinto, Norton made a brief pit-stop to shave. The emperor's majestic mustache and beard of regal authority were mowed away, in a pragmatic tragedy. Really, a Servant who manifested with facial hair had an easy time changing how their face looked significantly! [hr] And so here was the field. "Sundown" was slightly ambiguous, so arriving early just in case was only prudent. Imitating his current Master, Norton wore a zip-up hoodie, though paired it with a baseball cap. A brim like that would be good for hiding his eyes subtly, same for his hair. A pair of raggedy jeans that were a bit too short for him, that was hardly even worth noting... Really, the Crocs-With-Socks combo was the only crime against fashion of the ensemble. It was cheap, it was generic, and it made him look harmless. Whether by intent or design, Norton looked like a harmlessly doddering embarrassment of a grampa. Given this temporary ceasefire, it was in theory safe for Airi to attend in person, though he left it to her discretion. As the Emperor surveyed the fields, though, he harrumphed. Was he really the first one? Possibly the only one manifested at the moment. Norton crossed his arms while looking outwards. A flat field, clearly for agriculture. The roads split it into different properties. Buildings were considerably far apart, and mostly in the form of small houses, warehouses, and what he surmised to be storage sheds. The bay north was hidden by a bulwark of trees, but otherwise, there wasn't much that could be described as a possible hiding place. Ruler had probably chosen this area due to the difficulty of possible treachery between camps. It was remote and isolated, yet out in the open. The Emperor surmised that it made sense, and was willing to wager that it was also in neutral ground. None of the Masters probably would be staking out a workshop here, and the terrain was probably useless for doing so to begin with. He wouldn't drop his guard, but it was at least not problematic territory. Still, with how Imperial Decree had surprisingly been able to temporarily alleviate corrective pressure from him, the Emperor decided to test another unorthodox usage of it. Now may have been a poor time to experiment, but it was an idea he only just had at that moment, and the benefits were potentially worth it. [center][color=tomato][i]My parameters are, in order: D, D, E, B, D, with a single EX-rank Noble Phantasm.[/i][/color][/center] This had [b]zero[/b] chance of affecting his parameters at all and he knew it. Nothing he could actually do would change. However, the fact that they'd have to be manifested and communicate made him eager to try and obfuscate his actual parameters from the sight of other masters. A defensive measure was sensible. The Emperor was aware that if he were being currently observed, it was possible for a Master to see his parameters change. That was not preferable to outright misdirection, but the kind of paranoia that might instill was acceptable. And if it did nothing...oh well.