If one could actually see O-yhamu's face, one would have seen a look of mild surprise at hearing the language of Galmha being spoken so far from the Galmhese lands, perfectly fluently and courteously, yet in an accent that he had not heard before.

Nevertheless, O-yhamu did not let this pleasant surprise chip away at the artificially manufactured air of diplomatic formality that he and the rest of his entourage had about them. Turning his head to make eye contact with Inwin, the ambassador of Galmha's longtime southern neighbour, the dignitary nodded and bowed ever so slightly to the other man. 

"[i]I look forward to working with you in the future[/i]", he replied, choosing his words carefully. 

O-yhamu knew, better than anybody else, how fatal a slip in diction could be for any bureaucrat trying to get his way. His own father had fallen because of a verbal misstep; Teynu Khamun-yoyazai Yuhamu, a colonel in the Khama corps, was a man of great military prowess, but a rather lacking command of language. He had, on multiple occasions, accidentally offended Mynostron XIV (the father of the incumbent Hhamhakhal IX) and other members of the Inner Chamber, a tendency that wasn't helped by the fact that Khamun-yoyazai was a drunk. Eventually, when O-yhamu was 9 and Khamun-yoyazai was 51, the latter was dismissed from his commanding position and shifted to a far more ceremonial bureaucratic position. Nobody doubted the reason why. 

Consequently, Mu O-yhamu Yuhamu was a man who chose every single word with the same deadly precision the Khama were trained to possess in archery. 

"[i]Tohru[/i]", he said quietly to the black-haired boy in the maroon tunic, in a less formal variant of Galmhese than the one he and Inwin had addressed each other with. "[i]For the moment, just be on your guard. Feel free to talk to the other delegates, but be careful with your words.[/i]"

Second-lieutenant Tohru Tohru-muhei replied with a silent nod of acknowledgement. 

Standing at just 173cm, with a rather small build and a mop of jet-black hair brushed slightly to one side, the young officer was hardly an imposing figure, bar the sword hanging by his side. Barely 18 years old and only recently promoted to his current rank, Tohru had been trained in military command and in martial arts, but diplomacy was something completely alien to him. That much was evident from the cautious way he carried himself, as compared to the more outgoing O-yhamu.

It was hard to foresee how things would play out in the presence of the boy Emperor. This was only the second time O-yhamu had been to the capital of the Torivian Empire; the first time was nineteen years ago, long before the new Emperor was even born, and even then, it was simply to settle some menial dispute about monetary records. Back then, O-yhamu stayed only for three days, and there weren't any other provincial delegates present.

This time was far different.