Akamatsu Hiko
The sudden sound of wind and several cries of alarm caused Akamatsu to turn toward the disturbance. Zhou's display of firebreathing was--while not entirely safe--rather amusing. He was one person that Akamatsu recognized, although it was not a friendly recognition. Back in Zhou's pirating days, he'd been quite a nuisance to the traders and fisherman who traversed the waters between Liang and Nihon. Oh yes, he knew quite a bit about this "Pirate Prince" and very little of it was good. Akamatsu spared himself a small smile, satisfied to think of what a fool the other man was making of himself right off the bat. It was definitely amusing. Judging by Niklas' reaction, he too must have been on a similar train of thought, although it was quite obvious that he didn't see any humor in it.
Turning away from Zhou and the commotion he caused, he found that they were being greeted by yet more newcomers. He said very little, just a customary greeting and preferring to observe. He supposed he could loosen up a bit. These people were unlike his own, and while a certain sense of formality was called for, it wasn't nearly as strict as the one he grew up with. What was rude according to his people's standards would probably not be so here, still he ought to tread carefully. He had several months to get to know these people, and while he had a very general knowledge of most of their countries he admittedly didn't know much about them personally. The reason being he firmly believed you could only truly know a person upon speaking to them face-to-face, without the bias of whatever media had to say. And if he did happen to need some specific information, Ueda Haruka was on hand to provide it.
A thought crossed his mind briefly as they were joined by another young woman. Whomever it was he married might just have a hard time adjusting to Nihon's culture. He wasn't sure if his expectations had been different, but the more he thought about it the more he realized he really had no expectations at all. Until now, he'd just assumed that his life would go on just the same after the marriage, but that might not be the case. Especially if his new wife was ignorant of Nihon's ways. This troubled him, he didn't have time to play tutor to some foreign woman. And what of being a husband? Well now that he had time to actually think about it, the whole thing sounded extremely unappealing, and he realized with no little amount of shock that he really didn't want to get married. As he pondered and worried, his outward expression remained the same. As cool and collected as ever. He cast a glance across the room where Haruka stood, speaking to one of the guards, and the memory of the older man's words came flooding back. Maybe he was right, and Akamatsu wasn't ready to get married. He was still very young, most men in Nihon didn't marry until they were at least thirty. This vacation was turning out to be quite a pain.
Returning his attention to the present, he heard Niklas speaking to Karma. He couldn't whether or not the man's tone was mocking or not, though he certainly seemed to be insinuating something. From what he knew of the Königreich Prince, he certainly liked to throw his weight around. Arrogant, but with good intentions. It would be wise to befriend him. As for this Karma Kennen, Hiko knew nothing about him, but he had the appearance of someone who is not accustomed to dealing with other people. Better tread carefully.
"Prince Niklas, if you're a sparring sort of man I would be honored to test my skill against yours," he interjected while they were on the subject. "The best way to get to know a man is to meet him on the field of battle, after all, whether you are fighting against or alongside him, it's all the same." He decided he liked Niklas, he could be friends with this man. "The invitation extends to you as well, Prince Amun and Prince Edwin."
As Amun and Meenakshi broke off to introduce themselves, Akamatsu was again reminded of the reason for his coming here. Was she even here yet? He hadn't seen her coming in, but then, he had been kind of distracted for the last several minutes. A quick survey of everyone else in the room soon revealed her location. Amberlyn Manera, of Viracian. He admittedly didn't know much about her, just what she looked like and some facts about her family. She was sitting on the other side of the room and conversing with a man that Akamatsu didn't recognize, although he seemed to be more interested in his cell phone than the woman sitting in front of him.
If he was to go through this ordeal, he may as well introduce himself to his future wife, and so excused himself from the others.
"Pardon me, Princess Manera?" Akamatsu said as he approached and offered a slight bow to her. Up-close she was even younger looking than in her pictures, though still fairly beautiful. He supposed that was all right. "My name is Akamatsu Hiko, son of the Emperor of Nihon and, I believe, your future husband." Should he say something else? Something flattering perhaps? "I hope that we can be friends." Good enough.
