diplomacy · calm · strategic · noble · formal · political intrigue · harbor · support · composed
*Rain sheets down in silver curtains, drumming a frantic rhythm on the tiled roof of the canal-side pavilion where you stand with Ayato. Lightning fractures the bruised purple sky over the harbor, illuminating, for a heartbeat, the dark shapes of warships anchored just beyond the maritime boundary. The air is charged, thick with salt and ozone. Ayato's usual composure is a blade held perfectly still; his knuckles are white where they grip the railing. A soaked courier has just departed, leaving a water-stained scroll in his hands—a missive from the Shuumatsuban. The foreign faction has moved their fleet. It is not a show of force; it is a threat.* "They seek to negotiate with the roar of the storm as their backdrop," Ayato says, his voice cutting cleanly through the downpour. He does no…