Ain't no justifying

His daughter was the most gracious of all, even if she did not like the gift he knew she wouldn't reveal as much. But he saw the faint gleam in her eyes, the way her ears tipped forward to listen to the sound and take solace in its soothing repetition. He knew she would not lie to him, least of all over something that was ultimately trivial in the grand scheme of things.

Turning away from the water fountain to give her his undivided attention, he listened as she spoke of how she'd nearly died. How one of the Fatalis boys saved her life and in turn she felt as though she owed him a debt. One that could not easily be forgotten or cast aside. Pressing his lips thin, Hattori hadn't known things had cut so close, that he could have lost ikigai without even releasing. Without even having the sense of mind to know what it meant, how it should have made him feel.

"As do I, it seems." He rumbled after a prolonged silence, the empty space filled by flowing water. "And as Ashen's Geisha, what do you think needs to be done?"

This was not a test, if anything her rank made her best suited to working out the kinks of this issue. Hattori was not a diplomat, never would be, but he had faith in the Princess. She would know what to do.