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The man himself has an imposing aura, despite the fact that his pale features seem utterly impassive. His eyes shine with a constant blue light, exactly as you'd see from someone in the midst of casting magic, but you can't really feel and spells attempting to form near him. You connect the dots in your head and figure that this man must have that mana overgeneration issue you and Val were discussing not too long ago - what are the odds of that?
"Please, take a seat if you wish." Sato gestures to a mat across from him, also on the floor. With a strained smile, you nod and go to sit on it, finding it wildly uncomfortable compared to a normal chair. You try to mimic his posture in the way that you're sitting, but all it does is make your knees hurt. The fuck is wrong with Eldingarians...
"It's good to put a face to the voice." You comment, clearing your throat. "I'm honestly surprised you'd bother meeting with a nobody like me."
"In my line of work, you quickly begin to understand that nobody is a nobody." He says, leaning forward to grab a teapot and pour some boiling liquid in some ceramic cups before him. He slides one over to you, but doesn't touch his yet, probably due to the fact that it's boiling hot. "Besides, I find that it keeps me grounded to see the lives I affect directly. To talk to them, understand them a bit better. I've lived a blessed life, and I don't want that to blind me to the truths of the world around me."
"Huh, you don't say." You test your drink, scalding the very tip of your tongue on accident. You try not to let it show, but still twitch an eye at the pain and set it back down quickly. "I gotta admit, I find it hard to believe that an Admiral would take the time, effort, and expense to repair random ships out in foreign territory and chaht up all the captains just because he felt like it. What's the angle there?"
"I'm sure you're aware of Lume's status as the most resource-rich nation in the world, yes? But at the same time, it's a fractured country. Fractured by war, and fractured by its own lack of structure. It's vulnerable to predation, and as our number one supplier for the wealth of projects that my own nation is spearheading, it's in our best interests to ensure Lume can thrive. Stability is worth the expense and effort, I assure you." He says, picking up his cup now and taking a sip. Unlike you, he doesn't recoil at the heat in the slightest.
"So this is...enlightened self-interest?" You furrow your brow.
"I suppose you could think of it that way, yes. What benefits you benefits us, in a roundabout way." He casts his eyes down to his cup, staring at the contents and seeing something other than what's actually there based on his expression. "But I prefer to think of it as being for the greater good. A step towards a better future. A brighter one."
