To think that on such a nice warm semi-Spring evening he was cooped up in the Department of Culture's office, sorting out files, filling in papers, and dealing with notes on matters of the next few months worth of festivals that needed looking over - as well as numerous letters to be sent off to varying other departments whom the DoC needed to get assistance from - most notably the Department of Finance (again).
Sighing, the Head of the DoC, Itsuki finished off yet another request for more money - he was now rather dubious that the Department of Finance would consider reading the letter at all after recognising the handwriting. After all in the past few months he had been getting more and more money off them for various matters - Cultural festivals, gatherings, more celebrations in terms of the Glorious Emperor (as the rest of the DoC often described him), as well as varying other Cultural pursuits, of which Itsuki realised the DoC coffers were running dry for.
It was such a shame, he thought grimly, glancing aside to the slats of the office windows to peer at the moonlit courtyard just outside. The moon was wide and fat, dappling light on the fresh blooming blossoms of the Sakura trees that were blowing in a light breeze. The sky was so clear and bright that even the stars could be seen in the inky void of the night sky. And to think, he still had plenty more to do, Itsuki much preferred the thought of just resting outside his quarters for a little while, just to sit and relax in perfect tranquillity.
Though the likelihood of that was slim, and he was well aware of it. Still, the chance to take a moment's break was very welcome, and the Head of the department settled his brush down and leant back in his seat. "A break, Uemura-san?" he suggested, already taking up the cup of sake in his hand without hesitation - Zenko's idea, and a highly welcome one at that.
Scribbling a hurried note to himself in the margin of a draft proposal for the Star Festival, Zenko only just caught Itsuki's words as his ever-frenetic mind paused in its workings for a moment. He ran an ink-stained hand through blue-black hair, long sensitive fingers ruffling it a little out of its customary arrangement. Reaching absently for the cup of sake he had poured nearly half an hour ago and forgotten to touch, he looked up at his boss and gulped gratefully.
"If you like," he agreed, although he spared a wistful glance for the papers he had been looking over. The key problem with having a job he enjoyed so much was that once he had started working he found it very difficult to stop. He was brimming with ideas for the Star Festival, even though it was late and the rest of the Department had left for the day. Only Zenko and the new Glorious Leader remained in the office, the wind breathing softly around them through the open screen door. It was pleasant, in a way; calmer. With just Itsuki bent quietly over his own paperwork, there was less pressure to be brimming with brilliance and energy. And a veil of tiredness had crept over him as the sun sank, which he could not help but pay a little attention to.
He did wish that Itsuki would stop being so formal.
"Would you like a walk outside?" he asked, picking up his cup and stretching. His muscles ached from sitting for so long. There was a walkway which ran around all the ground floor offices at the Palace, surrounding a pretty garden, which was nothing short of glorious in blossom season.
"A walk?" Itsuki repeated, just to be sure he had heard Zenko right - after finishing his sake, setting down the cup to his side. A walk would be lovely, he mused to himself somewhat, glancing to the open screen door with an almost wistful look. A walk in the gardens at this time of night sounded lovely, and it was safe to say that both young men were in need of some sort of break, a chance to let their minds wander away from paperwork and buzzing with matters, and taking the chance to be even for a brief moment, zen.
Rising to his feet and straightening his kimono - a turquoise number which the DoC had decided to surprise him with for his sixth month anniversary as their Glorious Leader - it wasn't the typical outfit he would wear, but he often said he wore it to show his appreciation for the gesture - secretly however, Itsuki admittedly liked the colour and the general look of the garment, even if it didn't usually fit with his general forte in terms of clothes.
Crossing the room and sliding the screen door further aside, allowing the moonlight to lazily fall across the Department of Culture's office floor, surprisingly bright for such a late hour. "It's a shame the others aren't here, I think they'd appreciate the evening - or maybe they are in their own homes?" he uttered the latter part a little more grimly, wishing he wasn't necessarily cooped up in the office at all.
But still, Zenko was here for company, and he couldn't complain about that - it was safe to say that although throughout most of the day Itsuki found his second in command to be rather trying with his utter 'fabulous-ness', when not surrounded by the rest of the Department, Itsuki found the blue-black haired man to be a lot easier to deal with, a lot calmer, which suited the Department Head fine. "Shall we go then?"
He stood up and slipped his feet into his shoes, which he had removed discreetly after the others had left, although they usually didn't care much about shoes in the government offices - there was far too much hurrying about to be done and meetings to attend to worry too much about that sort of thing. Besides, the Department of Culture had a long tradition of complimenting each other on their outfits. Zenko noted with approval that Itsuki was wearing one of the presents they had bought him. He didn't quite know when they had fallen into the habit of buying their boss clothes, but it was a sort of unspoken agreement that a good-looking man like Itsuki Nakada ought not to waste himself on boring outfits.
Pouring himself another cup of sake, he joined Itsuki at the doors and topped his cup up as well. Abandoning the bottle to a table, he stood back respectfully to let his boss step out into the moonlit garden first. Zenko was enthusiastic to the point of being overbearing and confident enough to practically bully Itsuki when he wanted him to do something, but he had a keen sense of what was the right thing to do, and he knew that he was no longer the Temporary Glorious Leader, despite his past glories in that enviable position.
"Not tonight, unfortunately - I don't think this is a relaxing evening for any of us," he replied. "Yasu is having dinner with Lord and Lady Agemono to talk about extra financial grants for the department - Agemono-san has a good relationship with-" his voice and expression darkened, "Tamakazura." Itsuki, who had been with the Department for over a year now, knew only too well of the bloody and long-lasting feud they were holding with the Grand Advisor's aide. "Oniko's out of the city giving his seminar to the prison governors - but you know that, he's away until Tuesday. And poor Misa-chan has her aunts visiting." Zenko had met the aunts once. It was an experience he hoped to forget.
