Aegrescit medendo

[The Kingdom of Bretonia]

With the Hogosha representatives arriving, Mortimer ordered most of his staff to leave the office, further increasing the confidentiality of the meeting. Only two other members of the Ministry of Defence, alongside a representative from the Armed Forces, and the ever-present guards remained. As Majima was being welcomed in, Vernon moved to welcome him, although it did not take much thought to understand that neither side was fond of each other, instead desiring to profit off of the work of their counterpart.

In addition, Vernon was very much a different man from years prior. What had once been a person keen on peace and very strict government control now turned into a mere puppet of the Armed Forces, used by the hardliners present there to represent their interests in the higher echelons of the government. Though nominally acting under orders from the Crown itself, the military was adamant to ensure that the meeting would go smoothly and end in a similar note. Whilst he did not wish to further plunge Bretonia into Kusari's expanding influence, the little choices available also caused great concern, and more importantly, fear. Fear that, one day, they might be replaced by someone who does the job better and far more efficiently. This pushed the already-weak personality to go to depth priorly unforeseen and prepare to offer much more lenient terms for the sake of a guarantee that the negotiations would not be in vain.

"We welcome you and your esteemed colleagues to Lewes, Mr. Majima, and Mr. Hisashi." begun the Defence Secretary. Several seconds after, and reinvigorated with a wide smile on his face, he continued: "We have been awaiting your arrival, with many hopes of establishing peace between the groups we represent and with it, further continue on a path of collaboration."

Though the Crown's finest present diplomats were indeed expecting to formalize a loose alliance with the Hogosha, Vernon, being more experienced in such meetings, decided to initialize the talks in a calmer, and much more laid-back manner. Of interest was, in general, the Hogosha itself just as much, owning at large to the fact that Bretonia had maintained hostile relations with the group since the outbreak of war with Kusari, almost two decades prior.

Thus, after exchanging greetings, he looked back at Majima and asked: "How did the trip here fared? We have been keeping a close eye on the nearby trade lanes, but the unusual Maquis or Outcast may well still slip through."

Now, the ball was in the Hogosha's court, with Vernon well-aware of their prowess in diplomacy, be it done directly or through unconventional ways.