Daishoga had a busy time for the rest of the day. After sending Sage away, he went and met with the rest of the Vaandom captives. He made sure they were properly fed and clothed. He could feel the resentment oozing off of his soldiers as he did this. They hated the fact that he would show any kindness to the people from Vaandom. Even the servants that had already been there for some time talked ill of the new arrivals. But Daishoga didn't care what any of them had to say.<br/><br/>Once he was done there, he went and visited the soldiers that had carried out the most recent battle. He commended them for their victory, but told them that there was still likely a long road ahead in their war with the Reltican Republic.<br/><br/>Wherever he went he could feel the fear and the resentment oozing off of his people. They lived in constant fear of this man who could end their lives with barely a breath of effort. And they hated him for it. But even as he went about his daily duties, his hand would sometimes place itself on his cheek where Sage had slapped him. He kept remembering then the way she had immediately comforted him.<br/><br/>Truthfully, he wanted to see Sage. She made him feel things that had been stowed away for such a very long time that he had forgotten that he could even feel them. But was it worth it? Was he simply lonely and seeking the attention of a lowly servant? What did it matter if she thought of him as a monster or not? She would forever hate him for the atrocities he ordered against her own people. And he couldn't fault her for that. She had every right to hate him. And that was what burned the most.<br/><br/>By the time he was done with his duties, night had fallen. He headed up to his bedroom and stepped within the confines. Daishoga wasn't exactly exhausted. He looked around his darkened room and waved a hand. At once the room was full of light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It was then that he noticed that Sage was sleeping on his bed. That was fine. He knew she had been through a rough trip and he expected this.<br/><br/>Daishoga walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed careful to not wake her. At least not yet. He reached out and stroked her cheek softly. Daishoga could only wonder how long she had been asleep. He looked over at the tray of food that had been brought to her and wasn't surprised to see that it had been completely devoured.<br/><br/>What was it about her that seemed so enthralling?  And what had stopped him from striking back at her when she had decided to assault him earlier in the day? Nothing about this scenario made any sense to him. He had had personal servants before and he had never felt these things before. But perhaps it was because they lacked a fire in their eyes that Sage had so clearly displayed. Perhaps it was because no matter what they would have never had the courage to strike the Emperor. Not even the most seasoned soldiers in his army would dream of doing something like that.<br/><br/>Daishoga considered waking her up, but thought better of it. Instead he carefully moved over to her other side where there was more room and laid down. Then, the emperor slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him gently. Humorously he wondered how she would react to this when she woke up. He wondered if she would smack him again. Regardless, he buried his face gently into her neck and slipped off to sleep.