The disheartened warlord raised his head to seek the timid voice's source, reacting to the actual sight with a few rapid blinks. "Oh,<em>now</em>my prayers are answered in a timely fashion!" His curious gaze turns to Hagetaka, a look of skepticism overtaking his face. "Let me guess, one of your friends called in to give me false hope?" He beckons his guest in nonetheless, always the gracious host. "Well, come in, anyway. You must have had a long trip." The humor in his statement at the time seemed dryer than the desert around his estate.