<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"> <br/>"<strong>I'm nothing like that, I only speak Japanese and a few scraps of English, of course we've only been taught English since starting here, less than two years so I'm not very good with it yet</strong>."<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Alfred had to smile fully at that. It was not every day that a girl actually admitted she was not perfect at everything she did. "It's alright.<em>mein..</em>my father had a big hand in me learning those, because of his position. I think he is wanting me to follow him into a diplomacy career.." he said, looking about for a moment as she spoke.<br/><br/>His smile fled from his face when she mentioned.. the war. THE war. His father had told him much about it. Not all of it considered fit for young ears. "Father once told me, that, was a monumental exercise in stupidity." he said, his tone slightly strained, then slipping into German for the last phrase. "<em>Und ich glaube ihm, fest!</em><sup>1</sup>" he then brought a hand to his face to cover his horrified expression, realizing how upset he had suddenly become. This will definitely not do. "<em>Go.. gomen nasai</em>, Nakamura-san.." he said, slowly uncovering his face to her.<br/><br/>Before she had a chance to react, he answered her next question, in as calm a tone as he could. "I believe that, once again, my being here, specifically in this school, was my father's doing, probably at the behest of my mother, who's always going on about how I was needing a 'taste of the world'." he said, finding his grin again. "Well, here I am, out in the world, I suppose." he said, noting the approaching boy, who first called out to them all, then addressed him directly.<br/><br/>Alfred suppressed the want to correct the boy, but that would only bring him unneeded trouble. "I was brought here just now, yes." He answered, the continued. "Yes, that's me, indeed." he said, as Nakamura introduced him to da Silva. "If you wish, you may use Alfred or.. Darsten-o-san, will also do. I use the 'san' prefix because it is a form of respect, yes." He said, glancing at Rikako with a grin. He almost went for a wink, but stopped himself at the last moment, looking at something else at that moment.<br/><br/><br/><br/>OOC:<sup>1</sup>"And I believe him, firmly!"