Hayato waited at the entrance of the gardens, garbed rather different then any had ever seen him in traditional clothing. Something that he owned, though he seldom wore due the extravagant nature of the clothing. Black Hakama over a sea green kimono of the finest silk: the kimono itself shined slightly in the light due to the gold thread used to embroider the bamboo leaf motif into the cloth. It was perfectly tailored to the young man, and he wore it well, though it was stifling hot in this weather and a few beads of sweat were evident on his forehead.

Stifling the urge to sigh, he waited for his companion, already wondering if it even had been worth wearing. Though he quickly dismissed the passing thoughts. He'd agree to this after all, there was no room for second thoughts anymore.

Shoan rounds the corner and takes a few moments to admire the Tsuruchi in his full ceremonial best. Well, what do you know, he even cleaned up nicely.


"Tsuruchi-san, you look nice tonight. I quite think black and gold are your colours."

As she bows politely, the contrast between the two of them couldn't be any more stark, as agreed.

Shoan is wearing a baggy white t-shirt with 'My Bushido Is Up Here!" emblazoned across the front. This is complimented by, of all things, a pair of khaki shorts and some comfortable looking sandals. She's clearly got enough climate appropriate clothing for the both of them. There's even a hint of something beige underneath the shirt, but it can be hard to tell, might just be a stationary vehicle or some kind of mushroom.

Then briefly, there was a time paradox.



"It is....surprisingly freeing to be dressed as such, even if I feel I'm in my pajamas and these shows are of no use for running." or kicking

"I had considered pants but....well, sometimes one lives life on the edge, daringly, moment to moment....also I only have two pairs with me and they're both being washed."




Shoan had the look of someone who only wore heels when she could complain about them.
"I'm sure you would have been just devastated had that occurred, good thing the shorts could save the day."
She steps beside Hayato, giving his kimono another approving nod before examining the entrance to the gardens

"I've heard it is often cooler inside amongst the greenery."



"You wouldn't know where the beige ended and the samurai began."
There's a half smirk on her face as she accepts the glasses with thanks and slides them on

"Very thoughtful. Arrive early, performed good reconnaissance, made appropriate use of supplies. This is what I'm always looking for when I go to the garden."



Shoan's reply is a little delayed as she turns her head this way and that, eyes smarting slightly at the sheer spectrum of colour and hue on display. Maybe Asakaze wasn't all that bad?.....Or maybe not.

"Naturally, it would somewhat ruin the atmosphere if you had two large duffel bags over your shoulders and had to keep stopping to catch your breath."
One of her hands brushes his, maybe by accident, the lion is wearing funny glasses
"This is much nicer."

"Every woman's dream date is to be handed a duffelbag and told to carry it a couple miles to then help prepare food. It seems you narrowly missed out on the perfect evening."
Shoan shoots him an amused sideye while also apparently keeping her gaze on the iridescent plants around them.

"Perfect would of been if I had managed to hunt down some dinosaurs for us to eat after the hike." He countered with an amused smile on his lips.

Lifting his hand he held his thumb and index finger a slight bit apart "Sadly i was just this far off from making this a truly memorable evening."

Sounding devastated“Oh dear, to think I shall have to forget your wonderful kimono after this evening. All but for a taste of dinosaur.”

“I hope you’ll be able to make it up to me in other ways.”

"Well, from what I'm told I'm at least a little bit charming, and occasionally women laugh at my jokes. It's not much compared to freshly grilled dinosaur and good exercise though."

He sighed melodramaticly and looked towards the sky. "We both can merely hope its enough."

Sombrely, mimicking his sky gaze

“Occasionally, I’m sure. You are like grilled dinosaur of the mind. It will do, I think.”
Sliding her glasses down and shooting a teasing look across at him.

“At least it’s a good location. The gardens are quite something in the right light.”

"I think thats the second best compliment you've ever given me." Hayato replied with a soft chuckle. "It nearly makes a man speechless."

"You're right though, this is the first time I've come here with someone else, and its quite nice."

“I never thought I’d enjoy stopping and looking at mushrooms quite this much... perhaps I should eat one?”
Shoan mimes a ‘nom’ before continuing to pace deeper into the garden.

"Well, it's not an ikebana arrangement, so it might not taste too bad... still likely best to pass."

He looked atvher and smirked. "If you did you might end up glowing with these uv shades after all."

“Now that would be quite the look, just a quietly pulsing orange stomach. I suspect I might get looks.”
She shrugs
“More looks than normal, anyway.”

"Well, if they were wearing u.v. glasses." He looked her over for a moment. "If it's looks you're after though, you could maybe try doing something with your hair?"

"Like put it into spikes or something."

Neutrally“You think my hair would look better with spikes?”

"Not particularly, it's kinda nice how you have it already." He offered her a playful smile. "Could just try putting it up into a tail or something though."

"It might look good."

“...Hmmm. Reasonable save.”
She reaches into a pocket and pulls out several hair bands.
“Give me a moment. We shall put this to the test.”
And she starts carefully working her hair into a maiden’s tail

"Certainly."

He waited while she adjusted her hair a bit surprised she was doing it now.

“Mmhm...mmhm...mmmhmm. Hold this”
She plonks some flips in Hayato’s hand as she twisted the hair this way and that.

“Annnd, there.”
With her new style it was easy to see the vibrant tattoos extending up the back and sides of the Lion.
“You might understand why I seek to... have a slightly more concealing approach to hair in my day to day.”

He extended his hand to hold the items, there was no reason not to..

His eyes were on her as she finished, though a slight frown touched his lips at her words. "Why? Your tattoos are beautiful, they must of been done by a skilled hand. Not to mention the lonr of your neck is an attractive one. Do you really need to hide it?"

“Thank you, the back of my neck is my proudest feature.”
She pulls her long tail to the side to keep it clear

“They were done by an extremely skilled hand, and I am proud of them. Both of my parents have the same tattoos, and my grandparents before them. But it is a family tradition and... tattoos in Lion lands are for criminals at best. It’s rude to draw attention to them.”