"Not quite your thing huh?" He placed down his glass and nudges it in her direction so she could try if she wanted. "A bit of ice tends to chill the alcohol so you can't taste it as much "

"Well, it might just be a tradition for military folks like me. So I didn't say anything. I mean it might be different among the Crane too." Hayato explained a half smile on his lips. "Not like you have anything to be embarrassed about with that sweet voice of yours."

Ichika shook her head with a little laugh. Glancing to his glass she raised her brow, seeing what he meant and hesitated a moment. "Well-" she seemed to start but, glanced down. Chuckling awkwardly she rubbed the back of one leg with the other foot real quick before righting herself in her seat.

"I never really sang," she reached for his drink that was offered. Taking it, and only taking the smallest of sips to be worthy enough to get a taste. Tilting her head to either side as she got a read on it. "Or, any of that stuff. Friends would push me to sometimes but I always enjoyed the less.." she furrowed her brow, handing back the glass she freed her hand to tap her chin. ".. public pursuits?" she shrugged, good enough.

"Mmmmm... I suppose I can understand that." He reached over to take his glass back. "What did you think?" He asked lifting the glass to his own lips to take a sip.

"I guess I shouldn't try to tease you into singing if you're uncomfortable with it." His lips curled into a warm smile. "Even if I think you're good at." His glass made its way to the table and he turned it slightly. "What do you like though? If not public pursuits?"

Both brows raised as her eyes widened a little, "Oh! Tsuruchi-san have I never talked about it!?" she brought her hand up, laughing into the back of it a bit. "I must have taken for granted that all my friends knew..." she put her hand to her chest, "I consider myself a poet," she dipped her head.

Looking up she chuckled, turning it to a smile, "I don't seem to have told many people that.. and I haven't written much since I got here," she sighed a little. "It's a lot of the reason why I wanted to come here," she said, letting her hands find some hold on the table as if to use that as a manner of reference for the place, looking around. "I just.. I love to remember all these little places, yea? Remember them in my poems," she said with a small smile.

He pursed his lips at that. "You know you haven't though thinking back I may have heard someone mention it?" He couldn't exactly be certain though, as he had been drinking at the time. "Still it's nice to know you consider me your friend, Doji-san. Especially since I consider you one of mine."

"But that sounds beautiful." He replied with a soft smile, turning his cup a quarter turn before lifting it to his lips. Hayato let his gaze shift from Ichika towards the bar around them. "Do you think perhaps there is anything in particular that you'd remember about here? The smell, the sounds, the taste of the sake?"

"The atmosphere is what I'm trying to get a good.." she furrowed her brow, tapped her chin as she tried to think of the proper phrase. "Hold, I think? Yea, I'm trying to get a good hold on the atmosphere here to remember," she brushed the table, "Can sorta get it in the look of the tables, the positioning of everything, the lighting, the smell, the way people look at you when you enter," she leaned down a little with a chuckle at that, rubbing the back of her neck as she glanced around.

"Maybe that's a little different for me.. so," she glanced over toward another table, one unaware of her presence at all and how they communicated there with a point. "But then you can also see it in how they talk with each other, yea? How everyone has there only little.. I guess sphere? Yet they all also have a bigger sphere, one of the making of the whole bar. Like everyone's one and also not at the same time," she said, looking back to Hayato. "Does.. that make sense?"

"I suppose so." He replied after a thoughtful moment bringing his drink to his lips to take a sip. "Though I would say our glass sphere is a big separate from the others, even the larger whole."

He brought his glass to his lips and took a sip. "You'll see it if you watch carefully." He indicated a man who dipped his head politely while passing a table of three. "Most here are regulars, patrons that come here anywhere from one night a week to every night. They know each other, have seen each other if not tens of times hundreds."

"We're the outsiders intruding on their space, not that they will try to chase us away. They just know our time here is temporary and know any connections they make with us will soon pass."

"Mmm," she vocalized as she nodded. Looking where he suggested, then around at the establishment as a whole. "No, I see that, I think," she said, with a light laugh. Looking back to him she smiled. Taking her glass into her hand she took another small sip, not too much and just kept holding the taste of it savoring what she liked and acclimating to what she didn't.

"Have you been getting along well with some of the other Miai guests, speaking of?" she asked, raising a brow as she leaned in a little.

"Looking for some juicy gossip?" He asked his tone a bit teasing, though he still did nod yes. "A few at the very least. I think I've found some friends here even if I can't marry all of them."

He watched the young woman across from him for a few moments, possibly considering something. "I hope you can say the same."

"Plenty of friends," she said confidently with a nod. Giggling before she could manage to speak again, "Was trying marry all of them part of the plan, Tsuruchi-san?" she chuckled a little more, playing with the glass a bit absently.

"What would you do if I said yes?" Hayato asked his tone a bit teasing. "But no really, I'm not sure i could handle more then one spouse." He turned his glass a quarter turn staring at it for a moment.

"I was more referring to the matches that my clan wishes me to pursue, and that some of those here I have come to like don't exactly fit in those categories."

"Suppose I'd wonder if my schooling on the Mantis would need some updates," she said a little cheekily, leaning forward and giving a teasing little shake of her nose. "Buut," she passively kicked a little in the space with her feet under the table. "Some of them do, yea? I hope at least one or two," she said with a little nod. "Can't pick them all so hopefully you have one you can like enough to satisfy both Clan and family, and you, hmm?"

Kicking under the table in a divebar was likely not something Ichika was used to, so it was probably a surprise when she impacted something that was most likely shin. At least if Hayato's expression was any indication.

"Maybe it does." He offered reaching down a hand to rub as his shin. "But yes some of them do, and there are at least one or two. Well, one or two that interest me at least enough to inquire about their feelings on the matterr. Hayato straightened in his seat, picking up his cup and bringing it to his lips to take a sip. "So I suppose I should take the chance to ask you about that matter. Your feelings on you and me, and a future together as it were."

With the realization her eye went a little wide, both brows raising, "Oh! I'm sorry Tsuruhchi-san!" she said, a soft laugh, "I didn't think that I was moving that far," she finished that note with an awkward chuckle. Absorbed with that enough that the realization of where the conversation had just gone in that moment played slowly across her expression.

"O-oh.." she said, furrowing her brow a little. "I- I didn't expect that was the case but," she brought her hand up to cover a light awkward laugh, "I guess that makes sense, huh? We've had some fun, yea? But.." she furrowed her brow, tapped her chin.

Then with a little lowering of her head she rubbed the back of the neck, "Guess I went and did that again.." she chided herself lightly, shaking her head. "I suppose something like that would please my Clan. I- I don't really know about my family," she shook her head, waved off that thought. "I'm happy you consider me worthy of suggesting to the Nakodo, Tsuruchi-san," she dipped her head.

"Don't mind it." Hayato replied with a chuckle. "My legs are pretty long after all, and it's not like these tables are the widest either. I'll try to stick to my side though. "

"Sorry I put you on the spot a bit there." Hayato replied dipping into a small bow. "I suppose I can be a bit straightforward about these kind of things." A lopsided smile made its way onto his lips, though it was gone a few moments laters.

Reaching a hand up he rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose i should say i have considered you as a potential spouse since first we met, you left me with a good impression. Though I would say our meetings have not been the most romanticly inspired. So I can't blame you that you were unable to tell. I should of been a bit more clear before now."

"No no, it's okay," she said, laughing lightly as she blocks it with the back of her hand. "It's my fault more than anything, yea? That's what we are here for and all," she chuckled again.

"I.. I guess maybe we might have to start considering that possibility, hmm? Though.. I am curious, Tsuruchi-san. Who are the others that you are considering?" she asked, leaning in a little and raising her brow. "I think it might help give an idea on things, yea?"

"Are you saying we should consider some moonlight walks through the gardens in the near future?" He asked a small smile, his tone perhaps a little bit teasing.

He looked into her eye for a moment leaning back in his seat, his fingers idly turning hi glass back and forth. "I suppose it doesn't hurt to tell you, though i suppose I should ask that the information doesn't go farther then here. My list is rather short at the moment. Just you and Daidoji Ishiyo-san."

"I'll keep it between you and me," she said with a soft smile and a nod. Dipping her head, "Thank you for trusting me with that, Tsuruchi-san," she said, looking up with a little smile. Glancing down to the glass she pulled it up and claimed another sip. "That could be.. nice, Tsuruchi-san," she said, a soft smile.

Setting her glass back down.

"I've gone there a lot.. it's a nice place to talk about all the things that matter, and the ones that don't, yea?"

Bringing his own glass back to his lips he drained the rest of its contents, though he didn't immeadely move to order another. "Yes, though I've really only been there twice. Not that I hate gardens or anything, I just don't like the idea of repeating a date with a woman that she has already had before."

His lips curled into a wry smile. "Still I wouldn't mind taking you there. Though I do wonder if there is any other place you haven't visited in your time here. I could take you there instead, so you can get a taste of a differnt type of atmosphere. If that's somethign you're interested in."

"Somewhere new and exciting? I'd like that a lot Tsuruchi-san," she said with a little smile, nodding her head. "Though I'm not really certain where we'd go! I've been.. most places, I think? At least.. most places inside the city but from what I've heard it's probably not that safe to go out there, hmm?" she glanced toward the rest of the room.

"Well.. at least with the gardens, they're big, and normally you don't just go to the gardens to see the gardens. I mean, you do, yea? But, you go there to speak with whoever you're going with. Which makes every trip a little different," she looked back to him with a small smile, "yea?"