Hayato eyed Shoan for a few moments. "Well, I suppose she is fairly reserved. Much like you."

"Maybe I'm just good at getting past that or something?" He mused as he looked out over the water.

"A natural talent for making reserved samurai-ko feel comfortable?"
She looks over at him and then the water
"There are worse skills. I did not, I believe the term is 'hit it off with her' but I do not think poorly of her either. Maybe I have a love/hate relationship with pilots?"

"It's better then being considered some sort of final boss." Hayato replied with a chuckle. "Though I don't know if that's quite it either. I suppose you'd have to ask some of the others here their opinions on me to be sure."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You love the boy pilots and hate the fire pilots?" Hayato asked, his tone teasing.

"I may have a soft spot for cocky pilots, who generally tend to be men. But I am sure a woman who knows how to charm someone from the from the cockpit of a fighter would do equally well."
Now her turn to be curious

"Is Utaku-san that to you? She has very impressive...."
Shoan trails off as her mind tries to find the most polite euphemism
"...Quadriceps, they are very developed."

"Mmm... She's certainly pretty if that's what you're asking. But it's a bit more then that too. She's alsi smart and fashionable, a bit funny when she likely doesn't mean to be too."

He lifted his inhalator to his lips and took a long drag. "And fun, I've got her to gamble with me over things a few times. Which is more for fun then anything else." The trail of smoke flowed from his lips. "I'm not really likely to marry her though. The Unicorn and Mantis thing doesn't work too much better then the Lion and Mantis thing after all."

This time it's her turn for a sympathetic nudge to the Mantis
"That is...fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. But there will be a Shoan or Utaku-san who is an appropriate match. Maybe that will be Daidoji-san? Maybe some last minute entrant? It would unfortunately cement you as a character in a romance novel, but it can't be helped."

"Daidoji-san seems to be in love with another man." He paused for a moment. "Not that such should be spread around, but I trust you to keep it between us."

"Not that such particularly matters either, it's not something that is important to making a match, and we get along well enough." He reached his heands above his head and stretched. "Plus after just a few days? It's likely just childish infatuation."

He did smirk at the end though a little humor in his tone. "Well, if that happened it would just mean you were right all along, huh?"

The Lion's brows beetle.

"Of course Hayato-san, there is no reason something like that should be bandied about. It is as you say probably just a spur of the moment attraction..unfortunate though it might be."
Shaking her head ruthfully
"It is not quite how I would want to be right."

And if it turned out not to be temporary, there were always ways for a man to make himself happy. Not that he was going to talk to Shoan about that.

Skipping over the more difficult conversation his lips quirked into an amused smile. "Oh? Any particular reason why? Don't want to have known a romance novel lead?"

"Well, a true romance would need some kind of epic conclusion. So it means there would have to be a flood or a wild monster attack, or maybe a flood of wild monsters. You would rescue the samurai in question, finally proving your worth to them without question, but one or two minor supporting cast members would have to die."
Gesturing to herself
"Now, I would have enough lines to survive but someone else would surely be slain."

"You make a good point, and I'd certainly hate for Shinjo-san to pass away like that." He nodded a few times to himself. "Better to be avoided entirely."

"We really don't need a pack of fifty drifters attacking the city after all."

"Exactly, we'd be busy shooting them all afternoon....and Shinjo-san really needs to stay away from them."

"Yeah, he really does. It's wise you didn't invite him on that hunt of ours." His lips curled into a smirk.

"Plus shooting drifters would get boring after the first dozen."

"There's really no challenge if all the samurai present know what they're doing. Perhaps we should have all taken a date and turned up with only our sidearms?"

"Sounds like a idea for next time." It really didn't sound like an idea for next time. "We can all be suitably dashing and show off as he fire radiant weapons at the wildlife."

He struck what could be loosely considered a dashing pose. "How was that Date-chan!?"

Shoan holds up a hand as she clears her throat for a few moments before responding in a ludicrously feminine and adoring voice.

"Oh Pilot-Kun! It was very romantic! You have such large biceps and you used them so well, I wish I had sunglasses half as cool as yours."

Hayato sniggered at that. "Don't forget to flutter your eyelashes too."

Though honestly he was pretty sure Yul got a little more then fluttering eye lashes after his near death experience with Mumei.

"Yeah, just like that." Hayato replied with an approving nod, before pausing for a moment.

"But shouldn't you be the one showing off in the instance instead of being wooed by dashing Pilot-kun? He asked his tone a bit teasing. "I mean, then Kitsu-san can swoon and you'll get to catch her in your arms."

"I don't need to show off for Kitsu-san....do I? I am not the showy sort."
Hmmm, maybe she should do something to prove her feelings to Kitsu-san
"I....hmmm"