"Oh, I imagine my younger brother would want to help with the drinks. Festivities call for drinking, and he'd probably insist on bringing some... traditional beverages. It's my guess you haven't tried kumis before?" She snickered a little, knowing that the ancient Unicorn brew had a bit of a reputation.

"Miyeon will probably want to help with the clothes... traditional wedding robes have been the standard in our family. Bridal kimono and such." Not that she didn't wear that as she had shown today and yesterday.

The situation called for yet another moment for her to reach for his hand and squeeze it. "Neither of us thought we'd be here like this, but I'm happy nevertheless. Like any marriage, we'll have our ups and downs, but I feel confident that we'll both try to make it work through the hard times."

"No, but I've had the chance." Which might surprise her. "At the time though I wasn't sure what I'd think of it though so I passed." It had seemed a wise decision at the time. "I suppose I'll see if I like it if your brother is kind enough to bring it though "

"I'll dress to match then." He paused for a moment. "Harumi might enjoy helping your sister with that." Hayato added thinking of his other sister. "She has a taste for more traditional clothing, and I think it might be a good way to bring our families a bit closer?"

He took her hand and squeezed it in return, before bringing it to his lips for a kiss. "I'm happy too." He agreed with an easy smile. "And I don't expect us not to argue ever. As long as we make up after that's what important, isn't it?" His eyes went towards hers. "After all neither of us are the type to give up on something just because its hard."

"It has an acquired taste. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it myself, but some things you just do because it's tradition," she said with a serious nod. And for many of the Unicorn, now that the Empire had access to much better alcohol than the ancient nomads of the clan had had, kumis remained mostly a thing to break out when tradition called for it. "Knowing Hak, he certainly will bring it along. In hopes that it will cause some reactions - and to see how well you can hold your drink."

The idea of how to bring their families closer seemed good, and frankly a part of her was looking forward to start getting all the planning underway for the marriage. It was probably going to be a lot of logistics to work out across the clan-lines...

The kiss made her hand close around his more firmly. "Yes. No relationship is without difficulties or arguments. And you're right, I dont give up just because it's hard. But I'll apologise in advance that I can sometimes be hard-headed and stubborn," she blushed a little as she admitted to her own failings.

Acquired taste was usually just a way of saying somethign was bad, until you drank enough to not mind or your tastes changed. "Ttadition is something I can understand." Hayato offered with a wry smile. "I'm alright with alcohol, but if your brother wants to test my limits it might be best done a few days earlier." His eyes shifted away and perhaps a bit of color touched his cheeks. "I wouldn't want to be drunk for our wedding night."

"I suppose it's good that i'm a patient man, maybe I can just wait out your stuborn moments?" He offered his tone a little teasing. "Though I should probably admt that I hold a high opinion of myself, and I tend to have a bit of a temper when I feel slighted. Or denied." He grimaced. "It's something I need to work on."

She blushed as well, looking away for a brief moment as she felt her cheeks turning hot. "That's... I wouldn't want that either. I mean, I wouldn't want to be that either. Drunk. On our wedding night." Smooth, real smooth. Knowing that they would get to share that kind of future with eachother in the not-so-distant future did make her pulse race a little faster.

"If I tell Hak to do that a few days before the wedding, he'll take that as permission to drag you along for a night of drinking with him and whoever else he can rope into it."

In a lot of ways, Hak was a bit like Yul. And Ruhe.

As they shared their opinions of their less desirable traits, Hyeon-ju nodded. "I guess we both have things to work on, but we can do so together. I'm not quick to anger, but I can hold a grudge for a long time." She took a deep breath. "And I don't like mess."

"Then we're agreed." That wasn't the smoothest line in the world, but at least he knew they were on the same page. Though now he wasn't sure if they were going to wait for that time or experiment some before. A pilgrimage sounded like it would mean an awfully long time alone together.

Clearing his throat he returned to his meal for a moment. "I don't mind that;a night out drinking that is, it will be a good way to bond. Maybe I can rope a few of my friends to come along too." The more the merrier right?

"I suppose I'm guilty of that too. Holding grudges." Hayato elaborated. He wasn't forgiving Akihiko any time soon at least. "Mess? Me either. I'm a military man after all, I might not keep myself looking the best, but I can't really abide by a messy room or station either."

"I don't think you'll find it hard to bond with him, or make friends with my family. At least in my opinion, you're a type of guy that's easy to get along with." Though she was biased on both sides of the equation.

Eating the last bits of food on her plate, she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Not that being a military person is a guarantee that someone is neat or tidy; trust me, I've seen some absolute slobs in the military. But I'm very glad to know it's not going to be a point of annoyance for us that the other is leaving things around the home or making a mess." She tapped her chin with the butts of her chopsticks as she considered what other things might be good to cover. Before they could move on to dessert.

"I tend to be an early riser myself, but it's nice to sleep in sometimes. Though that means when I get up early, it's usually to straight away doing exercises; even pilots need to stay in shape, and I like working out early in the day too - usually less people up then for morning jogs. And I'm more of a tea-drinker than a coffee-drinker... not that I don't indulge in coffee when on duty and need to keep awake for long periods of time."

The only problem on his end was likely his father, but the old man could be quite cordial when he had a mind to. Which was often enough when business wasn't involved. "I try to be, especially when I have a reason too." And he was certain it would make Hyeon-ju happy if he got along wiht her family.

Hayato's own plate was pushed away, only scraps left of the meal. "True enough, but I've always been, though it might just be half leftover from my childhood as well." He place his chopsticks onto his plate. "Still it's good to know I won't be tripping over articles of clothing first thing in the morning." Usually.

He nodded as she explained. "I don't stick to any particular schedule really, sometimes out in the field I'll be up all hours of the night. Others I'll be moving before dawn. It's a bit annoying but I'm pretty adaptable when it comes to where I sleep." He glanced her way and smiled. "So keeping a similar schedule for sleep and exercise won't be a problem when we're together. Though it seems we'll be brewing two different pots in the morning." He smriked and shook hsi head. "Though I suspect you already knew I was a coffeee man."

Knowing that Hayato was some at odds on his father, Hyeon-ju was already thinking that he might be the biggest hurdle to overcome for this match. She had some plans of her own to help with that, but that was mostly her planning on studying up on what she could to have an easier time fitting in.

At the mention of tripping over clothes in the morning, the blushing from before seemed to be back again. "Well, sometimes we might be tripping over discarded clothing in the morning..." She didn't think she'd get up from bed just to put away her clothes, and then go back to bed.

"Out in the field is different than home," she chuckled, finishing her own plate as well with a content sigh as she placed the chopsticks down by the side. "And yes, that will be two different pots in the morning, but I don't think that's going to be much trouble. Hmm... I'm almost feeling like I don't have many vices in comparison, then I remember mine are more... uhm, material." Hyeon-ju drummed her fingers against the table as she kind of wanted to look away with her sheepish expression, but she lifted her chin instead. "I suppose it's no surprise that I say I really like fashion, as I've said it's an interest of mine."

And judging by how well-dressed she always was, it was easy to guess where it could be going. "My vices are a bit more in shopping, and reading fashion magazines and such. Not that I throw away money or don't know how to keep my own budget," in fact, she was quite good at managing her own resources, "but my mom thinks I often spend more on clothes, makeup, and accessories than I need. Which at home has often led to a lot of borrowing from eachother's wardrobes since we're three sisters who like a lot of the same things."

The fact that marrying into a wealthy family might actually increase her own stipend was something she actually hadn't considered. Mostly because she had never picked out Hayato because of his family's company. In time it would probably occur to her.

"It probably sounds really silly to say that is my vice..."

That wasn't what we had been thinking about when he said what he did, well maybe it had been in the back of his mind. Thinking about it and having her say it were too entirely different matters though, and suddenly his mind was focused solely on how it might feel waking up with the beautiful woman beside him naked in his arm. His own cheeks reddened and he shifted slightly in his seat before coughing once into his hand to clear his throat. "Yes, that may be something he have to deal with on more then a few occasions."

He blinked twice and took a breath wondering how four months had turned from very short to very long in a space of a few minutes. The change of topics was a relief and he shifted to it quickly. He smiled softly as he listened to her, it was a common vice and one many samurai were accustomed to dealing with, though less so for Hayato. For various reasons.

Reaching over he placed his hand on her thigh, and gave ot a gentle squeeze before shifting slightly and facing her more fully. "Hyeon-ju, one of the things I have always liked about you is your sense of fashion, even when you're in casual wear you take the time to match it with accessories that fit it. Not to mention your make up is always spot on, though I have to admit I have found today's especially enticing."

"Some might think it a vice, and perhaps it is but I will never mind you looking beautiful. So spend what you like and do it without worry. I'm not going to judge you for it because I get to see you in it, and I'm always going to like it." He looked into her eyes and smiled. "For us, most months Money is hardly going to be an issue. Especially after we get you situated with a stock portfolio of your own."

Facing Hayato more fully, she placed her hand over his on her thigh, holding it with a gentle touch. "Thank you, I'm really glad to hear that you like it. And that you don't disapprove... wait, what... stock portfolio? Like, my own stock in your family's business?"

She blinked, clearly having not considered anything like that. She had chosen Hayato for her happiness with him and not his wealth.

And then she was realising that might yet another uphill struggle with his father if he thought this Unicorn was marrying for money.

He chuckled at her reaction, apparently she hadn't thought about it yet, which was cute. "It's not really something you'll need to worry about. My father will likely make a gift of it at some point though."

Hayato watched her features for a few moments, trying to figure out the things floating in the back of her head. "You're worried about something aren't you?"

"I've not had anything like that before..." the Unicorn was a wealthy clan and their samurai well-supplied, but owning stocks was a new one.

Squeezing his hand once more, it was now her turn to bring his hand to her lips. "Just... it's probably me worrying over nothing, but it occurred to me that... I might be seen as someone marrying into wealth for my own gain." Gold-digger was such a vulgar word.

He had tried, but the way she looked, the feeling of her lips against his skin, and the need to offer a little comfort shattered his resistance. Bringing his hand up to her cheek he leaned forward to give Hyeon-ju a tender kiss.

It wouldn't last long though, and as he pulled away Hayato offered the Utaku a teasing smile. "It's not like my Father knows you had any choice in the matter. Some today were picked despite their thoughts on the matter." The last was perhaps a bit bittersweet, but he smiled at her anyways. "I won't say thats not a possibility but it won't get any negative reaction either, at least from my Father. In his mind personal wealth, status, glory are all things that can be used for the betterment of the family as well as the clan. To move to acquire more of them is to gain more power for your Lord." It was probably a very Mantis thought process but it was there.

His smile softened. "We may have more problems with that from your families perspective honestly. I'm sure we have ways to convince them that money wasn't the reason for our Union though."

Her other hand moved to his upper arm and her fingers curled a little around the fabric of his shirt as they shared that tender moment and its kiss.

"No," she gave a small shake of her head, "they'll understand that was not the case when I explain what happened. Maybe some might think it, but not my closest." And those who didn't know her, that didn't matter. Those who mattered would know she had been ready to do her duty, but a Lion of all things had not.

His eyes drifted from Hyeon-ju's eyes to her lips to the fingers curled into his shirt. He wanted to lean in again and kiss her, to let their fingers part and to begin to explore. This was not the time for that though and instead he pulled further away. "Is it about time for our next distraction?"

The conversation helped clear his head further and Hayato nodded. "I'm glad of that." He'd hoped it would be the case. "I'd wondered a bit if I would have to convince them I wasn't just some rich playboy come to take their family away."

She breathed in deeply, easing the closeness and giving eachother more space. "Next distraction sounds good."

"As for that, it helps that you don't come across as a playboy. And when asked about the miai, I'm sure mother will approve considering how well you did. Proper military man, and certainly not a playboy just coasting through on prestige and wealth." In his case it had given him a leg up butbhe had also proven himself.

At least they agreed on that, and shifting a bit to face forward again, he signaled the servants to bring in the next course. It was ice cream, which was a step away from traditional but something he knew they both enjoyed. Two bowls, containing three scoops each were placed in front of them. A bit much in all likelihood but at least the scoops weren't huge. Hers it seemed were a maple walnut, apple cinnamon and vanilla bean. Where his were coffee, chocolate, and hazelnut. "It might not be a Maple Walnut day, but I couldn't think of much to pair with rum raisin"

That was a relief and he couldn't help but smile. "I suppose I worried a bit about that, with how much I was trying to ask different people out." Thought that had been something he felt the miai was about. "Still it's nice to see I didn't come off that way." He paused a moment. "What should I call her, your Mother that is. I suppose Utaku-sama is only proper, and I guess your Mom will exxpect the same?"

The ice cream was a welcome distraction, although she was fairly certain she'd be feeling full even in the morning. Still it was delicious and it would be a crime to let deliciousness go to waste. "Very good choices. Apple and cinnamon is a combination that can almost never go wrong."

She sampled the vanilla first, as it was the more delicate flavor of the three. "I'm very glad to know you're not lactose intolerant by the way. It would make some foods hard to eat in my home." Maybe that meant she wouldn't be completely starved of milk and cheese products in Mantis space.

"Utaku-sama is fine, or Utaku-taisa if you wish to be formal at first. Mother can be strict and formal, but since you will be family, she will probably insist on her personal name, Jisoo, or simply Mother. Mom will probably insist on personal name too right away... she's much more informal and relaxed even if she is the one from a diplomat-family. In some ways, Ichika-san reminds me of her."

"I thought so myself." Not too sweet with a hint of spice the flavor combination was right up his alley, as far as sweets were concerned at least. "And I've always enjoyed the combination of apples and walnuts so I thought they would pair well."

His own spoon went first to hazelnut, the flavor wasn't a favorite but would fit well with the chocolate and coffee. "That's a lucky thing isn't it?" He offered with a smile. "Though I admit I got most of my taste for it when I went to School on Blue Pearl, milk and milk products aren't too common at home." Being at the edge of the empire did have some disadvantages. His eyes did shift her way to try to read her reaction to that.

He nodded, deciding to go with Utaku-taisa at first, Hyeon-ju had said it herself the woman could be rather formal. "My father will likely be much like your mother in ways. He'd likely want to be called Tsuruchi-sama at first, but eventually he will let you decide your preference between Itsuki and Father." Never dad though. "Mom it depends a bit on how much she likes you, but she has a interestin fashion herself and I think you teo might hit it off pretty well. So I imagine it will be Ayame with her after a few days."