Kyuden Shika

Inoshishi sits in her usual spot, enjoying the views out over the forest as the shadows deepen. She’d left a cutely similar message to the ones Ishi used to summon her, though her message had cute ‘love’ emoji all over it.

She relaxes, back against the wall, waiting for him to arrive.

The tall Lion uses the rather tricky path he'd chased his Dragon down one day, perhaps subconsciously trying to imprint the important memories of this place. It takes him a bit of time, not wanting to do anything risky now with such a happy future finally in focus.

When he reaches her, his first move is to kneel beside her, taking one of her hands in his and squeezing gently. The smile on his face is excruciatingly happy.

Inoshishi’s smile back is equally wide, squeezing back with intensity. She’s clearly considering just grabbing him but decides not to, observing some sort of propriety for the moment.

“I’m glad to see you still happy, my love. After your sudden change earlier today, I was uncertain.”

She leans in slightly and kisses his cheek briefly before returning to her sitting position. “Hard to image two weeks ago we knew nothing about each other.”

Ishioka sits, putting his hip as close to hers as humanly possible and wrapping an arm around her back to her other hip.

"Nothing so... dramatic... as happened in the late morning could intervene in my day. And with your fortification of my heart, I don't expect to feel such drama again," he says, squeezing her gently. "We will have happy drama together, of that I have no doubt."

Inoshishi laughs, her fingers closing in the fingers in her hip happily. “Well, no one ever said either of were anything less than thoroughly intense when dramatic. Or otherwise.” She presses up to him again, her grin speaking her love far louder than mere words.

“As for the happy drama….I do not doubt it. At. All.” Her other hand strokes her book pouch knowingly, having spent some portion of the last hours divining their future.

Taking his eyes from the sunset, Ishioka looks down, broadening his smile at her grin.

"No doubt at all," he asks jokingly. "No, you don't have doubt," he says, eyes adoring. He sighs happily. "What happy drama do you think comes next? Besides a wedding that my parents use to outshine other Matsu families..." He tries to keep a joking tone for that remark, but he knows it's really coming.

Inoshishi giggles. Looking up at her Matsu, her eyes glint happily. “Of course I don’t. You know why I collect the stories, right? It’s so I can see the broad shape of what’s coming. I knew I’d find my Great Romance here, and I did.”

At the talk of the wedding, her eyes look happy if worried a bit.

“Outshine…the Matsu? Like the whole family? That sounds difficult. And like it might take a lot of time. So should I send a letter to my parents so they start down the Mountain so they can give me away?”

Ishioka smiles, kissing the near side of her forehead as she mentions the Great Romance, and then his eyes twinkling a little at the sliver of worry she shows.

"Hmm. I haven't explained enough. The Matsu are a great family - probably the single largest in the whole empire - but there are many bloodlines that make up the family. The, ah, most important ones, are the ones closest to our daimyo's line, of course. The most prestige, the most... Well, it's much better to be closer to that line. My line," he says, and then squeezes her against him, as it well be her line too soon enough, "is sort of... second tier. A good bloodline, but not a really important one. Even though my great grandfather was a celebrated conqueror, raising our prestige, but not enough to be accepted by the... best families," he says, filling the word with scorn.

"My parents' last chance to show off was Hachiko's gempukku, although a group ceremony and everything.. There was only so much they could do. I expect they will want to make our wedding an event, especially to call attention to the potential future children. Hopefully girls, hopefully athletic ones... As we've talked about, they really want to see a grand daughter worthy of a Lions Pride appointment." He sighs and squeezes her again. "Which they will likely highlight when we go to introduce you."

Inoshishi listens attentively, eyes shining at the pride in her beloved’s eyes as he talks about his people. Her people, shortly. There certainly seem to be a great many of them. The Dragon were never many due to their monastic tendencies. This would be interesting.

“So…we are to impress the lower families? Or those above?”

She chews in her lower lip at this talk of children.

“Whatever your naming traditions? As I am not on the mountains, I will not allow my children to be called anything to do with animals.” A very clear and mildly odd statement, coming from one named after Boar.

“And are we thinking this event will be soon? Within a few moons? Or longer?” She seems vaguely distracted by something she’s keeping back for the moment.

Ishioka's smile beams as his heart beats just a little faster, things feeling on track and positive. She's so adorable when she bites that lip. A loving squeeze presses her against him briefly in recognition of her nervousness.

"Ah, ideally the more prestigious families, especially the daimyo's family if they even come. It... It could be large and take time to prepare, although if war is on the horizon soon then there will be plenty of weddings held before then. There are... certain priorities... in a great family that prizes warriors as we do," he admits, not really hiding that he means lawful baby-making before thousands of warriors march off to war for perhaps their last time.