[D6, EA, expecting] What's a little rain?

[Matsu Ishioka]

There's a distance still on Ishioka's tired face, like he hasn't made it all the way back from how confused he had gotten. But Ino's voice has drawn him back enough that his eyes are looking at her, clear and bright. Even in this strange, exhausted time, his eyes remain more expressive than the rest of him.

In his eyes she can see a swirl of elements, fire seeming to overtake both earth and water in strength. Looking like the comforting, controlled fire of a home hearth, Ishioka's eyes have a little sparkle as his lips part for him to speak.

"My Ino-chan," he says, barely above a whisper. His free hand comes up to touch her cheek with a gentleness perhaps not expected from stone or a Matsu. "What am I going to do with you," he says, voice still soft as he uses the backs of several fingers to gently rub her cheek.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Ino leans into the rubbing fingers, having known for awhile that there was a hidden reservoir of kindness hidden in this particular stone. Her eyes remain fixed on his, a tired amusement coming into them as he asks the rhetorical question. She blinks once, lazily, and then a slight smile comes to her lips.

“Ideally, my Ishi-san, you’d marry me, take me to your home, and see how cute lion/dragon babies look. But if you’re meaning more now than later, I’m pretty sure the appropriate thing to do would be to make sure I can’t talk for a time. I’m sure you have some typically Lion strategy of force-against-force that would work well for this.”

There’s not the slightest hesitation to these words, all said in her usual perky and matter-of-fact fashion.

[Matsu Ishioka]

"There's my Ino-chan," he says happily, as his fingers move from her cheek, deftly past her ear and to the back of her head to help execute the sort of maneuver she'd suggested. It is, at least briefly, a gentle scouting of her lips with his, but, it takes little time for a more developed engagement to ensue.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Being a good Dragon, she offers no resistance but doesn’t give up one inch of ground. Indeed, she demonstrates the flexibility of the Dragon by launching simultaneous counter attacks along the vulnerable flanks of the Lion while also a frontal assault, although it’s more of a probe, really. She try’s to lure the Lion to chase her retreating force, confident her center will hold even if the Lion successfully penetrate her lines.

[Matsu Ishioka]

The playfulness of the Dragon intensifies the fire building in the Lion, awakening more predatory energy the longer they continue this engagement. At one point, Ishioka forces her back enough for them both to take a full breath of air, and the look in his eyes is like an inferno raging around a mountaintop, some measure of restraint desperately holding out against a nearly unstoppable force. The man pants slightly as he stares at the potential prey before him.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Fire is no stranger to Agasha or Dragon. No alchemist worth their salt is bothered by a little scorching. And so she meets fire with fire, her own desire evident as she clings to the Lion. As she is pushed back, she smiles slightly, blushing fiercely. Seeing his restraint, she responds, though who knew how helpful this response would be to maintaining restraint.

“Now or in 7 days will make no difference to anyone. I will still be slim for the wedding day.” Her outer kimono falls from her shoulders, revealing the pale area below her collar bone. “Make me your Lioness when you wish, my lord” her voice is huskier, her own restraint faltering.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka's breathing, a bit heavy as they'd kissed, starts to turn ragged as his eyes creep over the Dragon girl. He slowly rises from the knot he'd been sitting on and steps toward her. With intention, like a predator. Occasionally, his intense breaths even rumble in his chest a bit like the growl of a four-legged lion.

With agonizing slowness, Ishioka raises a single finger to trace delicately along Inoshishi's collar bone. As the finger comes to the base of her throat it pauses, just at the brink of sliding down and there being no going back. The man asks, voice husky with barely contained passion, "Ino-chan, are you sure... that you want this here..."

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi shudders gently as the Matsu’s finger traces her collar bone. Her breathing is shallow with excitement, her eyes ablaze with the intensity of the moment. At the question, she blinks a few times, then shrugs out of her kimono entirely, only her (mostly) white juban remaining.

“Ishi-san, am I not in wedding white, aside from this one patch?” Which she covers hastily. Silly Inoshishi, talking too much even now. “Are my colors not removed? The rest, it is but” she waves her hand dismissively, “trappings. If you wish to chase me, I will run and try my hardest to stay inches away, never quite in your grasp, only to be caught when this is finished, panting and flushed. If you wish to have me, then I will dye my juban yellow until you permit me to wear your colors openly or, if that time never comes, against my heart till I die.”

She stares into Ishioka’s eyes relaxed and confident, perhaps more so than she’s ever been.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Her confidence was not unnoticed. Ishioka's intense gaze never left Inoshishi's body as he carefully set aside his daisho, and then with two long strides had reached Ino before she could even turn away. The tall man lifted her body lightly, arms enveloping her and bringing her to his lips again before

/ftb