Crumbs on the Table [Erchanhardt, Himiko]

Now that was certainly not the answer Erchanhardt had expected from a woman of her appearance and demeanor. She had seemed a bit more metropolitan than that, but he supposed that was a reminder to him that he ought not to make broad assumptions based on a few brief words.

"It would seem we share similar interests, then. What sort of books do you tend toward? I've not had time of late to do much of either, though I was somewhat recently able to spend a good while in the plains of North America. They are quite lovely, though the hunting there is a bit lacking."

On one hand, Erchanhardt did have to wonder if a girl of her demeanor would be particularly inclined toward hunting. He had always rather enjoyed it, though he had hardly been able to put together a proper hunting party in a good many centuries now. On the other hand... Well, he had only just thought to himself that making assumptions would be a bit rude, but between her preferences and her...features, he expected that she would likely respond in the affirmative.

Crud. He was asking about what she read, she couldn't tell him it was only really magazines. That or kid's books she used to read to actually teach herself how to read and write properly. Ugh, this was hard.

"Oh you know, non-fiction stuff. Totally not anything from Earth, just Soul Society books yanno- Omgosh. Hunting? Yeah, I'm pretty good at that. Especially when I get my Tenken on the case. He and I can go for weeks just living out remotely, that's probably why I'm the best survivalist in the Seventh Division."

Okay, that was a bit of a boast there. Murasacchi would definitely back her up though, even if it was exaggerated. That's what girlfriends did for each other you know? She'd totally talk her up for Ally.

Yes, that did seem to have been the answer he'd been expecting. A good survivalist, hm? That was rather impressive. Erchanhardt was, for a brief moment, vaguely confused by the mention of 'her Tenken,' though having spent enough time around other Shinigami and the like made it relatively easy for him to piece together what it meant through context.

"An impressive boast, to be sure, though it is rather worth being proud of. Tenken is your zanpakuto, I presume? I take it that its abilities prove helpful in the outdoors, then?"

He still didn't particularly understand the full mechanisms behind the zanpakuto, but at the very least, he did understand that each was to some degree or another quite unique. Was it considered poor etiquette to ask something like that? He realized he did not actually know.

"If that is considered a personal question, I do apologize. I am not fully versed on the ways of the Shinigami."

"Ahaha. Yep. Tenken is, he's my good little boy. Together we're pretty good at getting around, don't sweat it though. I'm not shy about Tenken, but I think he scares off a lot of people. It's not his fault though, he's actually a big softie unless you try and hurt us. Nothing to fear, big guy."

Wait, that's it. She could totally impress him with how well she did it outdoors. He liked hunting, she liked hunting and just being outside in general. Lightbulb!!!

"...I mean, you can totes come and hunt with us sometime. If ya not busy you know haha and you want. You seem pretty cool and nice."

Gosh, she had to stop being so forward. Gosh, if she asks everything then what's he going to ask? She sucked, just sip the drink and give him a bubbly grin. That'll be good for the moment, now she'll try and settle down. Right while she was drinking this coffee with sugar in it. This was totally salvageable.

"Well, I will keep that in mind, then. Both regarding the question and regarding Tenken."

The followup, though, gave Erchanhardt a bit more pause, if only to actually consider the situation. After all, he'd already grossly misunderstood her wording once, so there was no particular concern this time around. Any assumption of some romantic connotation was a relic of his age, after all. Besides, while he did of course treasure Yugiri, it would likely be to his benefit to make other friends. The idea of becoming overly dependent on her for companionship was rather far from ideal.

"That does sound pleasant, yes. When are you available? I've nothing immediately pressing which needs my attention, though I ought to return home before the end of the month."

"Totally- Oh wait, really? You mean it? Right now... I mean, whenever. You know, whenever suits you."

She needed to call Murasaki as soon as possible, her captain was a woman who'd understand. She hoped, plus it wasn't that long. Just a little delay, she had to have a heart surely for Himiko's own but there were more important things, like trying to figure out what to do now.

He said yes, awesome. Step 2... Crud, what was step 2? Just sip some more coffee and get thinking, he'd need to prepare probably. Himiko was pretty good at taking nothing and having it all work out but he probably wasn't like that. Normally people had gear they liked to take. Just walking out into the forests with nothing were nuts.

"So you know... just whenever."

Her ears and tail were really twitching from her nerves. Gosh.

Judging from her brief slip of the tongue, it seemed that she would have preferred it to be as soon as possible. That was just as well, to be honest. Erchanhardt had heard that the game in this part of Italy was quite good during this season, so he was all too glad to put that to the test.

"Then shall we set off tomorrow? I will need to set a few affairs in order today, but apart from that, there is nothing which requires my immediate attention. Hopefully that is not too short of notice, yes?"

This was not exactly how he had envisioned meeting another new companion, but Erchanhardt had long since accepted that he tended not to meet many friends through normal social situations. He supposed it was just another symptom of these troubled times, though to make any friends at all was still quite a blessing.

"Ah, how long of a trip are you available for? I likely cannot stay out for more than two weeks, though I do not know if your duties would keep you from staying that long."

"Y-essss. Absolutely, tomorrow. That sounds super duper amazinggg."

ALright, now she definitely had to tell Murasaki she was taking her two weeks of leave for the most important of things ever. She had a date? Yeah, that's what it was. Even if she thought they were on two completely different pages. He was a total gentleman though, how could she not try? Himiko would bet he knew how to treat a woman.

"Two weeks, pfft. Easy. I'm on break at the moment anyway, you know. My captain doesn't even need me for a while. Let's go for two weeks together, I think it'd be so fun. Dontcha?"

What was she going to do all night while she waited? She just sipped at her coffee all excitedly until it was gone and she let out a content sigh. It'd been so long since she'd done this, had she ever gone out into the wilderness with a boy like this? Not really! Omgosh.

"Ah, that does work out well for us, then."

Erchanhardt briefly thought to ask about the report she had mentioned prior, though she had said that it was nearly finished. If that were the case, he supposed it made sense that she would not have anything immediately requiring her attention beyond that.

"I do hope it will be pleasant, yes. I have not spent any significant time in these parts for quite a long while, now, so it will be lovely to see how they have changed. And, of course, it is always exponentially more pleasant to camp with good company."

Finishing his own cup of coffee, Erchanhardt thought for a moment to simply pay the bill and be on his way to ready for tomorrow, but that did seem a bit rude, didn't it?

"Are you free for the evening? It would be good to discuss this outing further, I think, and become better acquainted. I've plans for dinner tonight, but it should be no trouble to have the reservation changed to be for two."

"Yep-yep, huh?"

Did he just? He did. He totally asked her out for the evening, discuss more specifics. What a good excuse, that's the kind of excuse she'd use which means she was totally right, plus it was him making the plans now. The moves. Ah, this was so great. Her tail just didn't stop flicking back and forth.

"Just lemme chec- yep. Totally, no issue."

She barely even glanced at her phone. Better acquainted definitely was what she wanted to hear, dinner and two weeks alone with a total gentleman who she shared so much in common with? It was all just bouncing around her head now. She could see the stars aligning already.