Spontaneous, Splendorous Show-up [Erchanhardt, Himiko]

"Ah, boys are so reckless. Gosh... but it's still kinda cool that the bridge is still here, right?"

It was only a brief look that she had before she straightened herself out and gave a big ol' stretch. A quick turn around and she was back at Erchanhardt's side, what he said was a little hard to follow. She didn't think fighting was good, neither was trying to oppress people because of something like supremacy. The next bit lost her though, aesthetics and fashion sure were good. She didn't take him for the fashionista type. Prowess? Um.

"Yeah, exactly. That's right."

Himiko didn't really know if she had answered right, she just gave a big smile at him and hoped that it had sufficed. She was a simple girl not dumb, well maybe a little, but all this greater thinking stuff really confused her. It'd be rude to just want him to stop though.

"It is quite pleasant, yes, though a shame that the six others the city was known for have fallen over time. Still, that sort of thing is inevitable, I suppose."

Taking her hand once more, Erchanhardt continued onward, over the river and, after a little bit more time, into one of the parks. It was a relatively small portion of the city, but it had held on through a great many years now, and through a great many wars, at that. The apple trees were indeed in full bloom, and they brought a small smile to his face as they arrived.

"I planted many of these trees, long ago. It was something of a celebration with the people of the city at the time, a grand event to enjoy. It is always quite lovely to see them bloom another year."

"Awww, are you gonna rebuild them?"

Asking the question while walking abreast towards the park. She did like it when she saw it, giving a big exaggerated sigh at the sight. Especially with how he said that he had planted them himself, it must have been a while ago now. Maybe these trees were older than her, that seemed kind of cute. Right? Right? Yeah. Super duper.

"That's nice, I like trees. Well, I like lots of things and you know I like being outside, so trees are super! It's really nice here."

"I could, I suppose, but I think to do so merely from memory would lose a bit of their artistic merit. I am many things, but an architect is not one of them, and the bridges were certainly masterworks in that regard."

Her simplicity was always rather welcome, seeing as he was one to think and to overanalyze anything that came to mind. Something as simple as a question like that was often enough to keep Erchanhardt from sending himself down a philosophical rabbit hole that would ultimately lead nowhere.

"I'm glad you enjoy it. If you find yourself in Konigsberg often, I would be quite glad to show you the other parks around the city, though I would not wish to make you wait on the lunch I promised."

Once more he led the way, though he did take the time to walk with her under the shade of the apple trees and across the small streams here and there. A quiet, beautiful place such as this deserved to be appreciated, after all.

"Well, that's true. Aren't there any plans though or something? Someone had to build 'em off something yanno."

Right? Maybe. She didn't know how old these bridges were like let's be real, she thought the plans and blueprints might just be laying around somewhere and he could rebuild off that. It didn't have to be hard, now if he was actually lacking in those things? She could understand where he was coming from.

"I'll come here as much as I can, no biggie. Someone's got to be stationed in the area here after all, right? Hehe- Lunch!? Right, right."

Getting closer and hugging his arm while they walked, she did like this shade and the trees around them. Water and silence like it was just the two of them here. Now this was real romantic, her tail just refused to stop showing her excitement.

"Not so far as I am aware, unfortunately. Though I have certainly spared no expense in searching for them, even if only as a part of the city's history."

Of course, there wasn't much more to be said on that, and for that matter, the feeling of her holding his arm in such a manner made speaking any more on the topic feel a bit unnecessary. This was more than pleasant enough without any words spoken. He could, of course, have led the way out, but it seemed far more pleasant to simply enjoy this tranquility for a while.

"I will look forward to your visits, then. I imagine they will be a quite pleasant way to remove myself from the stresses of leadership."

Ah, he'd mentioned it again. He didn't exactly intend to hide the full extent of his position from her forever, but he also realized he had not properly conveyed it to her. It felt a bit disingenuous, he supposed, but it would have felt equally so if he told her early on, as if he were attempting to leverage it to impress her. He would cross that bridge when they arrived at his home, he supposed, but they still had the town square to see. It was not far from the park, but Erchanhardt was quite content to take his time leading her there. This was pleasant just as it was.

"Hehe, you definitely should. It's really nice here. I like it more than when I was in America."

That was more or less because of him being here really, she liked both places equally in the end but only one of them could have him in it at a time so sorry America, you lose this time. Himiko nodded though, the excitement that was walking through the park and talking was quite a bit even though it was meant to be a relaxing thing.

"Leadership? You mean like here? You seem like your the mayor or something when you're out and about. Everyone kind of looks up to you, it's super sweet."

"Ah, well...yes, I do suppose that is somewhat accurate."

It seemed she had caught onto the atmosphere in the city, though really, of course she would have. Erchanhardt simply held her a bit closer as they walked, enjoying her presence at his side.

"These lands have been my family's domain for many centuries. I have been Duke of Konigsberg since I was only a few decades old. But in the last year, I have taken the old throne to bring stability to the lands, in light of Shadow Fall's departure. My role as Holy Roman Emperor is still more than a touch alien to me."

Erchanhardt had never intended to hide it from Himiko, of course, and so his tone didn't indicate guilt. Rather, it was clear that the whole idea was simply a bit awkward for him to speak about. It felt as though he were boasting, and for a man as generally humble as he, that was quite uncomfortable.

"That's really cool. My family didn't really have anything, we kind of just lived in the woods and stuff. I guess all I inherited was a burden as Mum and Dad called it, you know my ears and tail. Yeah, I don't really know why I got a burden like that but I don't really think of it like that. It's just part of me being me now."

It was really weird to hear him call himself a Holy Roman Emperor. What a big fancy title, she didn't realise she snagged such a totes big fish. Murasacchi would be so jelly to hear that she was dating the Holey Roman Emperor.

"You're fitting right into it though. It suits you, I think."

Himiko almost wanted to ask if that meant his wife would be a Holy Roman Empress. That sounded fancy, didn't it? Nice ring to it.

"There is nothing wrong with a simple life. I find, truthfully, that it often seems preferable to one filled with extravagance. And as for your features, I think that is the correct outlook to have. They do not seem such a burden to me, and you carry them quite well."

Honestly, Erchanhardt had thought to tell her they were quite charming, but that seemed somewhat tonally inappropriate at the moment. Besides, it was not so much that they were inherently charming, but rather that Himiko as a whole was.

"It brings me no small amount of pride to hear you say that. I do occasionally feel as though others might do better in my position. If nothing else, I worry that I will not live up to the works of my predecessors."

As he spoke, the two reached the city square, and Erchanhardt always found himself with a smile as he saw it. What had once been an unremarkable square of stone and street had been transformed over the years by himself and the people, made into a spectacle with a grand fountain and all manner of greenery. It was a place that seemed quite alive, inspired by the villas of Italy that he had seen in his youth. The tower of the castle loomed not far from there, as if a reminder to him of his role.