Spontaneous, Splendorous Show-up [Erchanhardt, Himiko]

"Right? My big fluffy tail is the best, no one's tail is nearly as fluffy and soft as mine. Same as my ears. I'm a one of a kind type girl, yanno."

Maybe it was a bit too aggressive that it came off as arrogant of her but it wasn't. She was just showing how confident she was in relation to them, crying about them wouldn't get her anywhere in life. Speaking of though, it made her pout when he said the next bit.

"Of course you're fit for the role, if you weren't fit for the role then people wouldn't follow you. If you worked hard and make other people happy and content then you're totally worth the weight in Holy Roman Emperor. Did these predecessors get gritty and be with people? I dunno, actually. Maybe they did but I still stand by my point."

Simple as she was, it just meant that she was really direct with how she needed to say things. It was pretty great, right? Totally not hard to sound really smart when she was oggling at the real pretty scenery she had been presented with.

He'd not actually expected her to reply so sternly on the matter, but Erchanhardt actually found it...well, he was unsure how else to put it but "quite attractive." She cut directly to the point, in a manner he found he rarely did in his own thoughts. That was quite welcome.

"I suppose you are correct, yes. I ought not be so caught up in my own doubts, hm?"

Without too much warning, Erchanhardt lifted Himiko up onto his shoulder, in part to give her a nicer view of the scenery, but also, of course, to simply have her a bit closer. Was that a sin? Perhaps. He would ask forgiveness later, and he continued on through the town toward the castle.

"Your tail is indeed quite soft, by the by. I think I am quite blessed to be with such a one of a kind woman."

"That's right. Overthinking things never gets anywhere, that's why I always just go with the flow. If ya fight against the current then you find less fish, or something."

She tried to emulate some wisdom but it didn't really make sense in her head, she just wanted it to sound smart but not actually be that deep. It was the thought that counts after all and it seemed he took something out of her way of life when she was hoisted up and sat on his shoulder.

"Aaaa! H-hey!"

There was a squeal which quickly turned into laughter at the brazen act, Himiko liked it. It was sweet and spontaneous while still gentlemanly like.

"Well, if you want sometime you can uh... pat it. Ahaha."

Now that was an embarrassing thought but he was technically her boyfriend, wasn't he.

"Oh, might I really? That is a very generous offer, you know. I suppose I ought to accept, though perhaps only after we have left the public eye."

Erchanhardt didn't exactly consider the thought of petting her tail to be much more inherently intimate than, say, running a hand through her hair, but he supposed it was enough of an outlier that it could still come across as something far less socially acceptable. Better to simply wait until they were alone for such a thing, hm? Which, to be fair, would be rather soon, as the two quite soon reached the large gates of Konigsberg Castle.

"I suppose it is a good thing that we've recently had the whole of the castle brought to its finest splendor for the sake of the many political visits. It would be quite unfortunate to show you a dim, uninviting home."

It didn't actually take much effort for him to push open the gate, and within was the courtyard, far more luxuriously decorated than it had been in many years. Every corner was filled with some statue or plant, and the garden in the center was quite alive with all manner of new greenery. The windows of the castle itself sparkled, and in truth, Erchanhardt almost didn't recognize his own home. It had been quite a long time since it had such splendor.

"Ahaha. Sure."

It was definitely going to be in private, it was really embarrassing how nice it felt when people grabbed her tail. There was a reason why she hated strangers just grabbing at her ears and tail whenever they damn well pleased. Himiko didn't get angry over much but people she didn't know just being weird and touching her inappropriately were one of those things that got her ready to blow up with a mouthful for people about courtesy and respecting boundaries.

"Awww, that's okay. Even if it was really dark and dim, I like caves. I have real good night vision you know?"

Now that was a sight and especially from up on his shoulder. If only it could move, she liked to travel and didn't like a lot of stuff weighing her down which is why a house was hard for her to see the appeal in but she wished this one had legs so that it could come on a journey it was so pretty. Totally something like that. This house with legs would be super duper adorbs.

"Well, much as it does reassure me to know that you still would have enjoyed it, I think my own pride would keep me from letting you see it in such a state."

And across the courtyard they went, through the garden and to the door into the castle proper. He had, after all, promised her a meal, and he would be rather remiss if he did not make good on that promise. Though he could certainly have showed her through the whole of the home, that could wait for now. He merely walked with purpose through the halls, though now and again he did stop to show her something more immediately eye-catching. Which, of course, did include...

"Ah, here is the portrait done of me when I was a much younger man. My daughter tells me that she finds it hard to believe I once looked this way, though I think it is not so difficult to imagine."

It was always a touch strange, looking at the picture of himself in his youth. He had been quite different then, his ideals and purpose in life far from what they would become. He wondered what he might have thought of his future, if only he had known.

"Awww. You know the one you love is the one you should be willing to show the good and the bad, right?"

It was some harmless teasing along with her giggle but she was enjoying the sights from up here on his shoulder. How thrilling and exciting it was, the only thing better would be if he was holding her up in those big strong arms of his all princess carry like. Now that would be so adorbs.

"When you were younger, huh? I see it."

She thought he was cuter back then but now he was definitely a lot more mature and the mature look suited him well. What would she look like when she was older? It really got her thinking, hopefully she wouldn't get more tails. She remembered old stories from Japan where they called her a kitsune while travelling there and they insisted that she would get more tails and power with age. Haha, so funny. Japan people were totes hilarious.

Erchanhardt was rather glad that he had countless decades of practice in restraint, otherwise he might have actually made it immediately obvious just how surprised he was at Himiko's teasing. He knew that it was only teasing, or at least he assumed as much, but even so, to suggest a degree of emotional investment so significant already was a bit shocking to an old man like him.

"Yes, I do suppose that is the case, but I would think that we also ought to do our best not to have anything bad to show them. Even if it is inevitable, it is only natural to try and avoid it."

It was naturally better to simply go along with her than to try and redirect things. She'd not meant anything quite as significant as he was taking from it, after all.

"Yes, quite many years ago. It is reassuring to know that you, at least, agree with me."

Laughing quietly at that, Erchanhardt continued on once more, until finally they'd arrived at the kitchen. It was quite large, very well-furnished, but also lacking in much of the splendor of the rest of the house. It was built for function, not necessarily for beauty, and Erchanhardt had to remove Himiko from his shoulder so she didn't bump her head on the ceiling.

"Would you care for a drink while I cook?"

Well, she didn't realise that she had struck a nerve by saying what she did. It was a comment that she said while trying to sound smart and teasing, he liked talking really deep but she could only try to emulate it. At the end of the day any of the wisdom she gave was totally accidental and not at all intentional, how'd she sound so philosophical? She didn't. That was the trick.

Down she came from his shoulder, it was sad that it ended but it hadn't been really fun when it happened. There was nothing she could do to complain, because there wasn't anything to complain about. It wasn't like you could always be happy, that'd make it boring so good things needed little breaks or something like that.

"Yeah! What do you have to drink?"

A drink sounded great, she hadn't drank anything all day today. She had been much too concerned with getting all her work done and then immidiately seeking him out to spend the day with him in a surprise date.

Himiko disappointment at being removed from his shoulder was certainly noted, and Erchanhardt likely would have simply made the whole meal with her there on the sheer principle of letting her enjoy herself. Unfortunately, that likely would have done her more harm than good, given his height.

"Whatever you might wish. Milk, juices of all sorts, lemonade, tea, coffee, even wine or liqueur if that is your preference."

Given the meals they'd shared prior, Erchanhardt thought it best to give her the same sort of meal he made for himself, rather than the pared-down dishes he typically made for guests. Smoked meats, legs of venison, root vegetables and other hardy accoutrements. It was flavorful, of course, but more pressingly, it was all thoroughly filling. Into the stone firepit they went to roast, and Erchanhardt moved toward the cellar door.

"If you would like, I would be happy to show you the full selection."