Spontaneous, Splendorous Show-up [Erchanhardt, Himiko]

"Mmm, probably just stick with milk. I'm kind of still on the job you know with being stationed here, I shouldn't hit the drinks too much hehehe."

It made her grin a bit. Though they were both responsible adults, one more responsible than the other of course. Him more than her, she thought. Himiko was bit of a kid still at heart and immature but that's okay. She was mature where it counts or when it needed to be, so what if she wasn't deep.

Then again, maybe she could tuck some drinks away after lunch. That could be nice.

"Hey, that smells really good. That's so cool that you know how to cook, lots of guys I know just can't cook for themselves hahaha."

"Very well, milk it is."

He appreciated that choice, and her honesty on the matter. It was a good demonstration of responsibility, and that was something that Erchanhardt had come to respect a rather great deal in life. There seemed to be fewer and fewer who held to it as the years went by. Returning from the cellar with a pitcher of milk, he poured Himiko a tall glass, and returned his focus to the meal.

"Thank you kindly, Himiko. I think being able to cook for oneself and for others is a rather important skill for anyone to have. It is both a social matter and a survival skill, something that is always applicable in one's life. It only follows, in my mind, that I should ensure I am able to do it well."

In truth, this was far from the most "proper" meal Erchanhardt could have prepared for her, but he doubted that the intricate little dishes of high society would be what she preferred after a day of work. Proper sustenance was far better in that sort of circumstance, wasn't it?

"Thank youuu."

She drew out her thanks and made sure he got that she appreciated the drink which she sipped on next to him. Why would she wait elsewhere while he cooked instead of just sticking to him and getting to see him more? That was the whole point of her visit after all.

"Mhm, totally. Guys that rely on girls to cook are super lame right? Like how are ya going to take care of yourself all by yourself if you can't. Might as well just beg to die of starvation or something like that."

The food smelled great and she was really hungry just thinking about digging into it. She could put a lot of food away when she worked, especially when she smelled so much more of the flavour on her keen sense of smell. It just really got her hype to chow down.

Ah, she really was exceptionally cute. It was almost distracting for Erchanhardt, were it not for his own practice in avoiding distraction, along with quite a few prayers to the Lord for clarity. He sometimes wondered if this relationship were the right course of action, though merely looking at Himiko lifted his spirits enough that the thought was quickly discarded.

"I agree entirely. There is certainly a charm to having a meal prepared by a loved one, but I think it would be more than a tad selfish to expect such treatment without being able to offer it in turn."

While everything roasted off in the fire, Erchanhardt moved over to chopping potatoes. Nothing neat and fancy, just a rough dice for the sake of frying them with a bit of onion. It was simple, filling, just what anyone would enjoy.

"Ah, do save a bit of your appetite, Himiko. I've a few tarts cooling now that should hopefully be a pleasant dessert."

Her eyes were fixed on the process he did for cooking, but most importantly they were fixed on the food itself. She was soooo famished after a good day's work, she just wanted to gobble it all up now. Patience wasn't her strong suit either, it really made it hard. Thankfully she her hunk of a boyfriend to distract her and she was really good at getting distracted.

"Yeah, that too."

When he brought up tarts she leaned over and peeked up at him, seriously? Sweets? She loved sweets, even though she tried not to eat too much. It might all go to her tits haha. That was a joke though, her constitution and metabolism made it really hard for her to put on weight in addition to her active lifestyle so she was totally good to slam down a few tarts.

"Wowie! Tarts sound soooooo goood."

Her peeking up at him only made the matter of focusing all the more relevant, particularly as he was using a knife at present. Not that he was actually in any danger of cutting himself, mind you. He'd in fact dulled a knife or two by it slipping and running into him, but the point remained. It was good form to still be safe.

"I am glad that you are looking forward to them."

A thought crossed Erchanhardt's mind then, and he figured he probably ought to actually speak this one. Given she had taken the matter of his titleage in stride, he imagined they were already past the point of it being a concern that he might come across as simply boasting to impress her. With that in mind, he began preparing the potatoes in cast iron as he spoke.

"Ah, I had meant to tell you that I spoke with my daughter about you. She seemed quite willing to meet with you, if you wished."

"Mhm, awwww sweet stuff is just the best."

How could she not look forward to such a tasty treat? For real. Now that was something she was not ready for, did she just hear that right? He told the iron lady that they were together now? Oh gosh, oh that was totes a scary thought but all she did was tilt her head and grin.

"Oh really? Well, I'd love to meet her too. We'd have so much to talk about I bet. I mean, it's the Iron Lady we're talking about here. How can I not want to go meet her!?"

She was already wondering what it was about, probably wondering if she was her new mum. That'd be so weird, well kind of. Himiko didn't really sit on things a lot so it'd be weird for a bit until it sank in as the situation and she just rolled with it, wherever it took her. That's how she got through things and navigated a complicated world.

The conversation with Ada had been more than a touch awkward for him, admittedly, but she had taken the whole affair in stride. He'd worried that she might have been put off at the idea, but in hindsight that was a profoundly strange thing to worry about from her.

"That's wonderful to hear. I can give you her phone number when we're through with lunch today, she seemed quite eager to meet you."

To be entirely fair, even Erchanhardt wasn't exactly under the impression that this was simply a matter of Ada being willing to meet a fan, though he knew her well enough to know that she would have been all too happy to meet such a request if he made it of her. No, this would very likely be a matter of learning about Himiko firsthand, though she'd gotten along quite well with Yugiri. He saw no reason to assume things would go any differently with this visit.

Letting the potatoes cook off, Erchanhardt washed his hands as everything simmered. It would take a bit of time before everything was ready, and he hardly needed to pay it much attention, so he supposed now was as good a time as any to address their previous discussion.

"Well, I believe we've a few moments before lunch is ready. Is your generous offer regarding your tail still valid, while my hands are free?"

Honestly, if he'd had any grasp of what he was actually asking here, Erchanhardt's smile probably would not have been so charming. In fact, he probably never would have asked the question at all if he'd known. However, he did not, and the question was now posed.

"Sure, she's in Japan. I'll visit her sometime when I go there. I don't usually go to Japan much though, even though it's actually pretty close haha."

It was right below Soul Society and yet she went there the least, it was a little funny like that and even though someone once tried to explain how Soul Society was very reminiscent of an older form of Japan she definitely thought they had split and developed very differently at some point but Himiko wasn't that clever when it came to history or stuff like that so she didn't really retain or learn more about that stuff; makeup and clothes were way cuter.

"My tail? Right, yeah! You're my boyfriend, of course you can touch it."

Giving him another big hug, she didn't really know how he wanted to touch it so her first thought was to turn around and make it swish up behind her back for easy access. Hopefully he'd just stick to the fluffy parts of its length and avoid the base of her tail.

She considered whether or not she should ask him to not be too rough but that'd be pretty rude to assume that a gentleman like him would get too rough with her tail or pull it and so she had faith he'd figure it out.

Boyfriend? They had only been on a handful of dates by now, and so the idea that she would already be his girlfriend had not even remotely crossed Erchanhardt's mind. Was that not too fast? Was he simply thinking of these things too slowly? He supposed it was likely some combination of the two, though Himiko's earnestness made it rather difficult for him to argue with the label she had given him. He supposed, whether or not he had been ready for it, he was her boyfriend now.

"I am quite honored."

He would have returned her hug, had he had the time, but instead he simply found himself facing her back, and by extension, her tail. It was honestly rather impressive how large it was, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was something he ought to comment on or not. Given his ignorance on the subject, he decided it would be better to take the safe approach and say nothing. Instead, he simply reached out and took the fluff into his hands, very gently running his fingers up the length of her tail. The base of it was a bit too personal an area for his hands to move just yet, so he stayed firmly toward the center and the tip. Besides, that was where the fluff all was, and that was what they had spoken about.

"It, ah... it is indeed exceptionally soft. It is very pleasant, to feel it like this."