Moving Up, Tiger [Rio, Igen]

"Hiya! I'm here to see Rio!" Igen chimed as he greeted the guard to the Shihouin estate gates.

Naturally he had hoped to keep up with Rio a bit more often! And so this time he'd decided to see her at her family's estate! Despite the sortof so so introduction, he had quickly grown accustomed to the place! It didn't quite have the SAME vibe as the Sawachika. But there was an unmistakable ....similarity? Or perhaps, divergence from the OTHER Noble estates that he quite enjoyed. A hum to himself as he waited to be let in. Pausing to send Rio a little text letting her know that he was here! And with gifts!

Under his arm was a small gift basket, as well as some spirits! HE had been impressed enough when he'd heard Rio had gotten herself a spot as a Third Seat, but Lieutenant! THAT was cause for celebration!

The Shihoin guard recognized Igen the moment he entered. Since they naturally understood the bond between Igen and the lady who currently occupied the estate, he was welcomed in without issue. The moment Igen stepped through, it wouldn't be too difficult to recognize the stalwart figure of the Shihoin woman as she casually walked along the courtyard to meet him in advance. Displaying an upbeat smile, Rio approached Igen to give him a series of playful fist strikes against the chest, bumping a shoulder to display the degree of her excitement at his presence here. He had always proven to be such fine company.

"Igen! It's been some time since you've visited me here. What's the occasion?" She ventured with a playful grin.

Perhaps he might have prepared a little better if he'd....known that things would be a bit different. They had both been through quite a lot hadn't they? Hell, Rio had taken on a whole new leaf thanks to him. She was a very close friend and honestly he trusted her considerably. In comparison HE had ...honestly stayed much the same. He had grown stronger, but was that much in the way of what changed him as a person?

But this time wasn't quite like that. A sentiment had budded at the Sawachika estate, one that had admittedly not really been roused with his visit to Lady Koizumi. Well, not to much of a degree. So when he saw Rio he smiled, giving a wave and a friendly smile, right up until she gave those sharp little jabs, and instinctively, he let out a chuckle and got ready to strike back! A nice little back and forth! And instinctively, he watched her frame, ready to give her a little surprise counter!

When he ....got a look at her. A REAL look at her. And the memories of how they'd met, their interactions all suddenly hit him all at once.

Oh. She was ....REALLY pretty.

"AHAH, RIO! Awesome to see you!" He all but shouted, only to be SOCKED in the gut when he heard how he sounded. "EHEM, heh, listen to you. 'What's the occassion'?" He put on slyly, giving her a light little elbow before promptly beaming from ear to ear. "I heard about your promotion! You're lieutenant now!" He pointed out! Immediately going in and pulling Rio into a one armed hug before raising the bottle. "We gotta celebrate!" He insisted! Thankfully, the nervousness smoothed out as he was reminded of why he WAS here. Pull yourself together Igen! His friend had accomplished something very few in the gotei ever would! And so he managed to push the spaghetti back down into his pockets to be happy for his friend!

Rio chuckled softly as Igen pulled her into a half hug, blissfully unaware of Igen's inner turmoil. She was simply excited to see him again. Few realized the regard with which she held him in. Almost a year ago, it was a struggle to even imagine she'd be as proactive in controlling her own destiny as she was now, difficult to imagine a life where she wasn't a slave to maintaining her family's honor. And she had the man standing next to her to thank for that. Returning the half hug, her soft chuckle would rise into a hearty chortle as she cocked her head to the side with curiosity. A celebration, hm? Of course she'd accept such an offer. It was always fun to throw down with this guy!

"Oh? Word gets around quickly. I went in expecting third seat, but Captain Kanae promoted me right then and there. Let us celebrate then! Oh... what's in the basket on your arm?" Another venture, more curious than playful, or perhaps both depending on one's perception.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAokay calm down. That little reciprocation briefly made him tense before he refocused. A light chuckle as he held up the basket. "Oh this? Ahah uh.............food! RIGHT!" He took a moment, having to tear his thoughts back to the situation as he stared at te basket. and briefly realized how modest it was. Then again, he'd always been a simple guy. Just some food he'd made. Was this too personal though? He didn't give off the wrong impression did he? HE really WAS so ...friendly? Was that creepy? Oh boy.

"I actually made some food for us! Like...for lunch! But I guess it's more like dinner now, ahah, not that I'm just randomly making you dinner. It's more to go with the sake! We have TWO promotions to celebrate after all." He pointed out and brightened. "I've been promoted to Co-Third Seat." He added but uh, with slightly less enthusiasm. True, Rio had absolutely earned her position. But ....he ...uh....he had no idea how he'd landed Third seat of all things! Sure he'd gotten stronger, and he was dependable but he was so NEW! It felt unreal almost. Rio had her own exception. She was technically a veteran Gotei member who had retired to serve her family. SHE was a shoe in for a high position. But HIM? It was weird to think about.

"SO! Where do you wanna sit? I know we kinda usually hang out on the lawn." He chuckled, internally kicking himself for having done such a thing in the past. Was that lame? Did it just kinda emphesize the fact he was from the Rukongai?

Rio couldn't pinpoint it directly, but there was something about Igen that seemed contrary to the way he usually carried himself. Almost like a nervous aura had set in to wash away the often upbeat and exuberant spirit he carried himself with every day. He seemed tense. Fortunately, perhaps entirely so for him, her attention was brought back to the basket as he confirmed its content. The fact he had prepared a celebratory meal for the two of them had only caused her to strengthen her half embrace as she squeezed his tall frame. Perhaps unfortunately, that hug did not lessen in the slightest as he revealed the news of his own promotion! If anything, that earned the two armed hug. Truly, she was proud of him for rising through the ranks in his time here. It would be a joyous occasion indeed.

"Great job, Igen! I'm really proud of you! Of course, I never doubted it. Your level of work ethic is off the charts. Pretty infectious, too. While it would be nice to sit on the lawn, I'd love to welcome you inside for this occasion. Come, let's go enjoy ourselves over meal and drink!"

In the past, Rio would have undoubtedly never chosen an action like that. She always held propriety in mind regarding family matters, scrutinizing her every action in fear that it might reflect poorly on the Shihoin family. But now? None of that mattered. Not at this moment. She wished to celebrate their success in a fashion befitting their friendship. Leave no stone unturned.

Hhhhhhh.
Ah yea, the transition from a one armed hug to a full frontal hug certainly exacerbated te inner turmoil and pained screaming as he struggled with this new....perspective. "Ahah right!" He managed to grunt out as she hugged him. A glance down, after all she was shorter than him. Yep, that was a bad idea. And his back went almost entirely rigid.

However, those words did jar him a little from that tense state. Considering, for a moment, the sentiment she expressed. It was......it really was too much! He smiled, breaking throug that shaky demeanor. And for just a moment, he just saw her as Rio again. His friend. And he felt ....touched that she thought so highly of him. that she STILL thought so highyl of him. And promptly, he put his arms around her, hugging her firmly and smiling brightly as he took just a moment to hold her close.

"Rio..... its friends like you who help me wanna work as hard as I do." He noted softly, that big smile of his bleeding earnest intent before he promptly cleared his throat and relaxed, raising that bottle up high and grinning. "Alright, in that case lets go inside!" He declared! And ....gestured for Rio to lead the way. After all he sure as fuck didn't know his way around the estate yet.

Since it had been Igen who found himself on the backfoot so much, his genuine embrace, coupled with his words, had rendered her speechless for a moment, though hers was far less mired in turmoil, more akin to a sense of satisfaction that left her with pause. There were great friends, of course, and it shouldn't have really come as a surprise, but to hear those words felt somewhat dreamlike. She had always admired being a symbol of what her family ought to look to, a shield symbolizing that she would never falter when it came to protecting her family and their name. And yet, there was something decidedly powerful about hearing the impact she had on his own life. Were she a more emotional sort, she doubtlessly would have let a tear fall down her. Instead, she strengthened the hug and held him close for a moment. Those words were truly the highlight of her day.

"Sheesh... look at you stunning me into silence. I... Igen... that really means a lot. More than you can imagine. Thank you. Its people like you that made me develop the bravery to step outside the life of a noble I sacrificed half of my existence trying to honor."

Offering those heartfelt worlds in response, Rio would pull away as a happy sigh exited her lips. Beckoning him forward, Rio would guide him around the estate until they found a room the two could operate in peace without the watchful eyes of guards and servants to interrupt their celebration.

"Now, let's see what's in the basket. It smells pretty good. Did you bring along drinks, too? I'm sure I have something in the fridge if I look hard enough."

He smiled, chuckling lightly as she promptly turned his compliment on him and gave a bit of a big old grin. "Well ditto. But I feel like we could go back and forth on this one a lot." He chuckled, giving her another little squeeze before relaxing as they parted and Rio began to lead the way. Just for one fraction of a second, Igen let out a soft, silent, exaggerated WHEW, letting that disheveled wave wash over him before composing himself as he followed along behind her!

Truly the Shihoin estate was .... amazing! The architecture was really nice, and yet not quite as ........uptight? As some of the other Noble places he saw. There was a sense of personality behind the place that he really liked. And before long, they found a nice little tucked away room! Igen promptly made his way to a little coffee table and set down the basket, putting on something of a proud grin as she asked about what he'd brought. "Well, nothing TOO fancy. But I DID get some pretty nice Beef and Rice! Stir fried it myself, I even got something from the world of the living! It's called Dirty rice! It has onions, peppers, spices, and some cooked sausage! I figured it was really nice on it's own, but with the stirfried beef on top it'd be perfect! I call it, Dirty Wagyu Yasai!" He chimed, certainly a little proud of himself before ......his eyes widened.

Ah shit.

"Ahah...uhhhh just the Sake. I guess I didn't really think about getting normal drinks too." He admitted, screaming internally at his own misstep.

"We definitely could. I could sing your praises all day if we're talking overall impact," She quipped in parting as she guided him to the ideal space to enjoy their meal. There was no shortage of compliments she could offer the man, but this was a celebration, an ideal occasion to sing his praises and enjoy herself at the same time.

Rising to the co-third seat was no small task, and to do so in such a small window of time, that was caused for a celebration like no other. Requesting that a few cups be brought to the room in the scenario that he did bring drinks, Rio turned to listen to him speak about his cuisine. The aroma itself was enticing enough, but she couldn't help chuckling at the name he chose for the meal.

"Dirty Wagyu Yasai, eh? I like the name. I also like the smell, too. As far as drinks go, Sake works for me. This is the perfect occasion to let loose and celebrate in style, no?"

Rio didn't particularly care about the misstep, truth be told. Igen was a fine drinking partner. It wasn't the first time that happened to them, and she was in her own home this time. At the very least, if she fell out, she wouldn't have to worry about the lawn blunder that kickstarted their friendship with a bang.