[D6 LE] Of Buttons and Bunnies

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Uh.. well, I... don't quite know how to..." he waved his hand, embarrassed. "You are cute and..." Dong-Ha didn't want to say 'distracting'. "I am afraid I am making fool of myself." the young man admitted shyly. "I hope it doesn't bother you too much?" He was all kinds of self-conscious thanks to her words.

"Well..." he figured she'd like her to finish the story. "So, once the preparations are complete, the families organize a feast, inviting as many people as they can afford to feet. First the couple exchanges vows... under the watchful eyes of their families and an Iuchi, if one is available. It's usually rather simple thing, the young couple promising to uh.. love and care of each other that day and all days to come." Dong-Ha drained his cup empty, placing it carefully on the floor before him.

"After that, the servants bring the food. Grilled meat and vegetables, spiced with herbs and are served to everyone. The couple sit together, sharing a meal... with the guests bringing their gifts to the couple. Alcohol flows... freely. There is music and dance. Singing, too, sometimes. And uh... once the Lord Moon raises high above the camp, the newlyweds move to their own tent, as... err, the others cheer."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She gave a small shake of her head to say it wasn't bothering her, but let him continue on with his story.

"I see... it is a little different from the traditions here, but in a way, not so much. It's all in the little details, I guess, but in the end the general feeling of it is the same; the exchange of vows of fidelity and love, the celebrations, and the... wedding night," Tomoe was sure by this point even her ears were red.

He thinks I'm cute... she thought, and it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling. There was something else she considered asking about, but... no, even that would probably be too forward. She would have to get drunk before she even considered it. And with that, she emptied her cup in one go.

"*cough* This is a bit stronger than what I'm used to."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Wedding night, yes." Now Dong-Ha no issues believing her earlier words. Surely one could not be that embarrassed if they had the experience the rumors suggested. "Hmm? It's stronger than what I am used to... too." he admitted, moving to fill their cups. This time he poured a little bit more than the first time, figuring that if they were sharing the bottle, he could just as well divide it between them. "Our weddings are grand occasions even for the guests. Everyone is on a festive mood, dancing, singing, eating and drinking. I still remember when Min-Ji.. my older sister got married. I woke with such a headache." He wasn't going to tell Tomoe where he had woken.

"Don't force yourself though." Dong-Ha's gaze crept upwards, following the contours of her body. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?" his voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

[Usagi Tomoe]

She covered her mouth as she giggled softly. "That does sound familiar to most wedding parties I've heard of. Maybe not so much dancing, but certainly musical attempts, eating and drinking, all that sounds familiar."

Another sip was needed for liquid courage at that question, because it was oh so tempting to ask more questions. "Uhm... you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... I ... was curious," she shook her head, "no, I'm sorry. It would be a rather inappropriate of me to ask."

Especially since we might not even end up together.

"Unless you don't mind?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Uh...sure?" What could such a seemingly innocent girl ask anyway? "If you ask something I cannot answer... I'll tell you so." He figured she was curious about his family, or the methods of Iuchi magics.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Uhm..." she took another sip for liquid courage. "Have you... any experience with... errr... a woman?" the last part was said in a significantly quieter tone than the first.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" Tomoe added quickly, realising what a horrible inappropriate question it was.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Errr...." Dong-Ha dropped his gaze, exhaling as he did so. That hadn't been the question he had expected. Not that he found the question particularly inappropriate. "Some..." Luckily, there was the cup and Dong-Ha grasped his, taking a hefty sip of the potent liquid. "Uhh..." He was rather sure she did not want to know all the details so he offered little. "The wedding I mentioned. I woke with... uh.. someone."

Then he sobered. "She's dead now..."

[Usagi Tomoe]

That was certainly sobering. "Oh. I'm sorry... I didn't mean to drag up uncomfortable memories," she offered in a quiet voice, her blush receding as she felt more embarrassed over making him uncomfortable than the question.

Though she did make a mental note that he wasn't a completely unknown to women, which she was thankful for. If they ended up married, that was.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I knew her for... what, five days." Dong-Ha explained, looking up from his cup with a smirk. "I mean, I wish she'd lived but... I really can't say I loved her. I sometimes miss her, though."

"We had to live... live at the fullest when the death was creeping behind every nook." he added with a sigh. "I am glad that's over now." Her question, however, did present a question.

"Why you'd ask that?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe gave a small shrug. "I suppose I could say Moto Khulun-san is the woman in your clan I've spent the most time with... and she's rather forward and, uhm, free-spirited. In a way, I guess I wanted to know if it was something more common for all the Unicorn... or just her..." another small sip to hide the awkwardness.

"And... well... I'm curious about someone I hope I could marry. I hope you don't mind...?" her eyes peeked at him over the rim of her cup.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Some of my kind are free spirited." he shrugged. "Not like people don't... practice." Yes, that was a good word. "But I would like to think most stop by the time they get married. I would." Dong-Ha added with some pride.

Why is she so cute, hiding like that... Then her words struck home, filling him with odd sense of bliss. At least the sentiment seemed mutual, even if he could not claim to love Tomoe. Not yet. "I guess... it's fine."


Since she had brought it up. "Uh.. now that you mention it, I think I have a question you might be able to answer... if you don't mind." It seemed that Dong-Ha had some issues bringing this matter up.

[Usagi Tomoe]

Hoping it was something less awkward than what she had asked him, Tomoe nodded. "I usually don't mind questions," she offered with a kind smile. "I think I'm getting used to them these days too. What is it you want to know?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Now... I met this man called Moto Silvia... though I guess his name is irrelevant." he began the story. "Now, he seemed like an... experienced person when it came to women. Very confident, very... um... boisterous. Anyhow...I have studied some medicine with my mother and I have helped horses foal..." He hoped that this would not get too confusing.

"Anyway, he told us that, err... uh..." the young man reached for his cup. "That women have a button above their... sheath. I have seen some drawings of human bodies and... never heard of such a button. He said that it was important." Dong-Ha was staring at his feet. "Would you know what he meant?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Button...? Oh. OH! Judging by her expression that changed from confusion to surprise, it seemed it was something she knew about.

"Ah... uhm... I've never heard it being called a 'button' before, but," awkward cough, "I suppose what you call it in the end doesn't really matter. Uhm... pearl, or flowerbud, are the names I've heard it called..."

Tomoe shyly looked down into her cup. "It's true that above our... sheath... there is a small button, in a way. So, uhm... like how it feels good for a man when someone touches their sword, it feels good for a woman when that place is touched."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Dong-Ha perked his ears as she admitted knowing what he was talking about, though he kept his eyes firmly on the floor. "Ah... I see. I never... knew." he blurted. "I am sorry... asking such a strange question. I thought that Moto-san was playing games with us."