Sake and Stars [D9 LE, expecting]

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga stood, once again, just to the west of the village. And, once again, he wore his finest kimono, fit neatly to his athletic form. He carried a lantern in one hand, illuminating the area, a bag draped over his opposite shoulder.

He looked up, frowning at the sky. It was a bit more cloudy than he had hoped for, but in fact the wispy, diffuse clouds added another layer of texture to the sky. The moon, even though it was beginning to wane, still shown through brilliantly. It looked like it would be a nice night indeed. I hope so.

Patiently, he waited.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin was feeling a bit better this evening, though she regretted she had no lantern of her own to borrow. Thus journey out was a bit rough at times, when the moon would go behind a cloud.

Still, it wasn't too bad and she never ended up tripping or falling into anything on the way. She did seem and feel a little out of things as she crested the hill with the lantern-light atop it.

"Phew... I should have had you escort me out here Tomonaga-sama..."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Although Tomonaga's face lit up when he spotted her, his smile quickly faded to a concerned look. "Oh, I'm sorry Yukarin-san. Are you not feeling well?"

He looked off further to the west. "I hope you're feeling up to it. I've got something special planned, just a little bit farther. Here." He offered her his right arm, unhindered by the lantern. His lips curled up into a smile. "Or, if you hold the lantern, I could just carry you. I've promised to do that, after all." He said playfully.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Please do."

Normally Yukarin might have hesitated on the offer; But it was dark, she was tired and maybe a little spooked, and his picking her up last time had felt so safe...

So she held her hand out to take the lantern.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga didn't hesitate. He held the lantern out to her with a smile. One she took it, he scooped her into his arms, just as he had before, with one behind her back, and the other holding beneath her knees. He didn't quite have the solid build of a bushi, but he was quite athletically fit, and his arms held her solidly against his chest. Comfortingly.

He looked down at her, smiling, the lantern light dancing in his brown eyes. "Shall we, then?" He said, the rumbling of his voice transmitting through his chest to her.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

She gave a short nod, resting the side of her head against him as she did so, making her light frame comfortable against him.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga sighed, his broad chest rising and falling. It was nice to hold her, and to feel her head resting against him. Heart at ease, he set off, letting her held lantern light the way.

It wasn't too much farther, and Tomonaga's long strides carried them quickly. He headed towards a lone tree, and then veered off to a slightly sheltered area between two hills.

"Here we are." Carefully, he set her down on her feet, followed by his bag. Reaching into it, be brought out a blanket, which he spread out over the grass. "Should be comfortable, eh? Join me?"

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin settled onto her feet before looking around; The tree and hills kind of shadowed this little valley, but the lantern dispelled any lingering arms of darkness. After another moment she quietly nodded again and looked down at the blanket with a smile, "An after dark picnic or something? If I'd known that I would have brought something..."

Her words were half teasing, trying to feel out what the surprise was without blatantly asking.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"More or less." Tomonaga said. "Although, well, you know my specialty, so not a picnic. But I wanted to be out here with you, enjoy some sake, watch the stars... talk... that sort of thing."

From his bag, he drew out a very fine ceramic bottle. Gold calligraphy could be seen on the bottle. "Golden Scale sake, the best we make." He said, looking down at the bottle, then up at her. "I want you to see the very finest my family has to offer."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Finding a seat as he got out the bottle, Yukarin's eyebrows went up, "You mean the stuff from last time that I went through the whole ritual with wasn't even the best you brought?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga sat close, allowing their knees to touch as they sat. He laughed softly. "Well... yeah. Second best, though. Tell you what, you can skip the ritual this time." He smiled at her. "You can just take it."

His usual routine of opening the bottle and pouring the sake is more careful than usual, almost bordering on ritual. Carefully he hands her a cup with both hands, and pours one for himself before carefully setting the bottle to the side. He took a deep breath, his eyes seeking Yukarin's. "May I suggest, this time... to the future?"

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"To the future sounds wonderful... though we must not forget the immediate future in that, neh?"

Yukarin holds the cup carefully in both hands as she smiles at Tomo.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga smiled. "No, I suppose not. Well, to the future then, immediate and otherwise."

Raising his cup, he took a slow sip of the sake. As always, he kept an eye on his companion while doing so, judging her reaction. After all, this sake really was their finest, each barrel labored over for hours by his eldest sister. And him.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Honestly, her reaction wasn't much different than the one she had the other day; It was a slightly better sake but some of the nuance was lost on someone not such an expert on the stuff, especially without the equipment to serve it kanzake style to draw the differences out. It was still very pleasant though.

"As impeccable as what I have come to associate with your family's art, Tomo-sama; A very clear complex flavour."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Eh, good enough. Tomonaga gave a mental shrug. It was the thought that counted, after all. "Well said, Yukarin-san." He said, smiling.

He was about to go on when he did a double-take. "Tomo-sama?" He laughed, the honorific sounding so funny with the shortened name. "Huh. I wish I could return the favor, and give you a shortened name. Yuka-san? Yuka-chan? Hmmm. Doesn't sound quite right. What do you think?" His eyes sparkled with humor as he looked at her.