[D5LE] Push and Pull (Expecting)

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame took a deep breath, smiling as he released it. "Thank you. Perhaps it sounds silly, but that actually does mean a lot to me. That vest was a gift for my parents, for just this occasion." He gave a tiny shrug. "But, no, I don't need to wear it all the time. If I had something else..."

He shifted his hand, entwining his fingers with Ahiru's instead, an ever slightly more intimate gesture.

Nodding, Hirame went on. "But yes, I quite agree. Oh, right, I'd meant to tell you, but I didn't get the chance. That pearl that I gave you." Hirame tilted his head as he looked at her. "It's not the best quality. But it's one that I found myself. Deep-diving off the coast of Crane lands, actually." He smirked. "I wonder if that makes it a Crane pearl already, and I pirated it. How scandalous." He said, tone matching his smirk.

[Kakita Ahiru]

She was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat there.

"How scandalous indeed." A small giggle. "I admit... I don't know much about pearls," Ahiru remarked shyly. "I just thought it looked very pretty. But knowing it's something you found yourself, that makes it worth more, to me."

[Funegao no Hirame]

There was something knowing in Hirame's eyes as he looked at Ahiru. Something intense. "As much as I try to be a good samurai, sometimes I find myself tempted to scandal. And then you blush, Ahiru-san, and I find myself tempted just a little bit more."

Saying that, his eyes still on hers, he brought her hand to his lips. It was only a momentary thing, a pressing against the back of her hand. Like his fingers, his lips were warm, but unlike his fingers, they were perfectly soft.

He lowered her hand with a gentle smile, his easy manner returning. "We shouldn't stay out too late. Another test tomorrow." Hirame sighed, still smiling. "When you're ready, may I walk you back?"

[Kakita Ahiru]

If he hadn't been so damn charming up until this point, Ahiru would've slapped him for this... scoundrelly behaviour! Oh Kami, what if someone saw them?! The rumors, and the gossip...

Still a bit stunned, she slowly pulled her hand back after Hirame had let go, cradling her hand with the other inside the warmth of her sleeves. "... Let's head back, hm?" her voice was soft, and perhaps surprisingly not disapproving of what had just happened. A Crane princess was not yet accustomed to Pirate Princes stealing a kiss.

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame had clearly taken things right up to the limit. And yet, he was pleased to see, not over it. He took a deep breath, looking at Ahiru for a moment, hazel eyes almost flickering with a decidedly scoundrelly playfulness.

But only for a moment.

Hirame bowed, fluid and graceful. "As you wish, Ahiru-san." He said. As he straightened, he smiled respectfully, only the last glint in his eyes suggesting anything untoward.

He would be the perfect gentleman as he walked her back to her quarters.