Little Early for Valentine's Day, No? [Makoto, Shishiyuki]

"Eh..."

It was a little surprising, maybe because she wondered if she'd ever get used to the compliments both giving and receiving them. It just sent her mind into a twist of trying to figure out the appropriate course of reaction. Did she need a witty comment or something to reciprocate, should she just quietly accept the compliment no, flirt.

What words suited but after a moment that drew out just a little bit from her own inexperience she had a thought of how to respond and gave Shishiyuki a coy grin which crept onto her lips of its own volition.

"It pales compared to you though, Lady Shishiyuki."

Were it not for her own natural composure, Shishiyuki certainly would have had a much more visceral reaction to being called that in such a manner. She had of course been called Lady Shishiyuki innumerable times over her life, and in theory, it should have been nothing that she even thought about. But the difference was all in the way that Makoto said it, the turn of her lips into that coy grin, the atmosphere that the two found themselves in.

It was captivating, enchanting even, and for all her composure, Shishiyuki could not fully suppress the blush that crept onto her face.

"How very kind of you to say."

Brushing her hair behind her ear, something of a natural instinct given her hair was nearly always swept back, Shishiyuki gave a coy smile of her own, fully intent on matching Makoto's own flirtatious teasing with her own.

"But, I do not think that even ten thousand more years of practice could let me match the natural beauty that you possess, Makoto-chan."

Perhaps she'd thought a bit too poetically about it. Would that make her seem foolish? Oh, dear.

That must be against the rules since Makoto was not prepared for that kind of retaliation, her jaw dropping ever so slightly while she contemplated the words and what to think of it and then it became something of a battle, her competitive nature knocking her back into action to think of a retort that might let her have the last word in. The last little flirt.

Her hands came back to let her hair out and mess around with it a little after being prompted by Shishiyuki's own small adjustment. Alter it to still have its ribbon in it but rather than being a single ponytail it could cascade behind her with its full silver length. The red eyes thoughtfully fixed on Shishiyuki with a small smile to stall out a response - ah, that was it. Makoto just glanced away to make sure that no one could overhear what she was going to say.

"Hmm, well it's a good thing you are in the habit of using cosmetic kido for I would be worried that if it conveyed your whole beauty like you are right now then I would have a lot of competition... Shi~shi~chan."

Makoto contemplated finishing it. Saying her whole name but she paused when it came to saying the last bit and then she remembered that stupid name that Saki gave her, the manipuating of it to sound cuter and so she left it as Shishi. It did sound cute to call Shishiyuki Lion-chan, no?

It seemed that Shishiyuki had very decidedly not been too poetic about it, but even if she completely discounted the words that Makoto had said, the subtle charms that she displayed were simply well beyond what Shishiyuki knew. The sight of her having let her hair fall back was quite lovely, the smile and furtive glance away only further accentuating what it was that Makoto had actually spoken.

"If I thought that I might even compete with you, Makoto dear, then I would certainly be elated at the prospect, for I would know without question that I held beauty without peer."

While she could not ever hope to match Makoto's own ability to be so honest, so straightforward and down to earth in these exchanges, she could certainly bring what she did know into account. After all, what was so wrong about using flowered, poetic language? The very purpose of it was to speak of beauty, so it should only be natural to use it here.

Makoto was beginning to realise that she simply couldn't win because Shishiyuki had a millennium of wordplay that she did not up her sleeve and the seated officer was running out of ideas to match besides turning into a back and forth of what would essentially turn into 'no, you're cuter'.

"...Alright, I got nothing besides the fact that you're the only woman I've thought was attractive, Shishiyuki."

Maybe it wasn't sincere to say that she had nothing when Makoto had followed up by saying that she was incomparable to any other woman. A subtle way of her own attempt to get the last word in despite admitting defeat. How did she even do better than Shishi-chan? There was no way she could think of a cuter pet name than that. Maybe... Shishi..cchi? No, that sounded stupid in her head.

Despite all of their back and forth, and despite all the myriad things that perhaps could have been said, Shishiyuki could only admit that what Makoto had said was, perhaps, the most deeply piercing thing that might have escaped her lips. It was simply so honest, so down to earth, that it paled in comparison to anything Shishiyuki felt that she could have said.

"And I am quite exceptionally honored by that."

Certainly, she might have said anything about the fact that Makoto had been the first to draw her eye, the first to make her heart skip a beat. But she did not think that simply heaping more flowery praise upon Makoto would compare to such a direct statement, and in that, she would concede defeat. Besides, the somen had arrived, and Shishiyuki's expression lit up in a way that was, even if subtle, still almost alien for a woman so typically reserved.

"I do hope you enjoy it."

She was glad when the food arrived and it was a little surprising to see her so delighted over such a simple thing, it was probably the most genuine thing she could expect and it made her blush a little bit harder.

"Of course. It looks delicious."

Makoto said while taking a mouthful of the cold meal, tasting the food and giving a nod of approval just to make Shishiyuki feel at ease about the whole thing and any trepidation she might have about Makoto's opinions on the meal. It would be awful to leave her stressing about if she was enjoying it or not.

Well, that was all that Shishiyuki needed to hear to become even more visibly cheerful, even if only just a touch. The meal itself was a simple one, but that simplicity was precisely the elegance of it. After all, with a dish so simple, cold noodles and only a single sauce, it was impossible to disguise any hypothetical failings behind complex flavor. No, the dish was exceptional simply based on its quality, and even the sayu, for being simply water, was clearly lacking in any impurities.

Setting her cup down, Shishiyuki looked out into the garden once more, quite pleased with all of this so far. She couldn't say if she had ever quite enjoyed such a simple outing as much as this.

"Well, what shall we do next?"

Makoto sat enjoying her meal, she was not the type to think too heavily on the dish or the greater nuances. If the food tasted nice and did its purpose of satiating her need for energy then Makoto was satisfied. Though there was a greater appreciation for a simple dish over anything grand and extravagent. Maybe it was just her humble origins in particular that formed such a preference.

"What next? I think there's an ashiyu or onsen nearby if you want to relax a bit, um.. maybe a bit that way."

She said pointing in the direction of west, a thoughtful look while she pondered. It was a bit difficult from inside this little garden but she was confident that she'd figure it out once they left.

"Oh? A visit to an ashiyu does sound quite pleasant, if you know of one nearby. Relaxing after a meal does certainly sound nice."

Shishiyuki had already taken a good deal of the lead on this date, and she felt the least she could do was let Makoto take the reins for a while now. A date was supposed to be about the both of them, was it not? She didn't wish to seem overly controlling, so she paid, leaving more than ample compensation for a shop she was quite fond of, and gestured for Makoto to lead the way.

"After you, Makoto dear."

She accompanied that comment with a small, sly smile, still quite willing to continue on with their playful banter. If, admittedly, on a lesser level than before.