Times of Change [Ira, Kasha]

Phew. Well, he was here now, and he had to say that he was a little more nervous than he'd have cared to admit. Going on a date wasn't anything new for Ira, but it was something new in this particular body. Not to mention, he hadn't exactly ever been on a date with a guy before, so that added another layer of mess that wouldn't have been there otherwise.

But no going back now, not that he'd have wanted to. He'd run through the situation in his head enough times that he was hopefully at least a bit desensitized to it now. Dating a guy, no big deal. With a deep breath, he went to the Koizumi estate, and made his way to the front gate with a confident smile.

"Evenin'. Ira Holyfield. I'm here to see Kasha?"

He wasn't really sure if Kasha would want him to come in and meet him there, or if he'd come out and they'd go from here. Whatever worked, he'd go along with it.

"Good evening, Ira."

Kasha chimed from the side. While the core traits of his appearance were still in tact he had spared no liberty in manipulating his aesthetic for the sake of this outing with Ira. Perhaps he'd have enjoyed a more simplistic approach though he did think this was a strange blend of simpler but more elaborate. His make-up explemplified specific attributes which were natural while avoiding unnecessary colours. His hair was straight and left to hang freely instead of being tucked up in buns.

It was the kind of look that could easily have him mistaken for any other member of the family.

He snapped the fan closed which was previously obscuring his lips set in soft pink while stashing it in his hand and to the side. Walking over to Ira and giving a polite bow. This certainly felt very strange for him and it was fortunate that acting was a talent of his so that Ira did not see the discomfort or uncertainty about how to behave in this situation.

"You look quite beautiful in the twilight."

Oh.

He looked good.

He looked really good.

Ira was actually caught off guard by the sight before him, and it took him a very brief moment to properly collect himself. It wasn't necessarily the fact that he looked this good on its own, but rather the fact that Ira had a very decided mental image of Kasha, and this was quite far from what he'd been mentally prepared for.

"You think so? Feel like I oughta be the one telling you that, you know? You look stunning."

Most people might've thought he was just being flattering, opening with that, but it was quite genuinely true, given he'd needed a bit to recover. He offered a polite bow in return, his smile hiding the fact that he was running through all the etiquette and whatnot that Yugiri had taught him. Thankfully, it hadn't been a ton, but he wasn't the best at remembering complicated stuff like that.

"Thank you. I believe my sister did say though I had an uncanny resemblance to our Head when she was younger. Ah well, atavisms are not unheard of in families."

He joked while turning on his heel and starting on a gentle stroll. He had given up on his original idea of venturing into the Rukongai and using those nature reserves. They would surely have been more ideal in his mind but he did not know if Ira was competent in shunpo and it would not do good to spend hours upon hours of the date wandering now would it?

The Seireitei would do.

"As always. How have you been since you last visited?"

Perhaps he was a little disappointed that he had asked the same question he always asked. He just had a little bit of hope that he could turn something mundane and plain into an enjoyable time for Ira.

Ira had almost said his typical answer, "busy as hell," but suddenly with this situation he didn't quite feel like that wording was what he should use. It would've felt a little crass, especially with both of them all dressed up like this. Not that he was complaining at all, of course. He was an old man, after all. He liked things a little more formal, more old fashioned.

"I've been keeping busy. You know the usual, focusing on my training, practicing every day. Yugiri's been travelin' with an old teacher of hers, so I've been mostly on my own for the last few weeks. Wouldn't mind findin' somewhere fun to actually settle for a little bit though."

Did he mind? Well, maybe a little, but that was just how things went. You missed friends when they weren't around, after all, and Yugiri certainly wasn't the only friend he'd been separated from for a while.

As he started to speak, he almost brought up that whole business in the City of Lights, but at the last second he realized that was a little grim to talk about on a date. He wouldn't have been too keen on it, at the least.

"What about you? Anything new and exciting up here while I've been gone?"

Were there any developments in his life? Shishiyuki shedding her skin and Kyo's loss of a relationship came to mind. None of them were exactly related to him though. So what did he have to really share about himself?

"It's been quite a bore, mostly just practicing my accupuncture and martial arts. As you've already seen. I keep to my responsibilities in the Gotei and meet with a friend now and then."

He spoke though his eyes were lingering on the surroundings. The twilight of dawn and dusk was his favourite time of day, where the day and night met in the sky and two different crowds were intertwining together as the dayfolk sought to leave and the nightfolk came out.

"Have you eaten already?"

Well, that did sound pretty boring, though Ira couldn't exactly say it sounded totally unpleasant. A nice quiet little life like that was what he'd always wanted for his kids one day. Himself too, at least in theory. His gaze moved to Kasha's eyes, studying them briefly before moving to the Seireitei around them and answering the question.

"Nah, haven't had the time really. Took me a while to get all this on right."

Ira laughed quietly at that one, though he quickly realized that was probably one of those things you weren't supposed to bring up on a date. Well, why not? It wasn't like he wanted to hide that he'd been looking forward to this, and besides, he wasn't the sort of guy to lie about things. That was one thing he wouldn't change on, at the very least.

"If you'd like I can teach you sometime. They're not difficult when you understand it."

He had thought about not saying it because it would be wholly inappropriate of him to guide a woman in how to dress but he had taken a leaf out of Shishiyuki's book. Was this not supposed to be a date where he let go of silly mannerisms which he found annoying and stiffling? It was just disingenous to refrain from things out of traditions like this.

"Well, I'm sure we can find something along the way. My friend taught me that street food is quite palatable."

Kasha explained while keeping his eyes out for somewhere that served food along the way. He did not miss the glances thrown their way either, maybe the passerbys thought they were looking at two dressed up ladies. Oh well, he didn't care much about what the glances meant. His eyes were not on Ira but his attention was.

The implication of such an offer wasn't entirely lost on Ira, and his cheery smile shifted into something closer to his typical grin as he thought about it. He hadn't quite expected something like that, but he couldn't say he minded the thought.

"Sure thing. I'd be glad to learn whenever you like."

He walked with his hands neatly behind his back, polite without looking too demure. After all, regardless of his efforts, he was still Ira, still a fisherman who hadn't had much in the way of a fancy upbringing. That was about the best he could pull off when it came to looking all prim and proper.

"Sounds to me like your friend's got the right idea. I've always liked some good street food. It's got heart, know what I mean?"

Ira's attention, too, was on Kasha, though his eyes shifted between the surroundings and his date. He wasn't nearly so subtle as his companion.

He gave a nod at Ira's assessment of how street food has a heart and care to it. Kasha's noticed Ira's looks and so began another series of thoughts, he thought about Kyo's advice for this situation and debated. Did Ira want him to be more direct? Initiating things wasn't exactly his specialty.

So what would she prefer? Holding her hand? Linking arms? An arm around her waist? How bothersome reading intentions of body language was.

"Of course."

He settled on taking Ira's hand. It seemed the least intrusive action and easiest to recover from. Basically test the waters before diving too deeply into them.