1056/A Stroll Around the Garden

A Stroll Around the Garden
Date of Scene:	28 January 2024
Location:	Botanical Gardens
Synopsis:	Coco invites Yuuto to the botanical gardens for a stroll and her flirting pays off.
Cast of Characters:	Yuuto Shiraishi, Coco Kiumi

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Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
One will learn if they spend enough time with Yuuto is that one of two things happen. Either, when he has a plan, is very early. And when he doesn't or if something is spontaneous? He's late. With having made plans with Coco for an actual date, it gave him time to plan.

Which led to him being dressed for the weather in a warm sweater of dark green, the collar of a yellow shirt peeking from beneath it. His henshin device, the cuffed watch he wears on his left wrist. A pair of blue jeans are over his legs, leading to a pair of tennis shoes. A casual, comfortable look overall.

However, Tinker convinced him to make one addition. In his right hand, he has a small bundle of wildflowers, daisies and carnations in a small bokay he picked up from a street vendor. And he glances at his watch -- who uses watches anymore, anyway? But he had arrived about fifteen minutes ago and is now marking time at the entrance as he waits for Coco's arrival.

'She's going to show up.' Tinker offers encouragingly. 'Did you see the way she smiled, the texts? She's totally going to show!' the clockwork fairy sits on his shoulder, the mahou offering up encouragement.

"If she doesn't, we'll at least be able to look around at the plant life. I've been wanting to do a new sculpture anyway." Yuuto responds, which causes Tinker to flick his ear lightly.

'You're not going to have time for that because you're going to be working on a statue of a mermaid princess!'

Yuuto rolls his eyes and blows out his breath. "If you say so, Tinker." A small smile, not wholly forced, as he works out the last bit of nerves he feels.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
If there is one thing that Coco lacks is hesitation. So, there isn't much time wasted on what to do when they have decided they will actually go on that date. There is nobody around to enforce the only thing that could have stopped her, anyway, and even if so, the actual reason behind that rule doesn't apply to her anymore, at least with Yuuto.

So, she taken a good match of clothes out of her wardrobe, enough in advance that she wouldn't make him worry (she has tentatively labeled Yuuto like that.)

A nice lime green beanie is resting on head, while she is wearing a yellow turtleneck sweater dress, partially covered by an open orange wool coat with pockets, despite her also carrying a small yellow purse.

Red thigh high boots accentuate her legs, while she has applied mascara to lengthen her eyelashes and berry red lipstick. Dangling from her neck is the shell locket that houses her pearl.

She has taken measures to be there 10 minutes ahead of the time, which leaves her smiling when she sees that Yuuto still got her beat. They will have to try not to make it a race of thoughtfulness, she chuckles in her mind.

The mermaid waits to be close enough not to shout from all that distance (personally, she hated that, there really is no need to be that loud in public if one asked her), calling out Yuuto's name as she waves to him.

"Hi, Yuuto! It's me, Coco. Thank you for inviting me", she cheerfully starts speaking. "We are both early, I see. I hope you didn't wait too long. How are you and Tinker?"

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
'Yuuto. She's here.' Tinker offers up the warning, but for a moment, Yuuto wasn't buying it.

Which only lasts until he hears her familiar voice calling his name as she gets close and the student turns to face Coco and...

"Wow."

No filter there. She looks /amazing/ and he takes her in from toe to beanie before his brain resets. "You look great, Coco!" he offers to her, before he remembers that he has the flowers, and offers them to the mermaid princess. "These are for you." At least he didn't phrase it as a question.

At her question, he shakes his head. "We've only been here a couple of minutes." A little lie, he's been here about five, but he didn't want to seem weird for showing up too early. "We're doing great. I mean, much better now. How're you?" he asks her, before offering. "I went ahead and bought the tickets. I figured if it's a date, I should cover that at least? We can split the lunch cost if we decide to have that?" he suggests.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The look on Yuuto's face is flattering well enough before his words are, once his brain is reset, and that makes Coco pleased for registering such an effective impression. "Thank you, Yuuto", she answers back warmly at him before picking up the bouquet of flowers that she is offered with.

He certainly went for a thematic first present considering their destination, but Coco didn't realise he would have gotten her a present already, especially since he is already gifting her a statue personally made by him. Maybe she should have done something more than what she brought.

She stops to smell the flowers, taking in the sweet fragrance, before giving Yuuto a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, they are quite lovely", she comments before adding "I got something for you too", opening her purse to take out a brown leather sketchbook shut tight with strings and emblazoned with gears.

And then not only has he already paid for the garden, he is also offering to split the course of their meal. As nice as he is being, Coco has other plans for that. "You are such a gentleman, Yuuto. I believe I should cover that one, though." Her tone is calm, but it also leaves no doubt that she has already made up her mind. "Shall we go in, then? The mahonia are still in bloom."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
As she accepts the flowers, their fingers brush together for a moment. And Yuuto, to his credit, doesn't shyly pull away, releasing the bouquet so that Coco can bring it in for herself.

He had not considered the implications of gifting Coco a statue. He had just assumed it would serve better in her possesion as compared to lingering away in some closet with the rest of his creations.

Though as she closes the distance to place a kiss upon his cheek, she might pick up on the soft scent of citrus and salt upon his skin, a mix that invokes thoughts of a fresh orchard, a light spray of cologne. And his cheeks warm, the redness coloring the apples of his cheeks at the warmth of her lips on his skin.

Which only causes his brows to raise when she said she bought him a gift. Presented with the sketchbook, he takes it into his hands and studies it, untieing the strings to openi it to look at the pages. Closing it up, he hugs it to his chest. "It's lovely, Coco. I really like it. I'll think of you every time I sketch in it!" he promises.

She caught him off-guard enough that when she insists on paying for lunch, there is no protest from the erstwhile Steam Sentinel. Oh right, the garden! They haven't even gone inside yet! Tucking his new notebook under one arm, his arm and hand are offered to Coco in return. She can decide which she wants to hold. "We shall."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
When Coco goes back, she notices the smudge of her lipstick on his skin with a small grin. Should she tell him? Maybe, but she could also let him discover that for himself. A small post-date surprise.

And given they are considering being in a relationship, she wouldn't have been surprised if he would have taken it out of said closet if they actually decide to officially enter a relationship. There is always the human statue he is planning at least, which is much easier to explain as his girlfriend to random passersby compared to that of a mermaid.

She has indeed noticed he went all in on the botanical theme when she had closed in for that kiss with his perfume, and she certainly takes note of the fact he takes care of his own presentation, which always does well in giving a good impression. When it comes to her own perfume, Yuuto may have picked up a decidedly tropical papaya fragrance, an ideal combination according to Coco with the warm colours she is wearing.

"I am glad you like it so much", is the mermaid's reply when he communicates his appreciation for her gift. Though she could have stood to splurge a bit more, at least her gift scored.

Coco links her arm with his as they pass through the gate, the lovely sight of the garden greeting them as the blonde girl looks around. Though, she is actually looking for a specific plant, and fortunately it doesn't take long for her to find it. "Do you want to see a plant?", she smiles at Yuuto. "There by that tree, the small green one with the brownish tips. That's an echeveria agavoides, and it's as beautiful as you." She had that compliment prepared, admittedly, but that shouldn't take away any genuinity on her part.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Maybe he'll catch notice of it in a reflection later. Maybe it will be tonight. For now, the little red smudge remains there, the little imprint of Coco's lips on his skin. A little mark of her claim on him.

There is a lot to be decided still, but as far as a relationship? They are off to an excellent start. Yuuto has assumed that at best, the princess would let him work on the statues, they would be friends, and that would be that. So far, she's already exceeded any expectations that he had. Which is easy when he sets the bar so low.

The smell of the exotic fruit on her skin has caught in his olfactory nerve and tickles his senses and memories, linking her to the scent until she decides to change it.

That gift is kept frimly in hand as he feels Coco close the distance and link arms with him and the pair of them start through the gates. He was going to be fine with taking a meandering pace through the garden, but when Coco reveals she has a purpose and a plan, he goes along with her. He can respect a good plan.

Guided to the plant that she wanted to show him, as they arrive at the plant, his eyes follow her gesture to the plant that is as green as his eyes as she tells him what it is, his cheeks warm anew, his expression surprised. "You are very flirty." he says with amusement, turning to look at the mermaid princess. "But not in a bad way." His hand finds hers, his fingers closing around hers. Apparently a very positive reaction to her attempt. He turns his attention back to the plant and reads the little plaque that explains it. "Also called the lipstick echeveria." he muses and glances towards the girl again and her warm, painted lips. "Is that a suggestion?" he fires back in his own little flirt.

But there are other things there. "I want to know more about you, Coco. What type of foods you like, what books you enjoy, do you like to dance? Sing? What type of songs?" It's important to note, he's not shying away from a relationship, but he is not spontaneous enough to say 'I want to be your boyfriend' without being prepared.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco holds Yuuto's hand just as tightly as his finds hers, appreciating the warmth of the skin contact in the frigid winter weather. The closeness he is wordlessly suggesting is all too welcome to her, and as they continue their stroll through the park, a satisfied hum escapes her red lips.

"Thank you", she stop the melodic noise to speak as he expresses his liking of her compliments. "I like saying what I see. And what I see is someone that could become very special to me." And his witty remark over the echeveria makes her giggle happily. "Sure, why not? You have my approval." She doesn't mind him picking up that call now that he named it.

And speaking of calls, another point in Yuuto's favour is that he took the initiative to anticipate the questions of each other's hobbies to now. Well, they will simply be able to focus on eating later. "You heard during the battle, but we mermaids are really into singing. It's so ingrained in us that it regulates our power, and yet, it goes beyond that. We really like doing it as an everyday thing, even."

She gestures around with her free hand, indicating the environment around them. "Besides that, I really took to the study and growth of plant life, and so the books I read typically follow that direction. I just really hold in high regard all that variegated beauty it offers, though my learning of land plants is more of a recent thing."

She caresses his hand still intertwined with hers before turning the question around. "What about you? You certainly didn't hide your passion for the arts. Anything else you like doing?", she points out.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
The warmth of her touch is just a little touch of that South Pacific warmth on his skin, like a warm summer's day on the beach, luxuriating on the beach. For the moment, their walk halted as they share in the discussion beneath the shadow of the tree.

Her voice is soft on his ears, a pleasant noise that he has come to enjoy hearing when she speaks to him. And again, she is flattering and flirting, and the girl gives him permission for something. What that is? That we will come back to in a moment.

"So I should find a night to take you to a karaoke club." he offers in a suggestion. Would that make three dates? They've kinda made plans for things and he's not even that deep into the first date yet. "Though I'm afraid I may disappoint you with my singing, I'm purely a singing in the shower type." An amused chuckle comes from him.

As she tells him why they are here, why she picked the garden, he nods. "I would like to see the garden you are cultivating. In case I didn't make that clear earlier." He follows her hand until it leads him back to her. "I'm a pretty shy person, Coco. A bit of a wallflower. I mean, you probably already figured that out. I had a hundred reasons I could have used to not show up today. But I wanted to, because you grabbed my interest. And I wanted to know more."

"My parents want me to follow them into the family business, that being business executives. I don't want to do that. I like working with my hands. Feeling the earth in my fingers. I sculpt and shape. I work with stone and clay, I just like the way it feels and what I do with it. I may not be great, but I'm learning. I love taiyaki and can't stand umeboshi. I run."

"I mean, not from relationships, but cross-country. I'm on the track club." he explains. And he's meandering, all over the place. "I've never had a girlfriend or any kind of romantic interest." Stepping closer to her, the book is moved to be tucked between his knees for a moment, so that he can brush his fingers over her cheek. "So, be patient." He offers, and leans in, a light brush of his lips to hers before he pulls back. His first kiss.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I will look forward to it", she replies over that Karaoke night he has so eagerly offered her, despite the probable thought, given his shyness, that he could embarass himself in front of her. But she doesn't expect him to be perfect, he just doesn't need to be. And his amused tone is reassuring.

And then alongside all the things that he likes and dislikes, he reveals what kind of role expectations have weighted in his life, the fact that despite everything he is still here, pursuing his hobbies, despite his shyness. And she certainly understands the impact expectations can have, with the rule she broke just to be here, so she is glad that he felt safe enough to confide in her the parts of him he may feel embarassed by.

"I think you are doing the right thing", she speaks placidly. "If something is really important to you, you are right to pursue it until the others finally understand your passion, regardless of them being strangers or your parents."

"I will have all the patience you want me to have", she whispers in the wind, as she anticipates that kiss he wants to give her. For now, just that light brush comes, and it's alright, because she really means that promise even as she would have liked that brief contact to go on. As she wants that brief contact to resume.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Their kiss is a brief one. Perhaps too brief, as Yuuto hasn't exactly pulled back from Coco yet. Instead, the two of them remain close as his hand drops from her cheek and into her other hand so both of their hands are joined together.

He shared far more with her in those few moments than he had expected to, to be fair. It just all came out. She is one of those girls. You see her, and you want to tell her everything and hope that she still likes you when it's done.

And it's becoming clear to him that she likes him. Maybe like *likes* him. And he's processing that. And the overwhelming concensus is... he likes her back. And it's not bad to have a mermaid princess girlfriend?

But when she says she is willing to have that much patience, his lips curl a little. "I'll tell you when to slow down." he promises her lightly, a blush in his cheeks. She's not the only one that wants to continue the contact between the pair.

But there's a protocol here. She /is/ a princess after all. "Does this mean we're officially dating, Coco?" comes the playfully curious question.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
When his face remains close to her, she gazes back into those deep pools of green staring at her, that have mesmerised her so. Both of her wishful hands now find themselves in his, that contact both soothing and ardent at once.

To have a human boyfriend... Sure, she may have entertained that thought with her time spent in Tokyo, but she has never actually pushed things this far... And she is very happy she did.

So when he makes clear he is ok with not stopping that, that he feels fine continuing things despite the patience he has asked her to have, she is glad to oblige him.

However, he asks a question before she could go ahead, though it's one she doesn't have to think long on. Things may have gone a bit fast in this first date, but she is clearly happy, and so is he, so there really are no reasons her answer should anything other than... "Yes, yes, we are", she confirms the silent answer that has fluctuating in the air for a while now.

And with that, she finally kisses back, her heartbeat that she thinks is so loud Yuuto can probably hear proclaiming that hot, perfect harmony of love.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
'Yes, yes, we are.'

This is not what Yuuto had expected to come from this, but as he feels the warmth of Coco's lips on him and the joining of their hands, he wonders if this some dream and he's about to hear his watch chiming at him to wake him up for the class. Because that would be the only possible explanation for this wholesome moment where he finds himself fondly pressed to the South Pacific Princess.

They remain that way seversl moments, before he pulls back, his green eyes meeting those gold ones, the color of a warm sun. And his green ones study hers in return. And he totally has to fight the urge to shout out that he has a girlfriend, as excited as the idea makes him.

But, measures of patience kick in as he releases one hand, reaching to pick back up his notebook that Coco had gifted him and moves to stand next to her, the distance is much smaller than it was when the date started.

"So, where to next?" he asks her, almost breathlessly, his cheeks still warm, that heat disipating in the cool air as he moves his fingers so that they are between hers, changing the grip on their hand-holding.

It's a loaded question, two fold at that. What plant does she want to show him next? Does she want to eat? Do they want to kiss some more? All of those are possible ideas for the heartsong that the pair of them are dueting at the moment.

There is no wrong answer, as long as he is in her company, a grin cut towards her as he bumps her shoulder lightly. "You know, I don't think I know your last name, Coco. Does a princess have one?" His tone is teasing and warm. She's managed to at least get him to open a little of himself to her. A foot in the door on his heart.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco too gasps for air when Yuuto breaks that contact of lips against lips, hers against his. Despite the fact mermaids can breathe underwater, that clearly doesn't mean they are suddenly immune from the need of oxygenation.

She slows down soon, taking deep, slows breaths as she gets back her composure, still relishing in that dreamy experience, still feeling the phantom contact of Yuuto's lips. "That was great", she forces those words out as she recovers. "I do have a surname", she replies to Yuuto, "but it's a surname I picked to fit in here on land, it wasn't something I had since I was born, since being born from magic means we princesses don't actually have parents to give us one. I go by Coco Kiumi here."

And the boy raises an important question, because unless a youma drops right in that zone, there really is nothing to steal that day from the two, it is theirs. As she lovingly looks at her boyfriend, she considers the possibilities. They could in fact go for a round two now that a bit of her breath has returned to her, turn that mid-afternoon meal they intended to go to into an early dinner.

Maybe it is still the residual effect of the previous kiss deciding for her, or maybe she just prefers that option, or maybe it's a mix of the two, but she does know what to go for. "I want to kiss again", she smiles, "then meal after that. Does that sound nice?"

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
As Coco gasps for breath, Yuuto for a moment has a minor panic attack internally. Was she secretly allergic to human kisses? And then, perhaps almost too late what the issue probably was and he blushes anew as he suggests. "Try breathing through your nose when we kiss?" he asks her helpfully. Because yes, that first kiss had him a little breathless, too.

"Coco Kiumi... just wanted to know what to say if someone asked me if I had a girlfriend." he explains to her with a squeeze of her fingers as he leans against her. He's not ready to tell his parents yet, there would be so many questions, but that will be a future thing.

And they do have the day to themselves. There seems to be no youma that wants to be a flower to attack them. No turning the pretty plant that reminds Coco of her boyfriend into a large monster that they have to fight. This moment is theirs.

As she suggests more kissing, Yuuto laughs a little, showing a bit of shyness. Why? Because he had spied that a couple of people were watching the new couple and he's not exactly ready to go into some PDA. "Maybe we should find someplace else to kiss?" he asks her quietly, a flick of his green eyes into hers. "But I'm good with this plan, otherwise."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco looks around. She did hear something about PDAs being a bit frowned upon in this state. And Yuuto, from the same cultural background, probably treats them the same way. The two of them reach to a private location, and after a second kiss, Coco suggests heading to Korma Chameleon for a plate of curry.

"I have heard good things about that place, and it is run by one of our schoolmates", she tells Yuuto in case he had not been aware of it before. "If you don't like curry, there is also Gullwing Coffe, who offers pastries and offers a really nice view onto the sea." He had not mentioned not liking curry earlier, but better safe than sorry.