In which Gintoki nervously takes a warrior princess to dinner...

[permed_justice]

WHO: Xena (atoningforsin) and Gintoki (permed_justice)
WHERE: Starting at the MAC, then on to 'uptown'.
WHEN: August 14th (Friday), evening
WARNINGS: Dinner and conversation, maybe even a goodnight kiss!~
SUMMARY: Gintoki boldly asked out Xena and was blessed by the dating gods. Now he's actually got to go through with it without chickening out.
FORMAT: Paratroopergraph

Comments

;jksfasdf /intimidated by long post wah sorry >.<

[atoningforsin]

Xena didn't have much in the way of clothing to dress up in. Only some very basic things she used for working out, and the stuff she wore to work. It had been a tough decision, but she opted for a snug brown tank that reminded her of her armor over a knee-length green skirt, with gladiator-style sandals. And a dagger sheathed up her back, for peace of mind.

A final finger-combing of her hair in the tiny mirror of her MAC bathroom, and she was as ready as she'd ever get.

Minutes later, Xena stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of the building, glancing around. Where was he?

You should see my posts when I REALLY get going~

[permed_justice]

Gin, already waiting for her when she stepped out, gave the appearance of a statue; completely stiff, waiting had reduced him far past the state of nervousness that came with involuntary quivering. No, he had become completely frozen on the spot, so much so that one could practically see cracks starting to form on his marble-like visage.

He heard Xena's footsteps nearby, and turned his head to look.

There may as well have been the sound of stone cracking; just one glance at Xena caused the petrified stone holding him still to immediately chip apart and fall away. The high-strung nerves he felt vanished. He sighed a little - on the inside, anyway - and began to smile.

"Good evening," he managed to say as he approached her, somehow able to sound somewhat suave despite his earlier trembling. "You look nice."

/whine

[atoningforsin]

He seemed a little nervous, something which got an eyebrow raise from her.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself, Gintoki." Xena extended a hand. People here liked to shake, but she was used to a more warrior-like grasping of forearms. Which would he prefer?

[permed_justice]

She remembered his name, and even said it with a sense of fondness.

This was already shaping up to be one of his better dates. So long as he didn't do something completely ridiculous to blow it, it might actually go well.

Happy to find her returning the compliment, Gin felt even more ease around her. There was just something comfortable and familiar about her that he really liked; perhaps it was that they were both time-displaced. Maybe it was their histories as warriors. Or maybe it was just her long, silky black hair and that air of confidence in her smile.

No matter what the case, next came her extended hand. Like her, a handshake wasn't entirely normal for him, but sensing an awkward moment approaching if he failed to act, he reached out his hand and locked it softly around her arm, something he had done in the past to greet his comrades in arms.

"So, ah...are you ready to go?" he asked, nodding his head towards the door.

[atoningforsin]

"Where did you have in mind?" she queried, clasping his forearm in return with a strong grip before letting go. If he didn't notice the sword callouses, it was easy to see that she knew her way around weapons from grip alone.

[permed_justice]

Pausing for a moment, Gin reached a hand up to his head and gingerly rubbed at the back of his neck, as if he was reluctant to say anything. He did not keep silent, however, and replied, "Well, I wasn't really sure where we should go at first. I probably should've asked what kind of food you like, or something..."

Gin had a knick or two on his arm, earned through years of very close combat with other lightning-sharp katanas; each cut was thin and generally small, but noticeable nonetheless.

"...but," he continued, "...I didn't really figure you'd want to go anywhere too fancy or stuffy. Maybe you just didn't really strike me as that kind of girl."

Gin turned towards the door and gestured for her to join him after wrapping his lean, strong arm around her's.

"So, I did a little scouting around the city, and I found a little spot I hope you'll like."

Outside, Gintoki's motorcycle - the third he had gotten since coming to the City - was waiting outside with a pair of helmets sitting on the seat for their use.

[atoningforsin]

She grinned at him, eyes dancing as she headed for the door with him.

"You thought right. I'm much more at home without the fancy food and manners. Let's get to this place-" the motorcycle caught her off guard. She stopped and stared at it for a few long seconds.

Since arriving to the City, Xena had avoided any and all wheeled transportation in favor of walking, as much as she possibly could. They were dangerous and she didn't like not being in control.

[permed_justice]

When Xena stopped, Gintoki was forced to stop as well, their arms still entwined. He glanced back at her, a half-step behind him where she had decided to throw on her brakes, and studied her hushed expressions curiously.

As she was looking at his bike, he followed her gaze towards it and recognized an easy sense of apprehension in her eyes. He looked a bit surprised at first. "Oh, hey, it's totally safe, y'know? I mean, I know some people just don't like these things, but I'm a safe driver."

At least, when he wasn't purposely trying to crash his vehicles into villains.

The cafe he had picked out for their evening out wasn't far, though. Plus, the weather was perfectly pleasant, a clear, moonlit evening, one warm enough for everyone to take off their jackets and walk around, occasionally having to avoid the fireflies flitting about along the sidewalks.

"Come to think of it, we don't have to drive. Maybe...a walk would be nice?" he added with a shrug and a smile.

[atoningforsin]

"I'd prefer to walk, thanks. It's not that I don't believe you're a capable driver. I just don't trust any of them. And I'm used to walking everywhere, or riding a horse."

Xena and cars did not get along. Though she liked the idea of the motorcycle a bit more, it would be something she had to think about for a long time.

"A walk would be good."

[permed_justice]

Hoping to salvage the moment and avoid the subject of the waiting machine entirely, Gin worked up the brighest smile he could manage and turned them both away from the motorcycle and down the sidewalk towards their destination. "A walk it is, then. There's no need to waste this kind of night anyway, hmm?"

The crowds on the sidewalks were light and easy to navigate through, and as they left the MAC behind, the two strolled along to the sounds of the City living and breathing, its inhabitants oblivious to the two of them as any other pair of hardened warriors walking side by side.

"So, Xena...tell me about where you're from," he asked curiously. "Seems like you've got an interesting story to tell."

[atoningforsin]

"There are quite a few stories I could tell, actually. Many of them bad. But it's.. sort of an alternate timeline of ancient Greece, as far as I can tell."

He was trying to keep her spirits up which was almost cute. She smiled in return, wanting to put him at ease.

[permed_justice]

Carrying along in a light-hearted gait, his hair swaying carelessly in the evening breeze, Gin attempted to be careful as he walked, as his eyes often wandered towards Xena instead of looking at where he was going; there were even several near-misses when it came to passing streetlights and other obstacles.

"Grease, huh?" Gin repeated, knitting his brow oddly. "That's...where again?"

ffff D:!

[atoningforsin]

"Greece," she corrected. "The country, though it's different here. Near the Mediterranean Sea."

She wouldn't have minded if he looked a little. They made an odd pair walking down the road, drawing stares from all of the passers-by. Good thing she hadn't worn her armor. That would've caused a few heart attacks.

[permed_justice]

"Ohhh, the Mediterranean..." Nodding appreciatively to her informative reply, Gintoki, looking in every way possible astute, seemed to grasp the idea of her home country.

The key words, of course, were 'seemed to'.

"...hmm...nope, haven't heard of it," he cut in again, finally shaking his head defeatedly.

As they continued along, nearing the restaraunt, Gin went on to explain briefly that where he was from, the majority of the outside world was still new and generally unknown.

"It probably makes me look like a real hick, but I decided a while ago to keep my feet on the ground. While everybody else I knew went out traveling the world or out into the stars, I was just fine staying home in Japan."

He's... not too smart sometimes, is he? O_o;

[atoningforsin]

"You haven't done much traveling, then?" She'd raised her eyebrows when he had no idea what the Mediterranean was, but she supposed that there were worse things to be clueless about.

Xena, on the other hand, had travelled over most of the continents of Asia and Europe by foot and hoof. Granted, the world was different then, but she'd still traveled. It was something she enjoyed greatly.

YOU try living in a closed-off feudal era island country and see how much you know about Geography!

[permed_justice]

The question stung a little, made all the more sharper by the surprised tone she spoke in. In truth, Gin hadn't really gone very far away from his home, except for one little trip into space that he thoroughly regretted, but like in many things, it was opportunity that decided one's circumstances, and opportunity had just never come knocking for him.

"I haven't really had the time, I guess..." he replied, grinning awkwardly. It didn't bother him much, but he certainly hoped she wouldn't think less of him.

"I was just growing up when the world opened up. Heh, I was still a stupid kid when I joined the war, and that sort of took up the majority of my free-time," Gintoki continued, raising his head and staring up at the evening sky. "And after all that, I want to do as little as possible so I can make up for all the hard work I had to put in. Feel free to call me 'lazy'."~