Cirice accepts the little crab and gently rubs its little legs, letting it crawl over her hands before she replaces it on the sand and it scurries away. “You wouldn’t want to swim in the ocean in your small clothes, they’d get caked in sand and salt and be itchy and uncomfortable until you could change them. Swimming clothes are like small clothes made of water-resistant materials. You change out of them once you’re out of the water and can wash off and get properly dressed again. We can go get some in town if you’d like, I’ll happily help you pick some out!”

She watches him stretch and dusts off her hands, “I’m afraid I don’t know. I’m an only child. I imagine having siblings would be like having best friends that never leave your side when you’re young. Do your siblings live in your house with you? I'd love to meet them.”

"I suppose just jumping into a river or lake is a little different." He gives a sheepish and small laugh as he once more crouches down to look inthe tide pools. "Wow, that is a lot more work than I was expecting just for going swimming~ You're the expert though, I'll trust you."

As he stands one last time since they are getting ready to go, he sticks two fingers in his mouth and gives a sharp whistle. A rustle of feathers can be heard in the distance.

"I don't know if I would say *best* friends." He gives a small chuckle. "No, the house is just me. Most of them married off already or have apprenticeships somewhere. Vadoma still travels a lot with mom and dad I think, but I think she's just starting to explore and stuff too." The shadow of Halcyon grows closer and closer until he finally lands beside them with a little croak of a noise.

Gerhart chuckles softly and gives him a little scritch before pulling the reins gently to lower him. "Hop on, I can tell you more as we go." He grins and lets Cirice on first before settling in beside her. Gerhart's arms formed a little guard rail on each side as he held the reins. "Ready?"

"Yeah the ocean is a different experience entirely. The current, the tide, the waves crashing against you. Its fun but dangerous, which adds to the fun I think. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." Cirice gives him a confident smile, "Well I'd still like to see the house and meet your family. Family is really important. I hope you get to see them from time to time."

As Halcyon lands between them Cirice reaches out and strokes the bird’s side affectionately, “Pretty bird…” She climbs into the saddle and settles against Gerhart’s chest comfortably, closing her eyes and allowing herself the small indulgence of his protective grasp.

“Ready!” With a great heft of his wings Halcyon takes to flight, soaring up into the air with ease and making a few circles in the air. Cirice giggles with delight, her hair streaming around her in a tangle which she quickly grabs to try to keep it out of Gerhart’s face. “Sorry!” She apologizes but her words are stolen by the wind.

She looks up at Gerhart with a joyful smile, absolutely taken by the thrill of the flight and being in his arms for it. “Thank you for inviting me here.” She leans up and whispers into his ear so he can hear, “I’m happy to be able to have lighthearted fun with you.”

There is a hard and immediate blush that crosses his face when Cirice leans back to whisper to him. It’s probably the closest he’s ever been to someone who he wasn’t fighting. His mind blanks out for a second as it has to reboot itself. He gives her a little smile and laugh as he finally comes back around.

”It’s nice isn’t it? Not having to worry about a job or something for a little bit….I’m glad you chose to come with me today.”

Gerhart and Halcyon are happy to take the long way around to the town. This was a day to enjoy themselves, they didn’t need to rush around from place to place. The kestrel seemed ecstatic to really get to stretch its wings for a longer flight, doing its best to resist the urge to dive bomb. Though perhaps sensing what is happening between his rider and their guest, Halcyon does a few times start to climb up or make slow banking turns just to force them closer.

”You let me know when you’re ready to go down, we could do this all day.” He gave another grin as this time it was him leaning over to Cirice to whisper to her.

As his soft breath tickles against her ear, Cirice’s cheeks darken several shades of purple. His laugh is so warm and bright, like a ray of purest sunshine warming her heart. The comfort of his arms is different to the embrace of Cyran as they’d traversed the frozen tundra tied tightly together, soft and sturdy and sure. Gerhart’s arms promised safety and stability with the sure and easy way he handled Halcyon.

“It is really nice.” She agreed, “we could do this all day… But I want a chance to return the favor and give you a new experience as well. You’ve let me see my home from a different perspective, thank you.”

The familiar butterflies that always accompanied her thoughts of him fluttered in her stomach and she stiffens a little in embarrassment. It's silly to feel this way about a man you’ve barely met, but… Surviving a terrible and dangerous ordeal together and relying on one another drives people close quickly. She remembers the way he’d picked her up and held her tight when she was at her lowest point, how he’d relied on her and given her a cute nickname to keep her from falling apart. She thought of gentle headbutts and the sight of him trying to patch his armor together after it was nearly destroyed, all while keeping a smile on his face. She wanted to protect that smile. She hadn’t had the opportunity to repay him for all he’d done before, but here and now she could repay him with all that she had by giving him a fun and relaxing day free of danger and fear.

Most of all she just wanted to see his smile more.

“Let’s go into town, I’ll show you some of my favorite foods. I don’t know if you’ve been to the Isles before but the food here is different from anything else in Charon. I hope you’ll like it.”

Gerhart felt that same similar desire to keep Cirice smiling, but if felt different than with the others. Most people he interacted with he was just trying to keep happy, pick up their spirits and such. But with Cirice....it was hard to say. She gifted him a smile so easily and yet he still felt this need to earn them from her. There weren't many crushes in his life, so processing through these things were hard, but it seemed that much easier around her.

"I can't wait to see what you have in store," he grins at the offer of a new experience. "I'll show you one last new one, but hold on." Gerhart shifted a bit to hold the reins in one hand, his free arm coming around Cirice's midsection.

He readjusted his feet in the stirrups before giving a little kick and click of the tongue. Halcyon tucked his wings in and finally got to start his divebomb. The pair would reach about 40 miles per hour or whatever velocity measurement Charon uses before the bird pulled up and into a much gentler landing.

Gerhart chuckles as he slides off the side offering to help Cirice down, "You all right? I haven't had much time here....just was doing one of my first job with some guys Caedes and Kvasir, but we didn't spend much time sightseeing, so I want to see it from your eyes."

“New one…?” Cirice asks, looking up at him curiously as he puts his arm around her waist and her blush deepens further, “What?”

And then they fall out of the sky.

Or at least… Thats what it feels like to Cirice as she gasps and holds onto Gerhart’s arm as they plunge towards the ground before gently landing. It was a thrilling dive that she hadn’t expected and her hair was an absolute mess. “I thought we were falling!” She laughs as they dismount safe and sound. “I fell from a giant owl once, this was FAR more fun than that! Woo!”

She straightens her hair as much as she can, “You were here with Kvasir? I didn’t know you knew one another! Kvasir is a very dear friend. I’m glad you two are as well! I’m sure that was wonderful!”

Before them stretches out a small village, dark curved kawara roofs overhang wooden stores with open fronts spilling with enticing merchandise. Roads wide enough for carts to pass wind through the lively streets as shopkeepers call out to them with inviting smiles. Fishmongers offering the catch of the day, bakeries filling the air with the aroma of fresh baked bread, a confectionary with colorful sweets lined up in impossibly intricate designs, all trying to catch the eye of the young couple. Banners and garlands hung between the buildings, preparations for the festival to come already bringing color to the streets. On the outskirts of the town as they enter an older man sits in the open sliding door of his home and plays a lively tune on a shamisen, giving them an encouraging nod as they pass. Its a jovial, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

“I’ve done a bit of traveling now, and I can tell you, theres nowhere quite as beautiful as the Crescent Isles.” Cirice takes his arm in hers with a happy sigh, “You could spend a lifetime and not really see everything, each island has wonderful things that are special and unique to it. Small variations of the culture we all share. I'm happy to get to show you why I love it so much.”

She leads him towards a clothing store, smiling and giving small bows to many people as they pass. The familiarity is refreshing after so much time away.

Gerhart smiles as he reaches over to help smooth out her hair just a bit after they land. "I'm sure that was a bit scary, yeah." He laughs gently as he offers out his hand once they start to walk again.

"I don't know if Kvasir would consider me a great friend, we didn't get to know each other too much, business with sol stone thingy and whatever that all was."

Gerhart is admittedly immediately enamored with the little village. In some respects it does remind him of where he grew up, just a much different environment. Things do seem brighter here, probably because of the more open sky and the lack of a looming threat from werewolves. Fewer werewolves usually made for happier towns.

Given his much more heightened senses, the town is almost a bit of sensory overload for a moment with the amount of smells and noises hitting him. He certainly does stop to indulge in a few of the wafting scents.

"This place certainly is something else....it seems so far away from the rest of the problems in Charon....like it's in its own little place." He grins down to her as she speaks about how happy this place makes her, Ginma's Blessing he hoped one day he could make her feel like that himself.

Gerhart is happily lead towards the clothing store, similarly giving bows as he tries to keep up with some of the traditions he quickly picks up.

Cirice makes a face when he mentioned the Sol Stone, “The Sol Stone… Kvasir and I fought together at the end… But my memories of all of that are… fuzzy… It was a mess. Kvasir is wonderful though.”

She smiles as she watches him take in the sights and smells of the town, like a puppy smelling new scents for the first time. “It is a very isolated place compared to most of Charon, and in some parts people aren’t very friendly to outsiders. Here we are because we trade with Moonglade often. The mainland problems don’t really reach out here, which is nice. Perhaps that's why I’m a little too trusting at times…”

Gerhart seamlessly picking up a few of the mannerisms of the isles makes her heart flutter once more. He’s trying so hard for her sake and it's so cute and endearing. For a brief moment she imagines what it would be like to live here, together, and she blushes so hard she has to cover her face with her free hand. “We-we should go get some wagashi after we get swimsuits, I don’t know if you’ve ever had mochi before but its chewy and delicious.” Smooth. “There’s a trinket shop here too, I was trying to find you a present before but I had a really hard time finding something I thought you’d like, maybe you could help me…? I’d like to know what you like.”

"That was weird wasn't it? I barely understood any of what was going on, though that's normal." An innocent little laugh leaves him as they walk. He attentively listens to everything Cirice says, even in those moments he seems a little distracted.

It does sound so peaceful here, almost 180 degrees different from where he grew up. He raises an eyebrow at the word wagashi. That was a new one, so was mochi....and swimsuit for that matter. Gerhart's face breaks in a rosy, sheepish blush when she mentions getting him a gift.

"Oh y-you don't have to do anything like that. Just getting to spend this time in your home with you is enough of a gift." His heart thumps as he thinks of the gift he had gotten that now rested in his pocket. Would it be rude to give her a gift when you just turned down one? That seemed rude, but it was too late. Saying you wanted a gift now would seem greedy. Good work Gerhart, really beefed it this time.

“You make it sound like you’re dumb, but you aren’t. You’re very clever. Don’t sell yourself short.” Cirice chides him gently, squeezing his hand. “Don’t ever say you’re anything less than amazing.”

“I know you haven’t spent much time here, but gift giving is a time-honored tradition in the Isles.” She stops and pulls a bag off her hip, its small and a drab grey fabric with a shiny Platinum Corp logo on it that’s been embroidered around in purple and blue thread with little cowries shells added as decorations. She reaches in, deeper than her hand should go and pulls out a small trinket shaped like a wishbone from some small creature. The ivory is tipped in silver filigree and looks to be some kind of work of art¹. She offers it to him shyly, bringing his hand up and placing it in his palm. “When you have a guest you always give them a gift… I wanted to get this for you. It isn’t much but… The shopkeeper said that when your armor is damaged if you snap this in half it will fix the damage for you. Then on the next dawn it will be whole again and you can use it again if you need to. It isn’t much but… I hoped this would help you be safe. You damaged your armor before protecting me and I wasn’t able to fix it like a smith could, but this can. Please take it.”

---

1 Blacksmith's Wishbone [Gift to Gerhart forever]

"Spend enough time around me and you'll learn I'm not that far off." He smiles and returns the little squeeze, blushing at the compliment ever so slightly.

He looks a little confused as they pause, certainly not ready for a gift. There is a minor protest at first, but Cirice likely insists and so he relents with a gentle smile. Gerhart lets out a breathy wow as he listens to her explain what it is. His fingers gently trace over the item in quiet amazement, partially because of how sweet a gift it is and how thoughtful Cirice is. He grins as he clutched it in his hand, pulling Cirice in for a hug.

"Thank you so much Rice, this is awesome. I'll definitely get a lot out of this." This was probably the widest and brightest he had ever smiled. "I do feel bad for not getting you a gift now, but that just means I'll have to make it up to you next time."

Her cheeks are so warm she’s sure he can feel it through his shirt, but she returns his hug tightly, happy to know that her gift was something that made him happy. She buries her face against his chest mumbles, “I’m glad you like it. I don’t need anything in return, I just like giving gifts to those I love.”

Before he can say anything else she takes his hand and marches into the clothing store, her cheeks ablaze. An elderly human woman greets them as they enter, “Good afternoon. Welcome to my shop. Ah Tsukinagai-san, you’re home. Its wonderful to see you. How can I help you today?”

“Good afternoon Shimamura-san. We’re looking for bathing suits, can you help us?”

“Of course dear, but who is this young man? A paramour for Hearth’s Day? The festival hasn’t even started yet.” She chuckles softly, “Our bathing suits are over here, take your time and let me know if you have any questions.” She gives them a small bow.

Cirice quickly turns towards the stacks of clothes she motioned towards and starts trying to find a fabric that would compliment Gerhart the most, avoiding the teasing questions.

Gerhart smiles and gives her hair a stroke as she buries her face into his chest. The last few words don't seem to register until she is tugging him away towards the next shop. He can barely get any syllables out over how dumbfounded he is in the moment.

Hearing Cirice called by a different name also throws him for a loop, but she seems to respond it...Maybe Cirice is just a nickname....or is this new name a nickname? He had several questions, but no time to ask them.

He gives the shop keeper a little nervous laugh and bow when she mentions Hearth's Day, he hadn't even thought of that. The ranger follows after Cirice to start looking through clothing.

"She seems....friendly? Do you come in often? I'm just guessing your dress looks very nice, so I guessed you shop for clothes a lot."

“I have a bit of a weakness for fashion,” Cirice admits with an awkward chuckle, “I've spent far too many solars on clothes and accessories in my travels. But I know just about all of the locals on Shingetsu, when they’re hurt they come to me for help and my family is pretty well known. This is my home, after all.”

Realization dawns on Cirice, “OH right! Um I think I forgot to mention it before but on the Isles I have a traditional name in our language as well as Cirice. That was probably confusing. I'm sorry. I haven’t used it in so long it completely slipped my mind. Here I’m known as Tsukinaga Shizuki, or just Shizuki to my friends. I’ll answer to either. I should have told you that before.”

She holds up a pair of shorts with a geometric pattern on deep blue fabric. “I think these would look good on you.”

“That pair has a matching ladies suit as well,” The shopkeeper adds helpfully with a wink.

Matching swimsuits? That would make them look like a couple and she isn’t sure how he would feel about that. Its so dorky and goofy to match, would he go for that?