Business or pleasure, Kugane was always a fantastic place to find one's self. As she leaned her back against the counter of the Dango vendor, Rhy Nbolo stared out over the city. The sights never ceased to amaze her. She spied the clothing shop she had just gotten her new outfit in, the teahouse run by the older fellow that gave her a discount because she giggled at all of his jokes, and the small dining area outside the Dango stall. A smile spread across her lips as she found her mate, Rhaq'a Zhwan, sitting on a bench near the stall. Hearing her order called, she shot a small wink his way and went to grab the tasty treat. Careful not to trip on the cobblestones in her newly-purchased heels, she made her way back to her husband.

Rhy settled down on the bench next to Rhaq'a, giving him a small smile as she offered him the plate of Dango that she had just bought, "Won't you have any, dear? I'm going to catch you slipping up and enjoying yourself at some point here!" She chuckled, popping a ball of Dongo into her own mouth, waving the stick playfully at him.

Brooding on one of the benches outside of Unineko Teahouse, the chirurgeon found himself staring at the gravel beneath his feet instead of taking in the wondrous sights of the grand city aglow in the night's light. Pulling out a chronometer from the pocket of his dogi, he stared at it with deeply furrowed brows. Looking up and around, he thought to himself, How has it taken this long... Hanging his head, he let out a sigh before hearing the familiar voice of his mate.

Looking up, his yellow eyes sat on her for a few moments before catching sight of the treats in her hands. Letting out a sigh, he responded with a tinge of disappointment in his voice, "Weren't you to be fetching us dinner...?" It was then that he realized the true horror of the situation. To her, this was dinner. Putting a hand to his brow, he groaned, "...very well, I'll have a few bites. But this is not nourishment. We are getting something else whether you want to or not."

Carefully taking a piece for himself, he placed it delicately into his mouth, making sure to look as grumpy as possible.

Undeterred by the grump sulking next to her, she simply smiled widely at him, pressing her side against his and leaning her cheek on his shoulder. Her azure eyes glinted behind her glasses as she looked out at the night sky, " Well then, dear, you had best help me eat these. Otherwise I'll ruin my appetite for 'real food'." She chuckled to herself, "Of course this isn't dinner. This is nowhere near enough Dongo for dinner, silly." She sat up, popping another piece into her mouth happily, "Speaking of dinner, what do you feel like this evening? For someone on vacation in the Far East, you haven't spent much time exploring the area. I'd be happy to choose for you if you are entirely too engrossed in not enjoying yourself to enjoy yourself."

She turned to him, poking her glasses up her nose, grinning slightly at him. The dear, sweet man before her seemed utterly determined not to enjoy their time in Kugane, and she was just as determined to force him to do so. While they had plenty of actual work to do, it wasn't every day that she found herself in such a place, and she planned to discover everything it had to offer. In particular if it would help keep her mate at home just a little more.

Her taunt was certainly a threat, as she really would eat them all, with no regard for whatever dinner they may decide to have later. Hanging his head, he conceded, "I suppose you are right..."

His chest tensed as she 'teased', but he knew full well that it was not in fact a joke, but really her opinion twisted into such a way that anyone but him would think she were kidding. Instead of honoring his mate with a response, he simply chose to ignore that particular statement.

As for dinner, he frowned, thinking for a few moments, "Noodles, perhaps. There are several places that come highly recommended." Averting his gaze, he responded, "No, perhaps not. I come here far too often, it's... not... exactly a vacation. I am here on business, as are you." Shaking his head, he groaned, "I think not. If you were to have your way, I'm sure we would be having more dongo..."

Taking the treat from the stick, he took another bite. "If you insist, after we have a proper meal, I could take you on a tour of the city?"

The smallest hint of brightening crossed her face, belying the flood of joy inside her at his words. Finally he's letting up a bit! Outwardly, she nodded solemnly at his words, "Of course, I'm aware that we are here on business. But business certainly shouldn't stop one from enjoying themselves, no? They aren't mutually exclusive."

She gazed happily at her mate as he miserably munched another piece of Dongo, knowing that he was plotting in his mind how to make this evening as productive as possible. She suspected that the 'tour' he mentioned was merely a ploy to visit several of the vendors that he had come to negotiate with. After all, she needed to do much the same thing. But not yet. She hadn't had enough fun yet, both with her mate and on her own.

She stretched, leaning over and laying her head on his shoulder once again, "Very well, noodles it is. There's a lovely place just off the main shopping district." She grinned slyly, "Besides, I may be able to get us a discount there. I think the manager likes me." She bit her lip, trying and failing to stifle a smile. He was entirely too much fun to tease.

Averting his gaze, the man let out a soft sigh, "Perhaps they are not, but you cannot forget the reason for our being here. That said, we should have a few hours to ourselves."

The look in her eye was not unfamiliar. She too was plotting, plotting to force them to do something he likely wasn't interested in. Though, the bath house was not near the Kugane Dori, which was more than likely where she meant. After a few moments of contemplation, he nodded, "Then we've reached an agreement." Holding a hand to his lips, he considered for a moment though, "I was under the impression you do not come here often? Might I ask how the manager has come to like you?"

Yet another small giggle escaped her lips, "It doesn't take long for a man to become entranced by a beautiful lass in a skirt bending over to grab something she dropped. Especially when she's clumsy and it happens several times." She wrapped her arms around Rhaq'a, "Their noodles are wonderful, though."

She gently turned his face to meet her own, just looking at him for a few moments. She gave him a peck on the nose. Plotting was her specialty, especially when it involved her mate. Hopefully after a lovely meal he would be amenable to a soak in the bath house. She had asked already about the couples private area. Her reservation was already booked. She stood, tearing the last Dongo in two, popping one half in her mouth and holding the other out to Rhaq'a. "Shall we, then?" Her other hand went out to grasp his, her eyes oozing affection.

Letting out a sigh, the man shook his head, "I should have guessed as much. Well I suppose a discount is a discount, no matter how dubious the reasons. But, would he not be upset seeing you with me?" Thinking for a moment, he continued, "Their traditions are not... well, most are unlike Miqo'te, frankly. Perhaps you should use your charm to obtain the noodles, then we could eat elsewhere? Though I must admit, I'm not familiar with many of the public spaces here..."

As she kissed his nose, the man squinted, a very brooding, sulking expression across his visage. Averting his gaze, he'd gently pet the side of her face with his hand before picking himself up. Taking the last dongo, he plopped it into his mouth before looking to her as well. Reluctantly, he offered her his hand. "By your leave..."

Suddenly, he felt his stomach sink. She was being too sweet. Something was up. She was plotting something, and he would get to the bottom of it. Hopefully, it was not what he was expecting...

Her crows furrowed as a somewhat confused expression crossed her face, "I... I can't imagine why he would be? I suppose they do have rather odd views on these topics. Mayhap it would be best to simply dine out then. Come, let's head over there and I'll charm the pants off of him!"

As she led her mate through the city, she hummed to herself. Finally, she was getting him to enjoy their time. And she'd get to see the noodle man get flustered again! She grinned to herself, hoping to continue leading the evening. She personally thought that her ideas for their evenings were far more entertaining than his. Especially the ending she had planned. Credit where credit is due, her mate did show a startling ability to interrupt her plans though. Still, she wouldn't let little things like what he wanted to do get in the way of a wonderful business vacation.

As they passed by the massive, spinning Aetherite, she paused, pointing at the night sky, her face filled with wonder, "Dear, look!" Fireworks could be seen bursting in the distance, sending streams of multicolored light shooting across the inky sky, mingling with the stars. She stared happily, wrapping her arm around his, pulling him into her, "Isn't it lovely?"

Of course his mate didn't see the cultural stigma of her peculiar preferences. It took all he had in him not to facepalm. Though, at least she gave in, and accepted the situation for what it was. With a nod, he followed behind her quietly.

The smirk on Rhy's face was telling, and it only served to re-affirm feelings of dread. He did not know what she was planning, only that it was like as not to be either embarrassing, or uncomfortable. Most likely both, at the same time.

As she pointed to the Aetheryte, he looked at it, confused. "Yes, darling that is an Aethery—" Cutting himself off, his eyes widened at the splendor before him, "I see. I assume this is what you wanted to show me?" Being pulled into her embrace, he tripped slightly before composing himself. "Yes, it's beautiful." Smiling he looked to his mate, "As are you."

She most certainly saw the cultural stigma of her preferences. However, she found them inconvenient and chose generally to ignore them. While her mate chose to follow every social rule posited to him, she was generally a little pickier. Getting the best noodles in Kugane for free? And all for bending over? Seemed like a solid trade to her.

As they gazed at the fireworks, she snugged him closer. Her ears perked upright at his words, and her eyes went wide. She turned to him, her face beaming. "I would imagine a man as gorgeous as you would be an excellent judge of such things!" With that, a hand went behind his head as she pulled him into a deep kiss in the middle of the plaza, refusing to let him go for several long moments.

Finally releasing him from the liplock, she beamed again, her face flushed, "Thank you, dearest." She wrapped her arms around his, snugging it as hard as she could, burying her face in his neck. She truly couldn't be happier. If the night kept going this well, goodness knew where it would lead! She had her plans, and fingers crossed they would fulfill themselves.

Eyes wide at the unexpected display of affection, he stiffened, trying to escape her grasp, but being unable to. At least not without making a huge scene in the plaza, and there were already enough eyes on them being miqo'te and all. Finally, the kiss that seemed like an eternity ended, and he hung his head letting out a sigh, "You're... welcome."

They still continued to stare, and all he wanted to do was take off, and duck behind a building, out of sight. But, much to his dismay, she was so pleased with the current situation, and he already felt horrible fighting it the way he was. Reluctantly, he put a hand to her back, patting it gently a few times as she rested against him.

Allowing her a fair amount of time to hug him, he tried to gently pull her off of him. "We... are attracting attention."

The struggles of the man that she was wrapped around only made her hold on tighter. She giggled as he tugged lightly. She'd noticed the looks they got in Kugane. Miqo'te weren't a common sight at all in the Far East, let alone a couple. She nuzzled him, bringing her lips to the base of his ear, "Let them watch, then." She gave him a brief kiss on the ear before going back to nuzzling his neck. "I don't mind if everyone knows that I have the best man in Eorzea."

She resisted his attempts to extract himself from her vice-like grip on his arm by extending her reach, wrapping around his chest instead. "You know, if you like..." Here was her favorite part of her favorite attack pattern. She loved the distress that it set up inside him. The inner battle between wanting to leave the public eye and what would happen in private. "...we could always go back to the inn. It's much more... Private there." She gave him a small squeeze, "I could always go to the noodle stand on my own and bring some back. For just the two of us. Your choice though." She grinned at him, love dancing in her eyes.

The more she taunted him, the more he wanted to slip away and hide somewhere where no one, not even she could find him. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he hated that he couldn't counter her. They had been together so long, and he still hadn't figured out her weakness.

Her offer of privacy was a double-edge sword, and she knew it. In public, she would only go so far, but he would have to suffer embarrassment. In private, he'd suffer debatably less embarrassment, but his mate would not hold back. This was why he had been avoiding close-quarter, intimate situations for a few weeks now. He was always romance-adverse, and despite their mutual understanding, it was always something that terrified him on a deep level.

"Ah..."

Now biting his lip, he was searching around for an escape route. Answering the succubus meant that she won, and he wasn't about to give in yet.

The grin she was giving him was a dangerous thing; she knew she had him, and there was no escape. Incredibly pleased with herself, she accepted his non-answer for now. She knew from experience that no matter how hard he tried to play mute for the rest of his life, he couldn’t. Playfully swatting at his shoulder, she tugged him forward. ”Come on, then, let’s get some dinner and figure things out from there. Everything seems better after noodles!”

His resistance was nothing new to her. After all, their entire relationship began due to his resistance and aversion to romance. Still, that made it all the more fun to her when she finally got some inkling of sappiness out of him. As they strolled through the market strip, her head turned side to side, looking at all the exotic goods at the stalls. ”You know, I’ve heard that there are even more goods in the Shirogane residential district as well! Some shops that the Kugane authorities don’t allow for one reason or another.” She paused, thinking, ”Perhaps they would have some of the Alchemy supplies you seek?”

Thinking to herself, she began considering what she just said as well. Perhaps she could find an even better supplier of her healing goods there. Goodness knew she’d been going through her supplies far faster than she’d expected. The Garleans had left nothing of use in the wake of their withdrawal from Othard. She was also seeking curious new Alchemical ideas for Rhaq’a. She knew he loved nothing more than to tinker, so giving him something to tinker with would help keep him at home. And she did love having him around.

Ears now flat against his head, the miqo’te’s eyes fell downcast. He was skeptical about the noodles doing anything for his mood, but he responded positively nonetheless, “Of course...”

Much to his surprise, Rhaq’a’s mate offered a reasonable suggestion. Though, he still feared she had some deep-seated motivation for it. As she mentioned, they sell things but found in Kugane, which could include potent aphrodisiacs. Gulping, and trying not to think of it, he responded, “I’ve heard as much as well. I have visited a few before myself, but I could not name one off the top of my head. It could be worth taking a look.”

A slow nod met his words, ”I’m much the same; I’ve heard of them but never visited, nor do I know many details.” She brightened up after a moment of thinking, ”Perhaps after dinner we could tour Shirogane instead! That way we could see what kinds of suppliers are there, as well as look at some of the gorgeous houses that are said to be there!” Her voice held an air of finality; she was definitely just stating what they were going to do that evening, not asking for input.

As they approached the noodle restaurant, she gave his hand in hers a squeeze. ”Care to see a master at work, dear?” She leaned into him, nuzzling his cheek with her own.

When she made up her mind, there was no stopping her. The best he could do was go along with it. Letting loose a soft sigh, he nodded, “I suppose we shall find out together.” Though at the mention of housing, the miqo’te tilted his head, “Are you planning to move here?” It was really difficult for him to tell with her. It seemed to him that she only lived in Gridania to placate her family, not because she actually wanted to be there.

Pulling away from the sudden nuzzle, the man let out a sigh. “It would seem you’re not about to take no for an answer. Go ahead, then.”

A small garumph escaped her lips as he pulled away from her nuzzle. ”Move? No, I’m quite fond of my house in Gridania. Besides, moving to the other side of the world seems like an excellent reason for both of our families to hound us even more, no?” She let out a small sigh, ”I simply enjoy looking at the beautiful things that others do with their homes. It inspires me for mine! I’ve heard that the people here decorate their homes with, oh, we’re here!”

As they made their way into the restaurant, she immediately went on the prowl. Identifying her prey, she gave Rhaq’a a quick peck on the shoulder and ran off towards a middle-aged man at the back. She spoke to him for several moments before turning back towards her mate. As she began walking, she tripped on seemingly nothing, catching herself at the last moment, bent well over. The man she had been talking to was clearly staring hard at her position. She caught Rhaq’a’s eye, giving him a wink before slowly straightening up, making sure to catch the back of her skirt on a chair, then just as quickly ‘fixing’ it. She waved back at the manager, who looked flustered, waved, and went in back. She strode back towards Rhaq’a.

”Noodles should be here shortly! On the house, he said.” She took his hand in hers, gave it a small squeeze, and pulled him towards a table.

Letting out a slight sigh of relief, he nodded, "That's what I was afraid of." Putting a hand to his lips, he thought for a moment, "Though, if we moved farther..." Winking at Rhy he continued, "Garlemald perhaps?" Wilting he let out a sigh, "...I don't even believe that would be far enough. Perhaps.. the bottom of the sea."

The woman's self-interruption didn't exactly answer Rhaq'a's question. But, he would have to ask later. Once inside, the miqo'te attempted to make himself invisible, but Rhy's affection would make that difficult. Perhaps he lucked out and no one saw.

Embarrassed by his mate's blatant sexuality, he did his best to avert his gaze. It was the oldest miqo'te trick in the book, and still Rhy managed to sucker everyone in anyway.

Even though she caught his eye, the man tried to look away. When she came back over, he groaned, still not wanting to make eye contact. "...is this how you have so much disposable income?"