"Well-met," Kire replied, grinning at Ysaryn, though she rolled her eyes when the elf asked about dinner and "dessert". "He made you clean?" She found that amusing. She wrinkled her nose. "Unless it's because you and Ed made the house absolutely filthy. Elva won't stop teasing Ed about it. She hadn't seen him be like this in many years."

Kire picked up her skirts with one hand as they walked out to the Ziadi side, the smell of fish cooking already whetting her appetite. She hummed in thought for a moment as she thought over her answer to Ysaryn. "I'd like to think so," she said, glancing at her friend. "I know last time didn't end too well, but--I feel good about tonight. And no, I don't mean because of dessert," she added, in case the elf interpreted it that way.

She could smell the food the moment they went into her house, and she blushed when she heard her stomach growl. She clicked her tongue, as if ready to scold it for embarrassing her.

Ysaryn chuckled, flushing proudly. "He behaves like it has been a few years. I enjoy him." She declared with a smile, strolling up the last bit of stairs and into the small courtyard of Kire's house. She opened the door, then glanced down at Kire as her stomach growled. Another chuckle.
Then she turned her head and called into the house. "Whatever you're cooking, it smells great."
"I know." Ruli answered back, before appearing around the corner and grinning at them. But the moment he caught sight of Kire, his smile vanished, and he ogled. "Wow." He stammered. "Thats, uh. Thats a much better look than the fancy stuff."
Ysaryn grinned crookedly. "Looks like you're going to be cleaning the house tomorrow."
"Get out."
She laughed, winked at Kire, then turned and sauntered out.

Ruli cleared his throat. "So, uh. I .. my kitchen isn't really equipped for baking cakes. No oven, so. I ... yeah." He greeted awkwardly, taking a final glance over Kire's dress before he turned and went back to the kitchen.
The cake sitting on the table was small but elegantly decorated, whorls of bright orange decorated the pristine white icing, and the scent of oranges filled the air among the aroma of dinner. Which, glancing over, was stuffed squash, filled with spiced meat and rice. A bowl of salad and another with warm bread sat beside the cake. "Did you bring the wine? It'll go well with the meal, I made sure."

Kire grinned at Ruli's reaction to her dress, blushing a bit, going even redder at Ysaryn's comment. She smiled when Ruli stammered through his explanation about using the house, noting the way he glanced at her one more time before going back into the kitchen. When she followed him in, it was her turn to ogle, first the cake, with its fine decoration, and then the food, already looking forward to diving into the stuffed squash. "Got it covered," she said, setting the bottle down on the table before going to the cupboard to retrieve plates. "I can never understand how sitting around in a meeting the whole say could be draining," she said, as she set them down on the table, along with glasses.

Once they were both seated and ready to eat, she heaped some spiced meat and rice onto her plate. "I realized I hadn't asked properly if tonight was alright. Got a bit excited, I think," she said, grinning a little sheepishly.

"Because people are draining." Ruli commented. "Plus, I've seen you in meetings, it took all your strength not to bitch slap everyone, so I can understand why you're exhausted." He added with a grin over his shoulder. He gathered the last of the supplies and sat across from her. He grabbed the wine and uncorked it, pouring them both a glass.

"I wasn't going to say no. I just had to go into town and buy a few things. I don't know if you noticed that my house has no food in it." He shrugged, sipping his wine before biting into a squash. "With just the role of paladin, you won't have to deal with all that, right? Or, I suppose you'll abdicate to a family member, so will you still attend?"

Kire grinned at his assertion about people being draining, then laughed a bit at his description of her during meetings. She started on her plate, sipping in between bites. "Jan and Ed are the two likeliest. But if I'm being strict about the rules of succession, it would be Jan, going by the order of our parents. Plus, at the moment, she would be the one most likely to have an heir born to her line. Unless it passess to Ulrich's eldest." She paused, suddenly remembering the rest of Ulrich's sons. Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought of the younger two being close in line for the throne.

"But I think I'll still be involved. I may be given a lesser title or something. It will be at the new Empress or Emperor's discretion how involved I am. Though if I do my job right during the transition years, I wouldn't leave too many loose ends, and I can retire from politics properly. Gods, sixty years. How did I make it this long?" She shook her head, continuing her meal.

"Yeah," Ruli began carefully. "No offense to Ed, but putting Ysaryn in that sort of potential position is a horrible idea." He warned, shaking his head. "Not that I doubt Ed's ability to keep her sticky fingers out of empire business, but she's not really a team player."

When she mentioned Ulrich's son's, Ruli met her gaze, wrinkling his brow. Gods, that sounded horrid, too. His sons had given Ruli an uneasy feeling. Mostly the third one. The older two seemed about as ready to rule as Ruli was.
"I suppose once you've abdicated, we'll have to officially offer you a home here. Unless you want to live in the palace. Seems far too large, if you ask me."

Kire chuckled at his unease about putting Ysaryn on the throne. "I get what you mean. Thankfully, between Ed and Jan, I think Jan would be more willing, anyway." She sipped some wine, glancing at the cake briefly before setting down her glass. "Oh, it's not so bad," she said about the Palace with a grin. "I've lived there all my life. It's home. Though, fair point, after the Storm I had asked my cousins to move in, keep them close. Some days you feel it being too large." She paused to look around. "I don't mind this house, though. Seems the right size. Unless you want to put me somewhere else," she added with a grin.

"Well, I mean, you're free to bunk with Risa." Ruli smirked at her, taking another drink before digging into a bit of salad, probing around for the chopped nuts within. "I'm sure she'd appreciate the company. After all, you would make her feel super good about herself." He said jokingly, knowing full wall Risa would wind up tossed out of the castle within a week.
"No, this house can be yours. Though, now that I know the set up in your kitchen, I may wander in here now and then if I feel the need for more than grilled meat."

Another sip, and he went back to his squash, watching Kire from across the table. "I ... " No, don't ask it. "I want to know your favourite dishes. Beside cake, as you seem easy enough to please there. So, next time, if I don't screw this dinner up, I can make something you like."

Kire snorted at the thought of living with Risa. "Oh gods, please no. I've been tortured enough," she said, laughing still. "Though perhaps I should have invited her to the Palace, eh?" She smirked, shaking her head, imagining that that wouldn't go well at all. "Alright. Let me pay for the house and lot. You're welcome to use the kitchen whenever you like; I should be grateful you thought of putting one in when I don't really know my way around one," she added, chuckling.

She looked up from her plate when he began to speak, waiting for him to get the rest of it out. He hesitated, and she wondered what it was be wanted to say. But then he continued with her favorite food, and she grinned. "Hmm. I like meat in general. Roast pork, for one. There's this beef stew I like, lots of onions and--I'll have to ask what else is in it," she said sheepishly. She pointed at the squash dish. "I wouldn't mind having this again, though. So far, I like what you've cooked for me."

She sighed, thinking over his statement about screwing up dinner. "To be fair, that wasn't all you. And despite that, here we are. One dinner and one argument may be the threshold; if we can keep it at that level, we're good," she said, smirking a bit.

"Pork isn't as easy to find here, but I'll make sure to suggest we invest in some pigs." Ruli said thoughtfully. "not like I can't easily travel to where its cheap, though." He realized with a grin. "And no, you don't have to pay for the house. Just bring things for trade or something. Wine. Cloth. Things of that sort."

"How are you as old as you are with no inkling on how to cook? Or, is that the privilege of being ... you?" He wondered cautiously. "I don't intend to sound like a prick, asking. I'm genuinely curious. You can make coffee, so you have that going for you."

"Done and done. Give me a list of things you'd like, too, and I'll add that to the supplies I'll bring in," she said.

She sighed when he asked about her tumultuous relationship with the kitchen. "I do ask that question myself. Mostly privilege, I'll admit. And growing up, I wasn't very good at the 'lady' stuff, like sewing or dancing, etcetera. As for food, cooking is like alchemy to me. In that, it hates me," she said with a pout, resting her chin on her hand for a moment.

"Okay, I can probably cook something over a fire if you tell me exactly how to do it. But nothing fancy like what you can do." She paused in thought. "Maybe when I finally retire from the throne, I can learn. But I might burn the kitchen down," she said with a cringe.

"Dancing is over rated," Ruli commented. "And sewing and cooking I have covered." He chuckled, using his fork to push some fallen rice back into his squash. "I like math. Numbers. Cooking is just numbers to me. Same with alchemy. Recipes make sense to me."
As she mentioned burning down a kitchen, he frowned. "We'll start you off on the beach, then. Can't burn the sea down."

Finsihed with a squash, he leaned back to drink, looking around the house they sat in. "Tell you what. Let me know ahead of times when you'll visit, I'll have dinner to welcome you, either here or in the mess hall, and I'll send you back with a cake." He pointed at her. "You have to promise it makes it to the little ones, or deals off."

"Math," she said, a haunted look in her eyes. "Numbers. The bane of my existence." She shook her head, breaking into a grin. "Fine. Cooking lessons by the beach sounds good." When he leaned back, she refilled her wine glass, sipping from it as she looked at him, a fond smile on her face as he made his offer. She laughed softly at his following threat. "Okay." She cleared her throat and raised her hand. "I, Akire, Empress of Amria, do solemnly swear that I won't eat all the cake you would give me."

Her thoughts went back to his hesitation earlier, wondering again if he had meant to say something else to her. But as much as she wanted to ask, she also didn't want to potential ruin dinner. She felt...warm. Content. She smiled, looking down at her finished plate, already looking forward to more evenings like this.

"I'm going to make you swear that again when you've renounced your crown." Ruli said pointedly. "Make you swear as Akire the Paladin. And then, when you've gotten too fat on cakes to do that anymore, make you swear as Akire the Woman-Who-Would-Not-Leave." Ruli smirked. As she finished her plate, he grinned, genuinely glad she'd enjoyed the meal, before he tilte dhis head toward the cake.
"Go one, then. You've been eyeing it all night." He reached forward to gather her dinner plate, lifting it onto his own and rising to set it aside. He returned with a serving knife, offering it to her before he took his seat again.

"I made it with citrus. Bit of orange and lemon, so its tart, not just sweet. I might even have a slice."

Kire laughed at his threat. “You’ll have to send me back in a wheelbarrow,” she said. “But you better keep those cakes coming.” When he told her to start on the cake, her face lit right up, not even bothering to hide her eagerness. After he took her dinner plate and returned with a serving knife, she cut a sizeable slice for herself. “I love tart sweets,” she said, about to start on hers when he mentioned wanting a slice. “How big d’you want it?” she asked, knife hovering over the cake to cut him a piece.

Once seated again, she took a bite of cake, then leaned back, moaning softly, immediately going for another bite afterward. “I have changed my mind about marriage,” she said solemnly. “I’m marrying this cake.” She glanced at him, grinning. "Won't take long for me to get fat on your bakes, I think."

Ruli chuckled, holding up his hand to gesture about a small slice with his thumb and index finger. "Don't want to ruin it for myself." He said, waiting patiently and with amusement as she cut a sizeable slice for herself. When she'd served him, the thanked her and started to eat. He was far slower about it, picking along the insides of the cake to avoid the frosted edged.

The noises that came out of her made him pause again, eyeing her with raised eyebrows before he told himself to ignore her. "Best stop eating it, then." He teased, resuming his own nibbling. "I'll send you to Ysaryn after each cake for a workout. She'll make you sweat it out."

But that brought up the conversation again. Ruli studied her as she ate, enjoying the delight in her eyes. "Do you have the freedom now? I know ... or guess, that your options are men like Ulrich's sons, but. Do you get to choose?"

“Noooo,” she pleaded, shaking her head and laughing at the thought of stopping eating the cake and being sent to spar with Ysaryn. “Mercy!” She chuckled, going back to her cake anyway. She listened to his question, unable to stop herself from grimacing again at the thought of Ulrich’s brood. She pondered on it, leaning back again as she chewed.

“I do. I think. I’ve held off for decades, so it’s not like I totally don’t have the freedom to decide. But…yes. I suppose I do have more of it now. No more fathers trying to convince me I should pop out a dozen little heirs with their son’s help.” She smiled, looking wistful. “Huh. Imagine that. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.” She knew why, of course, but nevertheless, it dawned on Kire then, what it would really mean, not being empress. “I had a bit of a taste of it, this past year. Figuring out what I am without the crown on my head. It’s—a little scary, but exciting.” She looked at him, smiling, wondering where his train of thought was leading with that question.

Whatever his train of thought had been, he lost it at the sight of the excitement on her face. He smiled back at her, not used to seeing such raw glee on anyone's face. "Imagine it." He began. "You could travel with Narda and Myka for weeks without that guilt. Stay here and learn to kick Ysaryn's ass. Or cook. Bring your cousins here for a beachside vacation. Tell Ed or Jan or whomever to stuff it when they bring up empire business." He chuckled at her.

"You might even pick up a hobby that doesn't include a weapon."

She imagined it as he listed off the possibilities, most of which she had thought about, herself, on several occasions. She leaned her cheek against her hand, lazily taking bites of cake as she listened. “A life without guilt…” she murmured, her voice trailing off. She glanced down at her scarred hand, the Ring on her finger. “Yeah. I’d really like that.” She met his gaze, looking at him with fondness. “And more dinners with you, for as long as you’re not sick of me.”

He raised his eyebrows and lowered his head in acceptance. "So far, we're good." he said, though that contemplative expression returned. "So." He began, glancing down at the husk of his cake, as he'd eaten only the cake part and left the frosted edge. He offered it to Kire, figuring she'd devour it. "You ... well. You're not afraid of me. Which I find I like. My scars, my blood, my abilities. Mostly you seem enthralled by my cooking skills, which I sort of like. And, no, I don't think you're like the other nobles. Even if I have to admit my pool of knowledge is skewed. You've met them."

Ruli lifted his glass of wine, sipping the last bit of it. "I feel as though, naturally, this is going to progress, and I'm still nervous, but not as much as I thought I'd be."