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While the letter he had sent her might have been as perfect as possible for a man not used to eloquent words, actually getting himself composed on the day of the big event was not so easily attained. After quite a lot of flowery language that basically meant asking her out, Thrain had arranged to meet Yuzhi at her home in three days, which gave him plenty of time to worry about what he was doing, to wonder why he was being so nervous about all this, and to try and do his best to get things ready. Namely, finding an outfit that was not something he'd worn out on post or to a fight which meant it would be most likely dirt stained, blood stained, mystery stained or some combination of all the above. Once it was ascertained that he had nothing for something as nice an outing with a lady, the Guardian was forced to visit Ying in hopes of acquiring something nice from her.
Finally he had what looked like a suit, since he wasn't really sure what else he was supposed to wear and it was much too warm for traditional fur garb, the Guardian was left with only a few additional details. He had found his fuzzy haired partner from that one class he might have skipped out on once it had really gotten started and asked her where was the best place to take a lady on "a date", as she called it. With that particular heading in mind, as well as a single white lily he had picked, Thrain made his way to Yuzhi's home.

Nerves really set in once he approached and knocked, golden eyes widening when he realized that her brother most likely lived with her and what if he was here now what if he answered the door and what if he did not like Thrain? Had the man been more inclined to letting his emotions show on his face, he might have looked panicked, but instead he looked as though he might have caught a small whiff of something off. Not terrible, just a small quirk of his mouth before he breathed deeply.
He was a Guardian. He had trained long and hard in the cold and could handle anything. Even brothers of the lady he wished to court.
"This is far worse than that blizzard where we all almost starved." So much worse.
With a deep breath, the man lifted a hand and knocked on the door.

Counting the seconds between when Thrain had knocked on the door and when it was answered turned out to be a really terrible plan. When it went past five seconds the man began to fret that perhaps the Lady Yuzhi had forgotten, or that she had decided without his knowing that she was not prepared to be courted. Or maybe she did not even realize his motivation was to court her or that she had realized that was his intent and she was so upset by his uncouth behavior toward her that she was very angry with him. What if she wanted to be friends!? That would not be so bad, he decided with a tiny frown, it might hurt but he would still get to see her smile and that was alright. Maybe it was something else entirely, maybe it was--
The door finally opened then, the tiny little mare standing there just as small and sweet as he remembered and... Shouting apparently?
All the worry and pent up nervousness that had plagued him before vanished with the chuckle that bubbled up in his throat. A hand passed under his nose in attempt to cover the grin, but it was impossible to hide something that large.

"Good afternoon, Lady Yuzhi." The man greeted in a low rumble because he felt very buoyant suddenly, though he was quick to dip into a bow before her. When he straightened, his eyes did not as he let them drop to her feet and raise up to her head in a slow, curious look over. It did not at all occur to him that this was rude or could be interpreted in any sort of negative way for his smile tilted up a little to one side.
"That dress is lovely on you." How could a compliment be rude?

But oh yes!
With a start he went back into the bow, the hand that had been hiding behind his back swinging forward to offer her the white flower he held.
"A lovely flower for the lovely lady." Unable to stop himself, golden eyes slid up to peek out from between the few strands of his hair that refused to be tied back just so he could see her reaction.

In fact, seeing Yuzhi all dressed up and pretty, so eager to open the door for him, did erase all the questions in Thrain's mind but not because it answered them. They were mostly irrelevant now when she was looking so pretty and darling and nervous. That last bit was odd to him for of all people to be nervous, it seemed the strangest for Yuzhi. Not the tough little thing with a serious face, but here she was turning red on him. Perhaps it wasn't the first time, but that did not detract from its adorableness in any way.
"Thank you for the compliment... How have you been since the last time we spoke?" He asked sincerely, but was not given a reply so much as pulled into the house. Surprised not only by the sudden action, but also by the strength the small mare possessed, Thrain was quick to oblige her, shuffling after her with a small gruff noise of being taken aback. Or should it be taken forward?
Regardless he was pulled in and now in her home, golden eyes sliding slowly from detail to detail. Every small thing caught his attention as he took them in, considered that these were all things that Yuzhi had touched, even in a small way, and found them vastly more interesting because of.

Quiet, he followed after her, watching with a small smile as she doted on the gift he had brought her and feeling himself warm up because of it. That was why he had brought the thing to her, because he wanted to see her smile and flush, but to have actually invoked the reaction seems far more than he expected. Its a pleasant, if confusing, feeling but he lets the thought go when she asks him his question.
"My favorite colors? O-oh... Ah..." A hand reached up to stroke against the tuft of hair on his chin as he thought. "Well, I like blue... Deep blue, the color of the sky as the sun begins to set. But I do like snow white... Though I find myself becoming fonder of gold and green, as of late." That last bit made his mouth curl in a cheeky manner, but he dropped his hand to gesture gently at her.
"And you? What are some of your favorite colors, Lady Yuzhi?" He had a guess, but it was better to hear her say them.

A small, but obvious shift occurred in the Guardian's face at Yuzhi's words, something meant half as a joke, and half quite honestly though he felt playing it off as a joke might make it go over easier.
"How strange! Time felt as though it had slowed down for me quite a lot too. I do hope that it does not speed up now that we have met again." Thrain grinned at her then, unabashedly even though the flush of her face did eventually make his eyes dart off from her, though he told himself it was for her own sake; To make her feel less on the spot. It was certainly not because he felt his own face beginning to warm, that was not it at all.
But curiosity could not be helped and the man watched her fuss over the flowers, his head tilted to one side.
"Are flowers always to be treated as such?" This was an honest inquiry that he followed up with a scratch to his chin and a bashful look. "I ah... Am not very familiar with flowers, I am afraid. I lived most of my years in the cold, where nothing much grows." Nothing so beautiful as flowers or delicate mares like the one before him.

Content to be led along, Thrain followed the mare out the door he'd just entered, thinking nothing of wanting a tour of the inside of her home as he offered his elbow to her and took an earnest delight in pulling her tiny hand through the crook of his arm. Her hand was so tiny and fit in his palm so well, he could even cover it up entirely if he closed his fingers around her's. But he only nods as she talks, releasing her so that he can view the paleness of her skin against his dark clothing.
"I admit that I am biased in my color preference. Absolutely and completely biased." Was that too obvious?

"Ah yes! That is correct, you do! But we mustn't rush into things like this, you know." He laughs and looks down at her with a sly smile. "If you have a particular song in mind, then by all means go on ahead. But if you would prefer to wait... I had a... Few ideas of what to do today and your song might be best saved for later."

The chuckle that escaped Thrain was low and warm, but certainly no less heartfelt because it came out unbidden, if anything the fact that it surprised him so much made it all the more sincere. It was sweet that the mare was so concerned over their time together to say something like she did, but it was a realization that settled warmly in the Guardian's stomach.
"That is very kind of you." He murmured, letting his eyes fall away from her to better take in the moment.
But it passed quickly and he stood straighter to listen to her explanation of flowers. Though it all seemed a little over his head, he nodded in his most understanding manner, humming where it seemed appropriate to prompt her into further speech. The importance of flowers still went over his head, they were fleeting little things that seemed exceptionally weak. But the idea that they could be preserved did pique his interest and he decided to go with that.
"This is not at all boring! It is quite pleasurable to hear you speak so happily. Now, I am a bit curious to hear... How would you preserve them? They will soon wilt and fall to nothing, yes?" Thrain and refined pasttimes did not necessarily go together.

As for her curiosity over where they were going, it was hard for the man to hide his excitement. A gleeful, if mildly mischievous, smile took over his mouth as he lead them along. By now they were nearing the exit of the small encampment gifted to the Clans, immediately choosing the path that would lead them off the school's campus entirely.
"Perhaps it is something you have already visited, but it is certainly something I have never participated in before and thought it would be a fun excursion for us both." Not wanting to give away the game already, he gestured with his free hand in no real indication of anything.
"Surely you are familiar with the bazaars and small shops that sell hand crafted goods and the like once on our Islands. Well, I discovered that the students here participate in something similar, only it is all under one roof and the stores are not all hand crafted. They call it: The Maul."
The excitement of a new discovery was clear on Thrain's face, especially when he remembered a great story to tell.
"I do not think I ever told you about the time I stole a very expensive sword from a very well to do Jewelcrafter?"

Never having even thought one could do anything with flowers other than view them for a short time, the Guardian was quite pleased to hear that Yuzhi was an expert in the field of flower preservation. At least, she sounded like one and since he had no base of reference he could only assume. He did nod quite enthusiastically when she spoke, trying to imagine what that might look like. It could not be said that Thrain was very good at decorations, unless they were of the kind one might put on themselves in preparation for battle, but he could imagine. It felt strange, after so many years spent in bitter cold where things like framed pictures and flowers seemed superfluous, to now consider putting those things in his home, but it was a nice kind of strange.
"You sound as though you know quite a lot... I am unused to such ah... Fancy things, I suppose one could say. Would you perhaps..." Maybe he shouldn't ask this. After all, he was still living in Shaheen's home and she might not like another woman coming in and making her space all feminine. But Thrain didn't care, not if it meant getting to invite Yuzhi over. "Would you perhaps like to help me beautify my home?"

A bright bark of a laugh left him at her question regarding his actions, turning into a full on chortle when she asked after the jewelcrafter's reputation. Ah, already she was hooked into the story and he would get the delight of surprising her with what really happened!
The man grinned down at the mare as they crested a hill, the maul in sight but still far enough away he would have time to tell the tale. He harrumphed in a manner to indicate he was preparing for a good story before one hand lifted into the air.
"It was long, long ago, when I was very young." He hand moved down to indicate knee height. "I was only yay tall, not yet old enough to change my form, but old enough that my mother felt it safe to let me come with her to the marketplace." A surprising amount of emotion rose in him as he talked, not expecting something like reminiscing to make him feel maudlin. "I had not yet learned that one must pay for things they buy, as my mother traded her wares. She was a Jewelcrafter too, one who specialized in intricate armor pieces." His eyebrows rose at the mare, interested to see if she had guessed where the story would go from here.

Certain things seemed to make more sense the more she spoke and Thrain let out an understanding "ah" when she mentioned the pitfalls of studying too much. It was perhaps the very reason he had shunned more scholarly pursuits in favor of going out into the worlds to train. But, it had turned into exactly what she spoke of.
"I can... Understand. I trained for a very long time and feel as though only now have I begun to live my life." Maybe that was too deep a subject for such a light hearted day, so the man gave the mare at his elbow the gentlest of nudges.
"But make sure to keep a bit of... Brawn and strength in the beautify'ing, if you would." He told her in regards to the house with a teasing grin.

"Oh yes, something very lovely had caught my interest." He sighed dreamily as a hand came forward for example. One large palm was presented, Thrain's hand laid out flat. "I found a dagger, as big as my hand now, that was this beautiful sapphire color. It was etched with gold and decorated with glistening white jewels. It was... Magnificent." The awe was evident in his voice as his golden gaze took on a dreamy hue. "Even so young I had a fascination with weaponry, thanks in large part to my mother, but I so wanted that dagger. So I took it. Put it under my tunic and left a bag little trinkets my mother had made with left over scrap metal. I was meant to give those to her favorite pastry maker instead... She was not pleased when we had to double back and explain things to the weapons master of the shop."

Maybe he ought not to, but Thrain cannot help but feel rather pleased to have made Yuzhi laugh. It is such a small thing, he cannot fathom at all why he is being so sentimental over someone he hardly knows, but there is no way he could stop it. Thankfully, he really doesn't want to.
"I suppose this means that the two of us shall just have to watch out for the other." He began, looking up at the grey sky above them. "Keep the other from getting too caught up in our preferred modes of distraction." Making a pact between them like this was quite a lot of fun, he hoped she would agree.
At the mention of beauty in strength he nodded solemnly, pulling his shoulders back a little to present himself as someone to embody that ideal. Partially he was being silly, but part of him did honestly want the mare to think of him as such.

A hearty laugh left him when she asked her questions and he nodded.
"Oh yes, I was punished for quite a while afterwards. Extra chores, had to run laps around our home, my mother frowned at me for the rest of the evening. Dreadful, all of it dreadful." But it had been a good time, to be so scolded with love, even if it was a little sad to think of now. What he would give just to see his mother frown at him, just once more.
"It quickly put an end to any career I had been considering as a thief."

There was perhaps more to be said, maybe a better explanation of his punishment, but there was no more time to speak on it for the pair had finally wandered their way to the maul's entrance. It stood before them, imposing and boxy and not at all what Thrain would ever have considered as really possible to hold shops in.
"Ah! We have arrived!" Blonde eyebrows lowered as he looked at the building, it looked so boring, but he made sure to turn a smile at the mare. "Are you ready, My Lady?"