"Really?" You raise one eyebrow, expressing your uncertainty in no uncertain terms.
"I promise," Isshin says, failing to completely repress a grin. "If you want to learn my technique, it is important to see this play. It won't make sense otherwise."
"You aren't even close to convincing," you say with a sniff.
"But you'll come along anyway, right?"
You sigh. "Yes. I'll meet you outside the training hall thirty minutes before we need to get seated."
---
It took you longer to make yourself presentable than you expected. You have always taken pride in looking impeccable, but just bare perfection isn't enough for a special occasion. Luckily, thanks to the endless plans-within-plans you always keep rolling (in this case, you carefully planned to have nothing else to do that day so you'd start getting ready early, which was definitely intentional), you adjusted on the fly and were ready in good time.
You arrived at the meeting place exactly on time, stopping in your chosen spot twenty seconds prior to the clock ticking over to the scheduled time.
Shiba Isshin isn't there yet. You sigh internally. It just isn't fair, to choreograph something like that so perfectly without an audience to appreciate it.
He isn't very late, though. He shows up in a slightly rumpled outfit and yawning as he comes. He still looks like he's been forgetting to shave for approximately three days, but that's okay. You're coming to appreciate that look. It has a certain rough appeal, and might be just scratchy enough to--
You cut your thoughts off as he gives you a winning grin. "Well, you really dolled yourself up nice today, didn't you?"
"I was given to understand that the theatre merits a certain level of care with appearance."
"Yeah, that's what they say." He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on. We have good seats, but let's see if we can't keep the space around us clear just by glaring at people."
You laugh the expected amount and lay one palm on his elbow as he leads the way.
Isshin spares a brief, curious look at your hand, but does't comment. Or shake you off.
---
"Well, that was boring," Isshin says. You're only barely clear of the theatre. Someone might hear him. You continue to lead the way away from it.
"It was your suggestion," you point out gently.
He shrugs. With broad enough shoulders, that's a good motion. "It was expected that 'a Shiba' would be at it. Family business thing, you know. I don't know who was related to who that made that happen, but I was informed that it was expected I go. And I thought, well, if I have to do that, better not to go alone, right?"
"Indeed." You let that hang in the air a moment. "Well, the evening is still young. Shall we get some food?" The play had gone on for some hours, after all, and one of the effects of Isshin's glaring practice was that no one had tried to vend concessions at you two.
"Sure, sounds good." Isshinn names a couple of possibilities, and you pick one.
Before you even get there, you've drawn Isshin into a discussion about the play. It had a lot more nuances than he was willing to give it credit for, and you lead him through them, letting him make as many of the connections himself as he can. He's not dumb, by any means, he just enjoys playing the dumb thug. Playing a part you understand. Digging out hidden depths like this, that appeals. Really, the play wasn't anything amazing, but forbidden love is a story type you can certainly take pleasure from.
By the time you're out of the restaurant, Isshin is rambling about its good elements with barely a "go on" or "so true" from you.
This is later, though. You're already starting to feel a little tired, and the artificial lights around the city are starting to tamp down just to save on costs. It's the "time to go to bed" sign.
The two of you are back where you met. It's the most logical place for you to separate, too, given where your rooms are.
Here, you pause, letting the world go to sleep around you. "I had a nice night," you tell Isshin. "Thank you for inviting me."
Isshin shrugged. "I gotta confess, I led you on. You didn't really need to see the play to learn my technique."
You give him a small smile. "I knew from the start. The pretense was fun. You can show me more about that technique... later. I have to be well-rested to learn at my best."
He's about to say something else dumb, so you don't let him. You slip in closer, until you're within his burly arms, and give him a quick, good-night kiss. "Later," you say again, as you step back. He's blushing. You'd like to believe you're not flushing yourself, but you suspect you are. "Good night, Isshin." You let one trailing hand draw slowly away from his chest and turn to leave him there.
---
You don't see it, but Isshin stood there for a solid five minutes without moving. "Huh," he finally said to the night, in a tone of wonder and surprise, but not an unpleasantly surprised tone. "I guess I gave him the wrong impression." One hand lightly brushed at his lips. He frowned. "Did I?" he asked himself in a more questioning tone.
