<em>Iku</em><br/><br/>The girl couldn't see it, but she could hear her new captain move after her out of the booth, scooting out and next to her, putting a gentle hand on Iku's shoulder.  Then took up her hand with her own, giving her a squeeze to signify they were going now, and led the way.  The trip wasn't terribly long, but with the jutsu she was under it was one filled with sounds if not sight: people moving about, conversations positive, neutral, and negative, and her captain humming a happy tune as they walked.  It was filled with scents too, of food and sweets, the fresh air, and a slight flowery scent from her captain as well.  Every now and then her captain would skip briefly, clearly quite happy with the events unfolding.<br/><br/>As they neared she could hear the water of springs, and smell the soaps, incense, and perfumes as they entered the establishment.  Guided into changing room - one would assume - the hand holding her own would vanish to be replaced after some rustling.  What it was replaced with was soft and fluffy, before a hand patted her on the head.<br/><br/>"Your towel," it was explained to be, before Iku could hear Hima begin to disrobe, starting apparently with the pouches on her person. "Need help changing?  If not just pile your gear and clothes up and I'll put them up for you; I know it's bright out today and we're here to relax and enjoy ourselves after all!"<br/><br/><hr/><br/><em>Ume</em><br/><br/>"Hmm..." Hima's 'clone' hummed curiously, shifting slightly against her head and ears. "But rushing in headlong means you could fall into traps or become prone to making mistakes, you know?  And you should give Hiro a break; you<em>will</em>be working together with him after all, and happy teammates make better teammates!"<br/><br/>She moved from atop her head after one last squish - it couldn't have been intentional, could it? - and instead took a seat next to her on the bench, still smiling and sweet on her whisker-marked face.<br/><br/>"And you know ALL the uses for Shadowclones?  I bet you don't," she teased, actually moving to poke Ume's cheek. "My dad<em>IS</em>a one-man army after all, the best master of Shadowclones in all of history; I bet I know some things about Shadow Clones that you don't, Kitten."<br/><br/>It almost sounded like a challenge...<br/><br/><hr/><br/><em>Hiro</em><br/><br/>To say his behavior was amicable and gentlemanly was to say the least; Tara's insistent perusing the entire shop's worth of racks was not brief.  Constantly she was tossing him clothes to hold for her, be they cheongsams - a personal favorite of hers - designer stockings and sleeves, kimono, and even fancy lingerie.  He spent half the time as a pack-mule, the other half being asked his honest opinion of various outfits.  And this was just the time she wasn't trying anything on yet.<br/><br/>Then of course she tried basically everything on, some re-tried, others tossed at him, and again questions of her looks... and all the while he held his composure and tried his damnedest not to blush or focus on some of the other women in the store.  After all, doing that would only set things back, and that was no good.  Tara was confused at first, but quickly came to enjoy his behavior most befitting a princess such as she.  When she was done, the clone would let him know all was in place, ready for the flowers to be given to her once he picked them up, and by this point Tara had come up with a number of outfits that she wanted to wear, including one she clearly planned to wear out of the store: A red cheongsam with calligraphic characters upon it, to compliment her flats and with stockings of same style beneath.  It was sleevless, and did much to emphasize her modest bust... plus it had a slit in the right spot for her tail to slip out, which was good as it was wagging happily to match the smile on her face.<br/><br/>Best of all, it was one he'd told her - honestly or otherwise - that she looked good in.  The cost wasn't cheap, but he'd make it up (hopefully) in the next mission...<br/><br/>"Why can't you act like this<em>all</em>the time?" she chastised (positively of course; she was smiling). "I AM a princess you know, and clearly you know how to treat me like one."<br/><br/>She snatched up his arm again, pulling it tight against herself as she gave him a tug, but unlike last time she wasn't dragging him.<br/><br/>"Now you said we had a show to get to?  I'm really looking forward to a good show."