"Oh."

She leans in and inspects one of the flowers, a deep black one. 

"It has so many petals! You wouldn't think you could fit that many petals on a flower, and yet..." 

She smiles and leans a little against Sable's side. "That's a really good step five."

She smiles warmly. "I know, right? These are dahlias, my favorite flower. And I'm glad you liked step five."

"I thought they might be." 

She interlaces her fingers with Sable's, and squeezes.

Sable squeezes back and leads the way onward. "Step six," she says as they approach an ivy-wrapped gate on the far side of the gardens, with a few restaurants visible a couple blocks down, "treat the pretty girl to her choice of delicious meal."

"I think step six is actually 'go to the restaurant,' but that's nonetheless a good step six." 

She wanders onward, in no rush. It feels good to share this time with Sable.

"You may have a point," she replies with a grin and a giggle. "I'm prone to skipping steps once in a while, but this is the sort of thing that's really worth lingering on."

She pulls Lilian into a gentle embrace and kisses her softly.

She kisses, then nuzzles into Sable's shoulder a little. 

For some damn reason she's feeling vulnerable again. 

The feeling passes after a few moments of holding, and then she steps back and smiles. 

"Alright," she says. "Lead on, bold Huntress."

After a few blocks, with Sable throwing a few fond grins and lingering smiles at Lilian along the way, they reach a Mistrali restaurant named the Golden Lotus. The facade is elegant and wooden, with golden flourishes carved around the doors and windows.

Lilian looks up at the facade. "My. Looks fancy."

"Surprisingly inexpensive, actually. One of those delightful rarities: good food in a good location for an impressively good price."

She opens the door, and they're greeted by a black-haired Faunus girl in a snug Mistrali dress, a pair of pointed canine ears sitting atop her head. "Good evening and welcome to the Golden Lotus. Would you like to sit inside or on the terrace, tonight?"

"I think I'd prefer the terrace. Is that alright with you, Sable?"

"Favorite spot to sit when I come here, even,"

And so the hostess leads them to a staircase, and up to the roof, where small tables overlook the street below, and the gardens can be seen in the distance. They're seated at a table near the edge, with an excellent view, and given a pair of menus. "Anything to drink for now?"

"You know, you seem to be a person I'm getting a lot of firsts from - first time seeing a dahlia, first time holding a rifle, first time being myself - so it kind of feels appropriate to have another one of those. And I've never tried wine, which is... perhaps the expected thing to do on a date at a fancy restaurant?"

"Hmmm. We could do that. Would you rather a Valean-style grape wine, or a Mistrali rice wine?"

"I think Valean-style wine is more the classic date thing, but I don't have any actual experience with either, so if you recommend the rice wine more highly I have no reason to refuse that."

"How's tonight's fish special, Calla, and what would you recommend with it?"

"Well," the hostess replies, "tonight's special is baked salmon with a mirin, garlic, and ginger marinade. I think it's the best thing on the menu tonight, and you usually can't tear me away from the beef even though we're known for our seafood. It should go very nicely with a bottle of sake."

"Then I'll try that," Lilian says. "It sounds lovely."

"Then that'll be two fish specials and a bottle of sake for the table, and a big appetizer platter of dumplings to split. Thank you, Calla."

The dog Faunus notes it all down with a smile, nods, and hurries off.

"So," she says. "Now we get to find out if I'm a lightweight." She smiles wryly.

She smiles back. "If all else fails, I can teach you how to burn alcohol off with your Aura."

"Now that's a useful ability. I guess the job really does come with upsides." 

Some silly part of her wants to nudge Sable's foot with hers beneath the table but they haven't even gotten their food yet. There is such a thing as being too schmoopy. 

Is there? Is there really?

"It really does." She sips her water and smiles. "There are a lot of little tricks one can do with Aura. I'm pretty sure there are a bunch I still don't know, and I've been collecting 'em for years."

She takes a sip of her own water. 

"And I guess I'll get to learn them all too," she says. "Any particularly cool ones?"

She nods and grins. "Kinda minor and vain, but there's an Aura-boundary hack you can do to make sure polish never sticks outside the lines when painting your nails. It's related to the trick that helps with keeping clean on long hikes, but the hike one is less preventative and more after the fact."

"That sounds convenient. I'm sure Violet will be interested in that one." 

Lilian tilts her head slightly. "So you've been here before with the team? I'm sorry, I'm still having a little trouble keeping everyone straight, I know it was a specific member or two."