#(Jin showed Sonia his cat and she is responding)

[more-than-a-princess]

Even if he hadn't intended it to be humorous, Jin's assessment garnered a laugh from Sonia. It wasn't right to be so cynical of it, but the 'exciting time in your life' was often anything but for a member of the Novosonian aristocracy. They had a show to put on, one that advertised happily ever afters to their nation and the world, to keep people still believing in real life fairy tales and, hopefully, bring in tourism money seeking just that for themselves. For those involved? It was an endless parade of soirees and parties, galas and dinners, with little time for the couple themselves unless a camera was in their face to record it all.

"Sorry, it's just that from what I've seen, 'exciting' isn't the most fitting word I'd use," She explained, "At least where marriages in my family's social circles are concerned. Everyone always seems so tired and frustrated by the time the wedding finally occurs, and hardly ever terribly happy. It doesn't seem right: uncomplicated may be for the best."

Not that the same could be said for either of them. Even if he was inviting her to stay at his home in the midst of a work crisis, Sonia regarded the man as someone rather complicated himself, or at least guarded. But regardless, he still seemed interested in her life, or he wanted to simply make polite conversation. Either way, Sonia grinned: she'd indulge him, even though he might regret the inquiry.

"Well, here's something my family would never allow for the press to publish," She offered as they walked. The houses they passed became larger, more meticulously maintained, and far more expensive. The difference between Tokyo and Novoselic was how modern the more opulent homes were: unless someone was a fan of traditional European design, everything seemed to lean more towards a modern look. "One of the best meals I think someone can buy is at a convenience store here in Japan. Whether it's an egg salad sandwich or the karaage chicken from FamilyMart, there's something so satisfying about konbini offerings. Not even a celebrated chef focused on personalized, molecular gastronomy can improve upon karaage chicken, or a fruit sando, or even the prepackaged ice cream cones from a konbini. What do you think about convenient food here, Kisaragi-san? Do you have a favorite or do you not enjoy them?"

But one of the more extravagant houses happened to be his, and Sonia followed him up the driveway and to the front door. And while the interior didn't faze her in the least, the friendly cat certainly did. She gasped in delight, her attention now focused on Jin's pet with great interest.

"Oh, how very adorable indeed!" She cooed, unable to wipe the smile off her face as she watched cat and owner/human interact. "Would you introduce me, Kisaragi-san? Your kitty is cute! How may I best assist in looking after your pet whilst I am here, in your absence? I'd like to help if I may!"

"That certainly seems like one way to ruin what should be an exciting time in your life. Six months isn't exactly an insignificant amount of time..."

Then again, for these couples, surely a six-month wait was more than worth it if it meant marrying the person you love. Even so, the whole process sounded too extravagant for Jin's tastes. If he were to ever get married, he could only hope that he would have a straightforward and easy process. He gives a simple shake of his head. It all sounded far too complicated for his liking.

"Even if information about you is well documented, I can't imagine that everything about you is publicly known. Certainly, you have something to share that isn't already public knowledge. If you aren't willing to share, however, I won't prod."

He understood the feeling well. After all, didn't particularly enjoy talking about himself unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately for him, Sonia had somehow convinced him to give away far more information than he would normally be comfortable doing so. Admittedly, she was quite convincing. Annoyingly so, in fact...

"It's right down the next street. You can't exactly miss it."

The man would lead her up the road, passing several large and extravagant houses until the duo arrived at the end of the street. Before them was a mansion that absolutely dwarfed the others in every way. Jin, of course, found it all to be a bit...much to say the least. Although as it was a part of his inheritance, did he truly have a place to complain?

The duo make their way up the driveway and head towards the door. As the door is unlocked and opened, they are greeted by none other than Jin's cat: Luka, who was more than excited to see them! He was already climbing up Jin's leg the second they walked into the room.

"Hey, buddy. Sorry that I'm a bit late today. I ran into some...complications..."