Lin exits the shrine with a smile on his face. Whatever had happened inside left him amused and satisfied with himself, if a little disappointed. Ah, but there were many more days to shore the difference. Many more dawns to use on hours and hours of philosophy.

As he begins walking towards the steps, off to check on the main settlement of Ardent Cliff, he spots Mizunai.

For a moment, he observes - her presence here so late at night is strange to him, and a little unsettling, truly. As if she were a ghost.

... but spirits tend to have summoners, and there don't seem to be any of those around here. He resolves that she must be a girl. And so, from afar, he greets her. With a soft, low, gentle voice of course. He wouldn't dare startle her so close to that cliff, even if it's a low one.

"Hello there. Apologies if I'm interrupting some self-imposed solitude."

There he stands - a safe, polite distance away, until the young lady indicates his presence is desired.
(Lin Ru)

The Izhurian before Lin stiffens up, startled by his presence. Her head turns slightly, and a shy smile comes across her face. Her skin and hair was white as snow, and almost seemed to glow in the moonlight, but her eyes were red, and almost as pale as the rest of her body.

"O-Oh! Hello.. Am I intruding...? Should I leave?"

The Izhurian, for no reason beyond having a simply timid nature, tucks into herself, prepared to leave if instructed.
(Mizunai)

Lin responds with a light chuckle and reassurance. Her red eyes, and the way that the moonlight plays on her pale skin - those things still unnerve him, but her demeanor entirely disarms him. Harmless.

"Please - of course not. Everyone is welcome here, so long as they are respectful of the land they walk upon."

He offers her a short bow - eschewing decorum and etiquette for convenience, but still addressing her at the bottom of the bow.

"I am Lin Ru. A devotee of Jiuweihu, and a member of the Sun's Legion. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Lin rises with a friendly smile - the smallest glint of bright white teeth visible in the dim light. "And you are, o' moon princess...?" A fine enough title for one whose skin seemed to gleam with the moon's own light.
(Lin Ru)

The presence of the new face put the Izhurian, who thought she was alone, into a small, hard to notice withdrawal from the shrine. Her body condenses itself in the smallest possible movement that if not fully attentive, it wouldn't be visible at all.

Suddenly, in a flustered fit, she caught herself simply staring at the person subconciously. Within a second, in the form of flurry like movements, the woman had shot to her feet, bowing back to Lin in a shaky movement.

"P-Princess..? I'm of no such title, no! I'm j-just a peasant woman. M-My name is Mizunai."

The woman, albeit still tense, was put slightly at ease at the Kitsune's smile and friendly demeanor.
(Mizunai)

Lin finds himself responding with yet another small chuckle. So excitable, and so energetic. He shakes his head at her near-frantic reaction to his words, stretching a hand out with fingers splayed - a gesture which asks her to calm down.

"It was merely an expression, Lady Mizunai. My apologies for provoking such a reaction."

He allows his hand to drop to his side, before slipping both hands behind him, clasping them together at his back as he approaches. Slow, steady steps. Confident and resolute.

"Your eyes and your skin - in the moonlight, they are very beautiful. The way that the light reflects off of your skin, and the way that your eyes stand out from the moonlight around them, shining in the darkness like drops of blood..."

As he nears her, he gradually lowers his voice - given that as distance closes, less and less volume becomes necessary. It becomes softer and smoother as he gets closer, until he comes to stand just a few feet away. He stares down at her with gentle golden eyes.

"And with clothes so exquisite and lovely too, dear, you can see how one might reach the conclusion that you are a moon princess, soon to be the queen of the night, no?"

His smile grows - until his teeth shine in the moonlight.
(Lin Ru)

As Lin proceeds on with his steps, Mizunai finds herself wordless, unable to think of anything to reply with. Any blood that should have gone to her brainto conjure things to say soon found its way upon her cheeks in the form of a hard blush-- though even the slightest of blushes would be of contrast upon skin as white as hers.

"O-Oh...T-Thank you..!"

That was all she could think of to say... She truly was hopeless in moments such as these, where she is left flustered. The poor, timid girl truly was socially hapless.
(Mizunai)

That response only makes his smile widen even more. Apparently he had embarrassed the girl into near-silence. Even if she didn't say much more than a near-terrified thanks, those words, her expression, and her mannerisms spoke a strong compliment to him.

He establishes eye contact - gold staring deeply into red. For three heartbeats, he examines those eyes, as if looking into her very soul. After which, he allows his eyes to travel downward, scanning her entire form.

His eyes do not linger on any particular feature - it is little more than a cursory glance, before his gaze slides to the cliffside.

With little flair or celebration, but without breaking composure or grace, he sits at the edge of the cliff and dangles his legs off of the edge, just as she had before. He pats the ground next to him before raising his gaze once more, gold staring up into red.

"You don't have to get up because I'm here, Lady Mizunai. Come, sit. We are merely strangers, but I would like to join you in your moonlight outing. Let's speak, mm?"

With that, he slowly turns his head until he faces forward, looking up to the moon above.

"Jiuweihu's counterpart reflects her light, you know. It is the best way to directly look upon it without going blind. A mirror, to observe the brightest of lights...

True beauty."

True beauty, and he had compared her to moonlight itself.

What a charmer.
(Lin Ru)