The Next Morning:
The mix of going to bed at a socially acceptable time and the deep sleep that induced happy dreams roused the rebellious redhead out of bed much earlier than usual. She stretched and rolled unto the floor with a thud, letting gravity do the work for her. Wiping her eyes, she yawned and made her way to the closet.
After a while of picking out clothes, she smiled at her reflection. She chose a red button up shirt with the top two buttons undone a loose yellow tie, black jeans with designer holes in various places, and black boots with white soles. She loved the punk-chic look. Now, to finish it off.
It took her a while to find them, but she happily adorned herself with her favorite white choker and matching gloves with red studded knuckles. She pondered briefly on putting her hair up, but decided against it.
Feeling all fresh and primped, the redhead took a peek at her alarm clock and was pleasantly surprised with how much time she had in the day. Waking up early was weird. Shaking away that thought, she stepped out of her room, took a turn at the hallway, and hopped on the railing to slide down the foyer. Unfortunately, the forward momentum threw her off balance at the bottom, but she managed to keep upright and hop her way back into walking like a normal person.
She took the next turn into the dining hall, where a tired-looking Luka greeted her with a look of surprise. "You're sure up early," she noted, brushing her bangs out of her face to give her friend a quick once-over.
"You sure seem excited about your date tonight. Look at you, all dressed up, and your hair is down—"
"Luka, your gay is showing, just a little bit," Cul interjected, making her way to the buffet style platter laid out and getting herself some breakfast. She had a big day ahead of her, after all.
At the table, the two began typical conversation until Gakupo walked in with his gaudy #1 Samurai mug. He instantly spotted the redhead and almost dropped it. "You're awake?" he exclaimed.
"Obviously." She rolled her eyes. Waking up early was really weird.
Satisfied, the purple haired man took a seat next to his daughter/pupil, bringing back up that iron face of his. "Now that I've had time to think through everything, I want to make sure that I'm perfectly clear about the guidelines for your little date," he began.
"And here we go. Jesus Christ, what am I, fourteen?" Cul muttered.
"No, but you're still not an adult, and I'm here to look after you," the samurai replied, just as steely as before; "Now, I understand dates are supposed to be fun and you think I hardly understand the definition of the word. However, believe me when I say it's in your best interest to avoid a scandal. Again, the basics of no cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, or sketchy places, and as far as relationships go, I speak as a man when I say it's for the best to not let too much touching go on during the first date as well…"
God, this was painful. "So, like, basically behave like a good girl and keep an asprin between the knees and beware the kisses," the redhead groaned.
"Well, it's not like I can ban you outright from kissing. You'd probably do it anyway if the mood struck you. You're too strong willed," he sighed.
"Wait, for real?" Cul asked incredulously. "Are you okay, old man?"
"I am not old," Gakupo snapped back, getting some poorly suppressed giggles from around the table. "Anyway, those are the rules, and I expect you to follow them."
Noting the audience from the laughter around, the redhead was struck by a cruel idea. She let out a little huff and a half smile. "Yeah, thanks Dad," she said. A few laughs bubbled around as the crowd understood what she was up to.
A proud tear broke through the hardass samurai exterior of the eggplant loving purple haired man. "D-Dad?" he repeated in shock. Then, a smile spread across his face and he stood up forcefully, exclaiming, "She finally called me Dad!" Those watching tested their self-control by withholding laughter, including Cul, who checked her watch for time.
The excitement died down and the redhead finished her breakfast. She spoke with Luka for a while longer and then completed her preparations with makeup and such under her guidance. Leave it to a lipstick lesbian to help you prepare for a good date, and make it look just enough out of your style to pass as a different person. Meanwhile, downstairs, Gakupo let his proud tear roll down his cheek with a soft, choked sniff. "My baby's growing up," he smiled.