"Man..." I exhaled, easing down onto the bench with a long sigh, tightening my grip on my soft-serve cone when I felt the gentle heat of the sun shine down onto me. Stealing a glance at the green-colored ice cream, I licked my lips and leaned back, casually resting my other hand in my lap. "We lucked out getting here so early."

"Mmhm..." Rose hummed in agreement, and I looked over at the Ninetales as she sat down next to me, crossing her legs and gazing out at the lake in front of us. Her nine fluffy tails swished around behind her, their tips grazing against one of the bushes and making it rustle. "I'm surprised we didn't come here back on our first adventure. It's so peaceful even just to listen to."

I smiled at that, my ears flicking as I followed her gaze out towards the garden, my ears perking slightly as I listened: the water in the pond burbled and lapped, and a light breeze blew through the trees, making them sway and shake ever-so-slightly. Their leaves brushed against each other, making a medley of sounds that all mixed together in a strangely-soothing way. My gaze wandered across the trimmed, painstakingly-sculpted hills that sat in the pond, flat bushes sprouting up here and there, while waterflower patches sprouted at their edges.

Something icy cold, damp, and sticky suddenly dripped onto my hand, jerking me out of my trance and prompting me to yank my ice cream up to my muzzle so I could lick at it.

---

So back in May, my parents and I ended up taking a trip to Japan to celebrate the college semester finishing up. We ended up going to Disney for a weekend, then spent the rest of the week in Kyoto (and a brief single day in Osaka before flying home). I took a boatload of photos, and then last month decided... why not try doodling some pictures based on the photos I took? So there's that. :v

This one's based on a day-tour we took in Nara! Specifically, Isuien Garden, which was the first place we visited - gorgeous place, it had a lot of beautifully cared-for hills and ponds and some small traditional buildings (one was even hosting a tea ceremony, so we weren't allowed to see inside or anything). Really pretty area. As for the picture itself, Nara is actually (presumably) the place that Violet City is based on, so it seemed like a fun fit to focus on both Ecruteak and Violet City for these four pictures.