Charles Patricius

Sakura didn't find Shota dangerous to her. While that was true by any normal means, Hiruko had it on good authority that she'd personally handed over a danger, placing it right into Shota's hands... or on his phone. Interestingly enough, she was open about her ability and willingness to maim, or even kill. How strange. She didn't seem like she'd ever taken a life directly or purposefully, but he believed her willingness to do so. "You're thinking of the wrong dangers. It's unlikely someone like Shocchi will go straight to violence, but you handed him everything he needs to ruin your reputation. One piece of incriminating evidence goes live, and you're in the gutter. Now, a lot of people hear that and say they're not worried about stuff like that... but it wouldn't just affect you. That kind of thing would affect everyone you associate with for the rest of your life," Hiruko explained.

Greater understanding was on its way, with Sakura interestingly thinking of Shota as a pet. Well... she wasn't too far from the truth, but it wasn't Hiruko's place to say. She mentioned their agreement, and Hiruko believed there were missing understandings on both sides. Obviously the agreement wasn't everything. "You're talking about an agreement, but what's in an agreement anyway? Let's say... I have something we both want, but you want it more. At the same time, you have something we both want... but I want it a little more. What should we do? If we agree to the value being close enough, we could just trade, right? But here's the thing ─ I still want what I have, and you still want what you have. Now we're stuck each trying to get what the other has without losing too much of our own thing. If you're still following along, consider that being one-sided instead. We agree to share something, but I'm the one with everything to gain. What's going to stop me from trying to get it all?" Near the end of his speech, Hiruko rose from the couch and sauntered over to the bar. A glass of cognac would do him well, so he popped one of the bottles from higher up, two glasses at the ready. "Gambler's folly. It's happening here on both sides, in different ways. Drink?"

Apparently Sakura wasn't considering the different kinds of dangers human possessed. She wasn't in physical danger, instead it was her reputation which was at stake, with things she'd already handed over. She'd done thing she would have considered incriminating but she wasn't completely obtuse either. Context clues said something in Kakihara's phone could be used against her and the only thing he had of her were lewd to semi-lewd pornographic images and a few blunt text messages. While the way she was, did simply amount to her own activities, it was news to her that such could be considered disruptive to the lives of others. But she'd been hearing bits and pieces about such things the entire time, they just didn't have context. "Sou ka, this is one of those local common sense things, that aren't based in what I consider to be normal logic. And it explains the odd interactions I've been noticing the extra habits and shock," she said sounding odd. But Kaguya and Miko did seem very protective of each other and often spoke about the way things were perceived. That came from their human natures so in this time they were better suited to be helpful... she'd have to make a note to question mannerisms she'd been engaging in without thought later. "Well, me knowing that just puts him in danger. There are few things I will act over but anything that could harm the others isn't something I'll allow," she concluded. Now she had a tertiary thought process and might actually have to get someone to help her fix what she'd done in ignorance, there was always one parent who could help her in such situations, but she'd wait to call upon him, not wanting to waste any unnecessary energy, if she could solve this problem on her own.

While she thought over those options she was being given more context for the human psyche, the darker parts not present in her own limited interactions. A few statements were made which seemed to point to the darker nature of humans, rather their more destructive tendencies leading them to not act in harmony with each other. "Sou ka, I didn't have that sort of context, I don't know people who behave at those sorts of extreme. People tend to do what they desire, one's desires should lead their actions and curb them, but I suppose by virtue of the discussion there is an implication that simple desires are being plagued by greed..." she said in the odd way she tended to talk about things. All the while she took note of the physical specimen that was Hiruko. He was quite lean and very tall, definitely made the top percentage of that she'd seen for the immediate area, discounting her own father. He was even better behaved than Kakihara, offering her drinks and being in general a much more reasonable being. "Hm, I've never had that before, I'd like to try it, but what is it?" she asked as she always would. Clarification would be something she sought as she continued to mull over her own situation and learn about the dark nature of humans. Of the ones she'd met so far, who had such images of her, Kakihara was the only one she could determine as being untrustworthy with what he had. The rest seemed to understand what they were getting themselves into... sins and human technology were terrible mixes.

Sakura may have unknowingly walked headlong into danger, but Hiruko didn't treat the situation like a real issue. In fact, he knew it wasn't a problem in actuality. He was going to be here for the entire duration of Sakura's stay, if not longer. Shota simply wasn't allowed to make such terrible decisions at the cost of an innocent life while Hiruko could say or do anything about it. He didn't really think her problem was a local or cultural one, but that didn't matter. It seemed Sakura wasn't going to tolerate the tomfoolery anyway, claiming Shota was the one in danger if such an event came about. Hiruko chuckled. "Easy there. He's not guilty of anything right now. We're still dealing in hypotheticals here," he said while pulling down that cognac bottle. "Looks like I'll be here for the same amount of time you will ─ maybe a little more. Unless you're a problem yourself, you've got nothing to worry about while I'm here."

As he poured the first glass, Hiruko heard Sakura's perspectives once more. She had her expectations, but also no real experience with the darker side of humanity that didn't involve physical things. "Most things don't go in such a positive direction. Sometimes, you even have to find the positives inside the negatives. Objectively, it's all subjective. Anyway..." Hiruko paused there, holding the bottle over a second glass to await Sakura's answer. The answer he received was one of curiosity, but interest. He'd pour that glass regardless, but he wouldn't leave her ignorant either. "Cognac. It's a strong alcohol, wine base, usually a woody undertone unless you get the good stuff like this. No pressure. If you don't drink it, I will," he said while lifting the first glass. "Shocchi's out to buy groceries, so I thought it'd be fine to pass the time with a few drinks."

Sakura was a fairly direct individual according to Hiruko she had to calm down, Kakihara hadn't done anything wrong. They were speaking in hypotheticals, and given that Sakura gave herself a moment to do a quick calculation. She knew how the man played card games, and now what motivated him and his thoughts a bit better. She also understood exactly the nature of the things he had on her, and the ways they could apparently be used against her. All factors considered, there was a simple metric to explain. "There is a roughly 87 percent probability of Kakihara-san acting on his innate hostilities when he realizes he is not the one in control of any situation around me. That goes up as he approaches the 'breaking point' as you called it, which he will realize when he finds out I don't intend to bend to him sexually anymore. I'd almost call it inevitable, but impossibilities happen from time to time," Sakura stated. "Strangely, I feel like I'd be told to leave him the chance, so I will... for now," she clarified. What was more, HIruko clarified that he'd be at this same place for a few days, and nothing bad would happen under his watch for the duration of his stay. "Sou ka, that's interesting. That doesn't sound like an altruistic offer of any sort. Still it doesn't register in a way that is upsetting," Sakura concluded. Her own way of leading was to simply let her understanding slip and see what kind of responses she received. Either he'd figured that out already or he was only feeding her information. Regardless it worked to help her figure out how much his brain was working behind the softness of his smile.

Hiruko's next words were rather interesting about positivity and negativity and how they interacted. She'd heard something like that before, from one of her favorite people, interesting that it applied to social dynamics as well, though given the one thought exercise she supposed it'd simply been obvious that it was socially based to start with. "Sou ka, I've heard something like that before... I didn't initially connect it to a social context. I'll keep it in mind," Sakura mentioned seemingly pleased with the new information. The offered drink was also explained at base, there were things she liked, and things that might be interesting and oddly enough, according to Hiruko no pressure to drink. "Sou ka, you really mean no pressure. No manipulative intent in this case, but I do like trying new things... arigatou," Sakura said, she'd take the glass and have a sip, it was surprisingly strong. Unlike ingesting the grail wine, this had an implied burning but it didn't taste bad at all. "Sou, that's good. Burns a bit but not in a bad way... can he cook? I've never seen him undertake an activity that wasn't card games, sex or driving..." she said listing the three 'skills' she knew the lad to possess.

Sakura's mind worked efficiently enough that she produced a percentage for the likelihood of Shota's behavior. Hiruko wasn't a fan of dealing in percentages for situations like this; that would be made clear shortly. "Any chance is a chance. Odds can be turned in any direction. In this case, one wild card is all it would take to turn 87 into 13," he argued casually. Whatever the case, he'd offer his assistance to ensure the girl's safety, so long as she proved innocent of any wrongdoings. Of course, no offer came free. Sakura seemed privy to this information when reacting, and there was even more to read into. "I don't deal in altruism. Everything's a gamble, and everything's an exchange. If I have your back, I expect you to have mine. How? Well, that part isn't for me to determine."

Moving on, Hiruko raised his glass, and Sakura took the other. A bit of drinking was a good way to have a conversation with anyone, he thought. A bit of opening up, a bit of mood lifting ─ such things did wonders for any initial meeting. There was even an official conversation topic to break the ice, such as Sakura's new experience with a drink and... whether Shota could cook or not. "The burn lets you know it's working, or so the old folks say. Good you like it," he said, taking a sip of his own. Hiruko would ignore the observation that he wasn't manipulating the girl, choosing to let things shift toward different topics. Could Shota cook? To Hiruko, the answer was easy... but he wouldn't be giving the direct answer. "Let me put it this way... If he asks what you want, pick anything that's already made in the package. I'll probably be the one cooking whenever there's a chance. Same goes for driving, and pretty much anything else."

Percentages weren't to the liking of a man who spouted philosophies of gambling. No, his thoughts were of things flipped around added to or taken away by a single shift. She supposed she agreed with that to some extent, but she wasn't the type to wait for unexpected results even if they were fun when they appeared. "Hm, I suppose that is an interesting way to think about it. He must be really afraid of you," she concluded. Whether it happened the way she assumed it would or not, now that she acknowledged a possibility she'd have to keep track of it for the future. Still, it seemed that Hiruko was willing to help, though not as a matter of free offering, everything was an exchange. "It is, though it seems less daunting in this case, since you're making it very clear you understand the nature of such exchanges..." Sakura mentioned. She was already planning to have sex with this man, but currently she wanted to pick his brain a bit and learn these new things about humans she'd been missing out on.

Hiruko skipped acknowledgement of a few things. Sakura assumed this was purposeful and as such would allow such topics to drop. They were still two people getting to know each other and she could respect that for what it was, she took her first sip and gave her first observation only to get a quippy reply about how old people thought of the burning. Her knowledge of humans said they weren't that old and they were hurting themselves to feel good, but it wasn't the weirdest thing to consider. "Definitely working more than beer. Old people are interesting," she murmured. Ah, but someone like Reiji would be considered 'old' by his own standards. Instead of directly answering her question about cooking there was an implication that Kakihara couldn't cook, a giggle escaped Sakura which was mostly innocent in nature. "Well, I am glad I already ate today~" she said. As for Hiruko potentially handling all the other things while he was here, that was interesting. "Everything else, huh? That is interested, you have a lot of those life skills or just those ones?~" she prodded.

Was Shota afraid of Hiruko? That was probably the case, but the number of people who feared Hiruko was almost the same as the number of people who knew him in more than a passing manner. "Maybe he is. A lot of people are, but that's not what I was getting at. It doesn't matter either way," he assured. Hiruko's primary concern, as always, was his own interests for the near future. Sakura may have established herself as a valuable tool for one reason or another. As he normally did, Hiruko would ensure he was on good terms with such an apt thinker. The extent of their relationship would remain in question until otherwise established, but he certainly couldn't allow anything less than positive. From the sound of things, Sakura was on a similar wavelength. "You're obviously no stranger to it either. We should make an arrangement~" he suggested.

Moving on, drinks were shared and experienced. Sakura confirmed having a taste of beer, at least; she wasn't new to drinking alcohol. "If beer is what you know, you're in for a treat. Enjoy~" he said with a tilted glass. As for Shota's inability to cook a proper meal, Hiruko had no problem acting as cook for a few days... but it seemed Sakura had already eaten dinner today. That was fine, but she also had a question regarding Hiruko's skillset. Perhaps she was fishing? No, it seemed a bit more earnest than that. "Everything else. In my line of work, you pick up a lot of random skills. Most things in life are the tools of some trade; my trade just happens to use most of them. The question is, what about you? What are your skills? Besides espionage, which you're obviously cut out for."

According to Hiruko many people were afraid of him, from what Sakura could feel from him, she could understand. He was a skillful individual who wasn't very easy to read and who had all the ability necessary to ruin someone. And he'd do it with a smile, if Kakihara was smart he would have avoided this man like the plague, but Sakura wasn't sure of the amount of base intelligence someone like Kakihara contained. The fear wasn't anything to worry about nor what Hiruko meant which meant Sakura was willing to set it aside for now. "Hai," she said as he continued to talk. He spoke of them making an arrangement and obviously wanted to remain within a certain radius of goodness for Sakura, she was fine with this logically and fully intended to experience this man for her own reasons. "We should, I feel like it will be fun~" she said truthfully. Sakura was quite the earnest individual though what she was being honest about was likely rather odd to the outsider.

It didn't matter in this case though as Hiruko and she continued drinking and having a bit of fun conversation. If she drank beer she'd enjoy this... it seemed a bit closer to being capable of allowing her a level of drunkenness her body wouldn't simply override, but that seemed like reasonable fun, in the case of Hiruko. "Hai, I think I will... though this definitely has moderation written all over it," she said as she continued her drink. What else was being said, Hiruko had many skills because of his work, and expressed a certain curiosity towards Sakura. What was she capable of besides espionage? "Hm, I wonder that myself. I haven't been bad at anything I tried. I know for a fact I can be a reasonable cook, in charge of specific kinds of things. I am good with research and experimentation. I was offered a job as a store clerk which I'll probably take for my own amusement... and a few other things, I'd be pretty reasonable in a fight if I had to be," she addressed her own skill set in an odd way.

There was an interesting air about this girl ─ one of both mystery and general intrigue. Hiruko was sure he knew why Shota, or anyone, would find themselves smitten enough to seek every possible interaction with her. He wasn't quite the same, but even Hiruko would catch anything she threw his way. It also seemed Sakura was willing to throw something toward him, at least in terms of a formed agreement of some sort. "Fun, huh? If you say it like that, it makes me wonder what you've got in mind," he stated while cognac swirled about at the bottom of his glass. Hiruko had taken a few sips by now, and was nearly done with his first glass. Oh well; he planned to have a few.

Sakura was right; alcohol of this strength normally required a fair amount of moderation. In Hiruko's experience, however, he'd only found the extreme of drunkenness once or twice. He doubted today would be the third time. "Everything in moderation," he said, sharing an opinion it seemed Shota didn't believe in. Of course, Hiruko's personal view on 'moderation' was a bit skewed, considering his gambling tendencies. Regardless, he was soon sitting on a barstool and refilling his glass while Sakura shared her list of skills. What she claimed was a list of things he'd already figured out, along with a few standard-issue skills. Among those things was an alleged fighting ability, which he could somewhat agree with while looking her over. "I can see that. You've got a really feminine look overall, but not a weak one. I'm getting... 'flexible, fast, and stronger than I look' vibes from you. And you didn't have to tell me the rest; it's all obvious. I can already tell you've got a good head on your shoulders, and... well, I'd hope you know your way around the kitchen, considering. . ."

Hiruko was a very interesting man, for someone who was very much aware of what was going on, he seemed to be waiting on the advance of another. It was an strangely familiar dance to Sakura but she had no problem with it at all. "Of course fun, I thought it was pretty obvious what I had in mind. Maybe I'm wrong though~" she said in a light hearted way. She knew she wasn't, but it was a fun way to chat, she'd been sipping her own drink bit by bit and took note of the fact that human form was a bit more prone to intoxication than the base form of her being. She wasn't losing her wits, but she was definitely feeling a warmth in her belly while the drink itself became easier to digest.

"I like that..." she said about the notion of all things in moderation. Of course, she didn't mean to take everything in moderation, she simply enjoyed the idea of having a bit of fun as much as she wanted before switching to a different activity. That sounded a bit closer to her own kind of indulgence. What was more, after sharing her own skills, Sakura was given another appraisal. She liked the way Hiruko seemed to appreciate her person. "Hm, I've never heard that before either, but it does seem pretty accurate~" she said as if pleased. "I like the way you talk, it's very interesting..." she decided was the most direct way to express herself. "Speaking of, you didn't introduce yourself, what do you want to be called?" she asked remembering the importance of names. While she already knew what this man was named, she wasn't in the habit of treating information she was given as absolute fact for individuals who seemed so complex. This man seemed like the type who could say anything to her, and get one of those happier smiling reactions. Sakura herself had a warm belly and a smile on her face currently.