Charles Patricius

Whatever Miko had to say for herself didn't matter; everyone else aboard the bus knew the truth to some extent. Kaguya even went on to point out how accurate Takao's description was, all while Miko was handing around an assortment of opened drinks. The cup handed to Takao was clearly of a mixed variety, containing some amount of everything else handed out. Skeptically did he look at the concoction initially. It didn't smell strange, nor did it look disgusting. What would he do? Well, he'd drink it... but not just yet. "Thanks, but... did you taste that? I'm not sure I should sign up to be the consumer and the test dummy," he said with a hesitantly outstretched hand.

Takao wasn't the only one with questions in the moment. Hiroshi had several appearing in his mind ─ primarily regarding the mentality of this world's humans. When Rita shared her train of thought, she expressed the strangest notions. Apparently, most would take her invitation as some manner of sexual advancement. How ludicrous. "You said you were offering confections. It would be presumptuous of anyone to expect anything beyond the agreement, no?" he wondered aloud. There were so many points to be made about Rita's musings and the way people in this world functioned. Hiroshi would be addressing only a few. "Of course, where I am from, it would be considered both rude and foolish to reject such advances, if they were made. However, there are some individuals that one shouldn't expect such things from. A commoner would not seek favors from a queen, for example. As I am in your home and in a position of subservience to you, I have no right to even consider negotiating anything remotely sexual. The thought does cross the mind, admittedly, but that much is to be expected given the circumstances."

Miko knew she had no real hope of defending herself against people who knew her so well. This group of four might be some of the best acquainted with her besides her parents. Of course, that didn't mean she'd do anything but pout at the accusations. She saw nothing wrong with most of her actions including the simple actions she'd been taking so recently. Maybe she was a bit disruptive, but many people needed that sort of thing to refocus, even herself. Still as she was making her way back to her seat, Takao still hadn't taken that cup from her, he seemed to be very much not trusting of her. She stared at him for a few seconds getting a rather vivid image in her head of taking a sip of the drink he'd mixed and forcing it into his mouth directly, with a kiss. It was strong enough that she had to blink it away and exhale gently. "It's only been a few months for you, this lack of faith in me is quite frankly a bit distressing," she murmured softly in a gently terse manner. 'We could quench both our thirsts!' her mind shouted which just made her exhale and shake the thought away, that was a rather invasive thought to have about Takao. Even so with her eyes still closed she brought the cup up to her lips in front of him and took a sip. She found a fruity smooth mix of juice, with just a background bit of tangy energy, like an afterthought. It was definitely something she would have enjoyed even more, if her current desire wasn't for something spicy, or earthy, or something else she couldn't quite place yet. Regardless, Kaguya was once again staring at the lass, feeling as if she'd missed another mental zinger, as Miko swallowed that drink and offered the glass once more to the boy in front of her. "See," she murmured, tasting it in front of him and placing it into his outstretched hand. One hand on her hip as she opened her eyes and looked at the lad from this angle and immediately had her face flush a little given her own mental imagery issues.

As an interesting moment played out in that bus, another was appearing in Rita's apartment. Her own mentality and distress hadn't allowed her to see the potential pitfalls of her own behavior.. And by the time she noticed and explained them, they were receiving quite the interesting response from Hiroshi. He claimed greater expectations than what she'd offered to be presumptuous and he wasn't that. "Odd, very odd. I feel like thinking like that you'll find you have or will find yourself in several odd situations..." she mentioned. As attractive as he might have thought her, he was absolutely beyond normal expectations for the country. He could easily be ranked among some of the most attractive men in Japan in his age range and definitely could find himself on the receiving end of several... open ended offers. Ah, but apparently he was raised in an odd way... his further explanation processed in Rita's brain strangely and left her blushing and almost speechless. "You're doing the thing again..." she managed while taking a sip of her beer and dragging her eyes away. "Just accidentally flattering. It's actually kind of charming which I didn't expect, but also a bit encouraging..." she said mostly thinking aloud. The hot man in her house, didn't take offense to not being offered sex and also... wanted to fuck her. That was probably the oddest and most appreciable mix of characteristics she didn't expect from anyone normal....

Naturally, Takao harbored a distrust for anything randomly produced by Miko. Her thoughts and ideas were far too random to incite faith, and he was certainly not the blind faith sort of individual. It may have only been a few months, but that was more than enough time to trust her even less. "Your uncle's a bartender. You're not. For all I know, you could have just mixed something that'll leave me hoarse for months. Unrealistic? Yes. Possible? Also yes," he said while casually reaching out to strum the very same guitar previously set aside. Either way, he was actually willing to try this drink. Miko took a sip beforehand, holding the concoction out again thereafter. It seemed fine, so he took the glass. "Well it's obviously not disgusting," the musician commented. Ah, but there was something strange in Miko's face at the time ─ something worthy of teasing. Takao didn't take a sip right away, choosing instead to grin deviously. "Was it that good, or are you flustered because you thought of the whole 'indirect kiss' thing? For shame, Mimori~" With that teasing out of the way, Takao chose to... double down, as it were. He took a sip of that drink from the very same spot that had recently touched Miko's lips, all while making a grand show of it for fun. To his surprise, it was actually one of the best random drinks he'd ever experienced. Even sweeter however, was a moment of pure, innocent fun at Miko's expense.

Quite fitting with Rita's belief, Hiroshi often found himself in strange and interesting situations due to his present demeanor. One could blame the cultural differences between elves and humans, though he could do no such thing here and now. Whatever the case, he did not consider these things negatives. "It isn't something I mind, truly. These things happen from time to time, but there are positives and negatives to all events," he stated. There was far too much learning in the world to worry about such little things. One such opportunity for learning was right in front of him, taking the form of Rita's observations... about the man himself. Apparently, he had a peculiar habit that was not at all noteworthy until recently. Could this accidental flattery have been what earned him a goddess's favor all those years ago? That was worth some study, or perhaps even questioning in the future. Regardless, he'd have to wait until later for those matters. "They are only facts as I see them ─ beliefs and observations at best. If you are encouraged by the things I say, I suppose it should be taken as a mark of success in some regard. Your spirits seem sufficiently lifted from moments ago, and I suppose everyone around you will be made better for that turn of events. Though... that could also be the effects of alcohol. More sufficient study is required for certainty in that regard."

The lack of faith that Miko experiences was... reasonable she supposed. She was known amongst her friend group for her oddities and lack of concentration. That being said though, she'd never once done anything that truly harmed someone else. Beyond that she resented the commentary provided by Takao. "I resent that... your voice is my favorite... I'd never harm it, even accidentally," she said with full conviction in that sentiment. It was enough of one that Ai found herself looking at the girl and exhaling, she was another, who invoked magic without realizing it. "Another one," Ai said seeming to be keeping track of something completely different from everyone else in the room. The debriefing the rest of the group needed was becoming more and more obvious by the moment. "Also box it, I need to see Sato-jii while I'm close by," she made the note to herself, having several other thoughts related to alchemy and bartending and in general a desire to check in on one of her more favored individuals. Ah, but that wasn't it at all. Whatever ever else she'd been thinking about, while taking the test sip of that particular drink, she'd be teased as well. That little flush on her face had nothing to do with something as innocent as a indirect kiss. Though now that it'd been mentioned and the nickname she'd been given by Takao came up her brain buzzed with possibilities. 'Indirect kiss? Who is he talking to? Pull his dick out and swallow it, until he says that name again~' whelp, that escalated quickly. 'Look brain we haven't even seen it yet, stop jumping so far ahead it isn't like that,' Miko thought trying to quiet some of the things in her head. Her fingers even tapped together nervously as noted by Kaguya. "WAAAAH!~" first the noise of sheer confusion as her mouth wiggled and her thoughts jumbled, she looked askew as if someone else could hear her thoughts, but no one but her was in her head currently, as far as she knew. A deep breath was taken, that redness in her face increased. Miko's pupils dilated and the light within her eyes danced before they closed again. Why? Well now that imagine of the indirect kiss was burned into her brain, the sound of her nickname had sent a jolt straight down her spine and the teasing nature of the man who'd recently been gently strumming on the couch hit her other senses... "San, ni, ichi..." a gentle countdown occurred and it came from Shutara... oddly enough knowing that the teasing of Miko in moments like this often caused her to lash out a little. "WHy would you say something like that? And stop putting ideas in my head, inside voices are inside for a reason!" she snapped quickly covering her own face with her hands., why was he always like this? Why did she like it? With the lad having gotten his drink she would eventually gain control of her legs and prance back to her seat wanting the redness in her face to disappear.

Rita received confirmation of the oddities surrounding the life of Hiroshi. Apparently, he had a few things happen both good and bad but he didn't mind them when it came to the perception of himself in such situations. "Sou ka, that's a pretty good outlook I suppose. And if you don't mind the potentials... I wouldn't be capable of discouraging you..." she mentioned. She'd seen several interesting things like that today, oddly enough her niece seemed to have a similar randomness applied to her life. Hiroshi's accidntal flattery had indeed once earned him a goddess's favor. In truth, the idea that found good in things and helped build it up was one of his best qualities for how he looked after and nurtured others, it was one of his best qualities. Still he stated that all he said was factual as he saw it. He really didn't understand the nature of people if he didn't understand why this was so surprising. "Some people say that alcohol makes people more honest, but you've been about the same the entire time," Rita mentioned watching the seconds tick down on her timer. There was a specialness... "I suppose being better than a few minutes ago is good regardless, but if those are your honest observations then you are doing way better than many. Women get really used to superficial compliments or little lies," she explained of herself and likely a few others. "But an out of the box pure compliment of skill, mentality or observation of character that isn't being put forth with the sole purpose of getting into someone's pants is rare. If you get those first, the others become really obvious. And if you get the other ones first, then the pure ones are really refreshing," she clarified as the cake seemed to reach its maximum height and the timer dinged as the cake was ready to pull out of the oven.

A bit of teasing was always fun when Miko was the target. Takao considered himself an expert when it came to getting under the girl's skin, though he also always wondered if she was just that easily flustered. He supposed if they were in each other's company a bit more, he'd have a proper answer for that. Perhaps time would tell. Given the strength of her reaction, he could assume either answer. Whatever the truth of it was, Takao could call himself sufficiently amused. A nice burst of flavor and energy from the drink just topped it all off. Ah, but then there was Miko's obligatory outburst after some teasing. Inside voices were 'inside' for a reason, she claimed. Well... "True. But, it's kind of what I do. Take someone's inside voice, put it on the outside, make it sound like something someone will listen to... yadda yadda~" he blabbered. The way Miko showed up, she was making herself subject to all manner of attention. Takao's brand was at least innocent instead of... what she'd likely be getting all over the place any other time, after three months of hyper development. "Besides, your inside voice makes the sounds. I'm damn near entitled to it~"

All the while, Hiroshi was receiving clarification on a few matters. His honest observations did more to flatter than what others offered with purpose. Frankly, he'd expect as much. The superficial compliments Rita spoke of were pointless in multiple ways, by Hiroshi's count. He refused to be the sort who would lie or butter someone up about their appearances, worthless as those were in most cases. "It would be a waste of valuable time and energy to vocalize things like that. Though I may be prone to making observations about anything, I dare not speak of things you and everyone else can perceive with your own senses. The looks of a person or their sense of dress ─ what point is there in harping on those? If I complimented your appearance, I would only be telling you the obvious. In my experience, people don't often look inward, so I take that into consideration when observing someone aloud. A lie would also be repulsive, so you will not be hearing them from me."

The mind of Iino Miko was something quite complex and only made further complicated by the introduction of the truer forms of her own interests into the mix. Takao could enjoy teasing her and even enjoy his juice, but his words would always receive an outburst and flustering, as was the case with quite a few individuals in Miko's life. "True as that is... let me lurk," she claimed. Of course, she seemed to be asking a lot of things like that from the men in her life lately, when she thought about it. Specifically things that seemed to be the opposite of what the individual in question was like. She'd asked her very rational mentor to let her dream, she'd asked for the very magical Mugen to let her rationalize... and quite a few other such things. 'Hm, why do I keep asking things like that?' she questioned herself. It was a thing worth her own boxing and considerations as she made peace with her existence. Still there was a speech of entitlement, and Takao's right to her inside voice and the sounds it created. "Hai hai, it's yours, but no complaints about the sounds you get♪~" Miko chirped quickly back. Perhaps she'd been spending a bit too much time flirting lately, that one sounded flirty even to her. "Oh? That one wasn't so intense. I expected a tirade..." Shutara commented almost absently. 'There was definitely a tirade, it just changed before she said it,' that was Kaguya's conclusion when she'd seen Miko's fingers tapping together. "I wonder about that myself... " Kaguya said aloud while Miko sighed her hands on the keyboard as she allowed her fingers to be grounded by keys instead of anything else. She'd really missed piano as her main form of instrument she'd definitely be spending a lot of time with it in the future. "Oh, before I forget, I take it you like the juice..." Miko mentioned as she played a different more classical version of a c-scale which she'd not heard properly in quite a while.

Rita gave observations to Hiroshi in a similar fashion to how he provided them to her. She needed him to know how out of the ordinary he was and wondered if he truly understood it at all. His following words made it clear that he had no real understanding of the normal interactions between men and women at all. He claimed he wouldn't be telling her things she and others could already see and preferred deeper and more meaningful observations. He also claimed that he wouldn't lie and given everything about him so far... she could only laugh and nod her head. "Hehehe~, You know that's really weird right? Like, charming and interesting but that isn't how people operate, in general. I am really stunned because unlike most people, I actually believe you wouldn't lie to me, or anyone else for that matter," she claimed, as she pulled on oven mitts and pulled that cake out of the intense heat. It had a golden brown outer hue but was still soft to the touch. She plucked a toothpick out of the holder and placed a small hole in the middle. When it came out clean she turned off the oven and left the cake to rest atop it. "Still, I can appreciate that at least, a lot more that most things, even though its outlandish."

Few could explain the oddities of Iino Miko, and fewer still could fully quantify them. Takao was on neither list. In his mind, she was just that cute, innocent girl who was sometimes contrary for the sake of it. Even now, she requested lurking from a career extrovert. Of course, Takao could do naught but allow it. "You can lurk; that's fine. I'll make the words, and everyone will think they're mine," he said easily. Most didn't even realize how seriously Mikami Takao took those words. Most of his songs were not his own lyrics; they were more like... his interpretation of others' thoughts. In that way, he was a devourer of dreams both waking and otherwise. Such was how the moniker Dreameater was born all those years ago. Moving on, Miko questioned the juice and how much Takao enjoyed it. In the midst of all that teasing, he managed to forget commentary. "Oh, right! Gomen. It's actually delicious. I'm not sure if it's the juice, though. Maybe it's the mouth spot you left on my cup? Got any flavored lip gloss on or anything?" he asked, entirely joking.

Hiroshi couldn't fathom why honesty was such a strange thing to this woman, or to humans of this world in general. An elf would not lie about their opinions of someone; not for any reason. Well, perhaps there were some who were up to more... devious activities, but he was no such elf and no such man. "Lies serve no purpose. For example, what if I were to lie about one of your features? What would be the point? They may be features I enjoy, but you wouldn't have them. Perhaps that is not a cause for disinterest, but if interest is present, why should I not speak of the interesting features? Any other choice is senseless. All people and things possess a certain flair on an individual level; there is always something worth speaking of, good or bad. In this case, seeing primarily 'good' things results in observations that have been interpreted as praise. I see no issues," the tall male rambled while Rita recovered her cake. Ah, that was an interesting thing to look at without the extra decoration and flavoring. It looked almost like a bread, but far softer, moister and surely packed with its own flavors if the previous sample was worth comparison. "Hmm. Interesting. As I noted earlier, it is remarkable to see those things become this. Perhaps you should sell these at your shop?"

There were indeed only a few people who could explain the oddities of Iino Miko, and maybe they'd even explain them to her at some point. For now, she was allowed the depth of her lurking, though with Takao speaking on it in a way that seemed to mean something quite different to the two magically inclined girls sitting on the couch across from the two. "Hai, arigatou na," Miko offered sincere gratitude and even a smile. She didn't think she could lurk forever, that much was as obvious as that practiced signature. She'd never even really considered it an option, but... until she found, whatever she was looking for she simply couldn't put herself in the position of holding responsibility for the music she made. Oh well, she was on her way, at some point she might find herself capable of repaying that particular debt, whenever the stage fright truly ebbed. She'd even given a bit of consideration to writing a few songs on her own in their entirety but that'd have to wait just a bit... there were too many pieces just floating along in her head, she wasn't sure of them just yet. But that was also fine as Takao finally commented on the state of his drink. He claimed it was delicious after issuing an apology and then more teasing. It was delicious but he didn't know if it was the juice or maybe just some flavored lip gloss of Miko's, 'I'll give you a mouth to taste!' her brain replied making her close her eyes for a second. 'That is aggressive.' she thought but didn't argue when that these thoughts become so acceptable. Of course there was a flush on her face because such teasing would always make that sort of thing happen. "I... don't wear lip gloss, but it's good to know you're still having fun at my expense, Takushi..." she murmured. "I'm also glad you like the drink..." her choice this time to simply skip over the directness of his outburst. She knew he saw it as a joke, he made such jokes with relative ease.

Speaking of ease, Rita found it easy to talk to, and easy to listen to Hiroshi. He had a full rant to give, but it was quite interesting to take in. In Rita's opinion this man often spoke like he wasn't human himself and she was only made more amused by that thought as she drank this evening. "Lying about features is pretty common. Whether a point of interest or disinterest, most people don't tend to care. You are a lot more rational than most humans can ever be, I've witnessed people give compliments they don't mean with the sole intention of being mean or rude to each other," she explained. "It's good that you aren't like that, but I am sure there are plenty of stories to be shared by people who have had lies spread about them even though they've done nothing wrong... to be honest it seems almost alien of you to think the way you do, but I enjoy the unique perspective," she said truthfully. Humanities darker aspects were likely more prevalent than they could be in other places. And even in nice places people could still make them less nice. But that didn't really matter long term either. Rita liked baking the cake she'd created so recently was finally finished. And it seemed that there was more commentary to offer about it as well, as for selling the cakes she gave a shrug. "When the old guy who left me this place was still working, I used to sell them on special occasions and holidays. I thought about converting it to a partial bakery at some point but I definitely didn't have time to bake while running the shop before..." she said thinking about it now. She had a lot more free time than she used to, now that she wasn't taking care of an empty home and a listless husband. A creative outlet or two would keep her busy for a time.

Miko didn't wear lip gloss, apparently. Takao found that strange, as she seemed to have a particular sheen on her mouth of late. Takao even appeared slightly confused, but then... there wasn't an actual mark on his glass or anything. "Really? Every now and then, it looks like you do. It's a good look for you," he said earnestly. With that, he'd continue drinking his juice/energy drink mix calmly. Alas, he wasn't quite done bothering Miko. "And I was gonna go for seconds," he joked further. Sadly, Miko's assumptions weren't quite accurate. Takao was full of jokes... but he wasn't entirely joking. For the duration of their friendship, he'd been taking small jabs and finding no reciprocation. It was... strange. He'd picked up a hint of interest here and there, but figured there were other factors snuffing it out. It seemed that was still the case. It took all he had to avoid sighing openly. "So, anything else on the agenda? I figure you're about ready to start molesting that new keyboard, and nobody needs to see that... again. If you guys want to do something or even spend the night though, that's cool too. Tarae, you're staying, right?"

While Takao proved how very free he was with his space, Hiroshi found proof of humanity's... foolishness. The cause for lies made no sense whatsoever, and he couldn't even begin to think of why it was 'alien' for him to view things as he did. Being called alien was strange in its own right, actually ─ Rita didn't know how true that statement was. He was very much an alien lifeform by many of the perceived standards. Sadly, she would not be finding out the whole truth of it ─ at least not presently. Perhaps one day, when the prophecy of convergence reared its head again, that would be possible. "I'll take that as flattery from you. I do pride myself on being... not quite human, as some might put it," he said between sips of beer. He was reaching the end of another can, and beginning to feel its effects on his equilibrium. Hiroshi's mind, however, would not be affected so easily. "You have much time now, if you choose to take it. I can manage the shop alone so long as I'm living here, and there is even that newcomer you've assigned duties to. You clearly need time to reacclimate to life and acclimate to many changes. I am ready and willing to enable these things however you desire, including by carrying the burden of shop management. If there is anything else, you need only ask," he assured with a brief pause thereafter. "Hmm. It seems I am beginning to feel this drink's effects on my body. I expected it to take more."

Miko didn't wear lip gloss but at least one person besides Miko was aware of the state of her body. Kaguya could only smirk a bit as she realized that Takao's senses might have been slightly better than she'd been giving him credit for, even while she acknowledged his magical abilities. Still according to Takao, it looked like she did from time to time and he claimed it was a great look for her, Miko's fingers began tapping together as she looked up, seemingly embarrassed, but it was mostly because of the thing happening in her head. 'Bet that dick will look good on my lips, try me!' Miko's mental tirades were always so dark leaning. "Hai... arigatou," she simply accepted the compliment burying the rest in a deep box. Kaguya couldn't help but wonder what was said, the radio silence of Miko's mind was starting to be bothersome. She didn't know she'd find it so amusing to the know exactly what the girl was thinking, it'd only been a few days and she truly missed the white noise of the perverted girl's thoughts. Too bad Miko wouldn't be able to properly bury it, because Takao claimed he would have come back for seconds, of her lips. Miko cut her eyes in Takao's direction, a certain devious light seeming to take them for just a second before she remembered who she was talking to. This wasn't one of her conquests nor one of her mentors, this was... a different sort of friendship. 'Shush... it's not like that...' she tried to talk herself out of her current state with relative quickness before something odd fell out of her face. "Almost got me that time," she managed quietly, her flushed face turning back to her keyboard. Kaguya watched all this play out with wide eyes, Ai did too. Shutara was used to it, but she saw something a little different in Miko's reaction that time. Oddly enough it would be Kaguya who spoke, cryptic though it was, "Sou ka, Mi-chan can't see the forest for the trees..." she said deviously, looking at Takao. Well... that'd have to be fixed, and she was the invasive friend so she'd see to it. It was her duty after all, but what was Ai's duty was, technically something else. "I do like the offer and normally I'd say a big musical sleepover is a great idea, but I have a date. And I need to make sure these two are tucked somewhere they can't get into trouble," Ai said carefully. "As if we'd get into trouble. And... how does a shut-in get dates, Ai-nee? Also Mi-chan needs to pick up her parents~" Kaguya mentioned. "Fuck. I forgot... I wouldn't hear the end of it if I was late again today," Miko said seemingly distressed at having to stop her molestation. "Also don't call it molesting... you have no idea how long it's been for me," she said about the piano. "Well, I'm always up for a sleepover and the room I'm supposed to take isn't ready yet, I was hoping I could crash today~" Shutara said pleased as she always would be.

Flattery, that is how Hiroshi would take being called alien. "Hm, it's probably for the best, I did mean it as a compliment," Rita affirmed. It seemed that Hiroshi was even fine with accepting more work as Rita navigated her new personal life. She was actually quite stunned as it seemed really generous of an offer, even if she was paying him for his services already. "I really want to argue about forcing all this extra work on you when we've only just met. But, I also feel like I shouldn't and just accept the extra time... so I'll try and make full use of you while you're here. Thank you..." she offered. Though much like her niece her own mind wandered just briefly. He'd been very casual about accepting potential sexual advances, and the more she drank the more it seemed like a good idea to maybe, do something about her long standing frustrations. In her own mind, he was a ready target, not as extreme as the others who threw themselves at her, and something about him made her feel quite comfortable in his presence as if she could grow into her best self in his care. "Grain based alcohol is a bit slow moving but always has that kind of late quality. It doesn't take much to get to the best point, as long as you aren't normally a drinker," she said. "Also, you should be very careful... I'm being good, but if you make such open-ended offers I could throw myself at you, Hiroshi-san~" she said in gentle warning.