Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

Sakura went about inspecting the guidebook and making selections for her deck. Meanwhile, Kazuhiko looked through his own cards to ensure he was familiar with whatever strategy he'd been going for over a thousand years ago. Everything seemed to be falling back inline for the lad; he'd probably be able to play this deck with ease. Every now and again, he was looking toward Sakura's end of the table to check her progress. It all started with the choice of a Ruler, and her particular choice was... interesting. "Metis, huh? She's a powerhouse with a lot of potential builds! I've got Jormungandr somewhere in there too! He's one of her best legendary Servant matches," Kazu mentioned. Soon after, another boy was encroaching upon Sakura from behind. Kazuhiko wasn't looking at the time, busying himself with the cutting of his own deck. This young man with short, neat, black hair stared at the purple-haired girl from behind before finally approaching ─ perhaps a bit too close as their bodies just nearly touched. Oh well. Most of the guys sitting in the shop presently were fully erect due to Sakura's presence anyway. "Ohayou! I'm Sakamoto Junpei! Are you new to the game? It's great, isn't it? I've been playing since day one! If you need any tips or just a fun match, you can come to me!" he said excitedly, albeit with an undertone of sheer nervousness. Kazuhiko never looked up, but he heard the introduction and commented absently. "Always a wholesome atmosphere in a card shop. I miss friendly intros like that."

Hiroshi was given the details of this hiring process. He nodded throughout Rita's explanation, deciding their arrangement would work spectacularly. He never had use of free time, and often filled it with work or study anyway. "Nights would be most suitable for me. I suppose, given the current setup, the only free time I require should align with a student in this area having free days. I am... not quite from here, you see ─ I don't yet know what sort of freedom they are given. You may relieve yourself of evening work for your..." Hiroshi paused, staring at the woman for some time. Some of her words were infinitely strange to him. Husband? "It surprises me. Perhaps it is a difference in customs, but I couldn't tell you were married. Regardless, I do heavily advise seeking permanent employees for this establishment. I will be available for an absolute maximum of two years before my attention is taken elsewhere. With that being the case, however, I do believe I can begin work at your earliest convenience."

[Apollymi]

Sakura's choice was Metis, and as she began adding pieces to Metis to make a more cohesive deck with full amounts of strategy... Kazuhiko was commenting. it seemed he liked the choice and had other cards which would make her work better. A smile crossed Sakura's face as she began looking, "World Serpent and personal familiar of the goddess of wisdom... Jormungandr, does he spread her attack points to other servants? Oh, or it could be a skill buff of some sort. Also serpent might be the wrong word, more like wyrm," she wondered thinking about what she knew about that from talking to her mother. As she gave it thought a boy stepped very close to her and made some sort of introduction. She didn't even look up initially. Though the tone and cadence of his voice was rather disturbed. It was obvious to her that this lad seemed to be preparing some sort of proposition, but perhaps she was misreading this era a bit? Her father did say things weren't exactly what they appeared. As she picked up Jormungandr she turned to the boy and gave him an empty stare which was by its very nature quite penetrating. "Tohsaka Sakura. Yes I am new. It appears to be interesting. If you understand it well, I wouldn't mind learning more..." she said in a slightly non-committal way. It would seem given Kazuhiko's statements that this sort of start was a common thing to occur in a card shop. "Wholesome... Do you know these people or do they only introduce themselves to new players?" she questioned. She thought it was fair enough given that there was only a light difference between herself and Kazuhiko but perhaps there were different amounts of curtesy provided between new and old players. She figured this world was way more interested in personal space given the initial reactions of people like Kazuhiko.

There was a pretty interesting conversation happening in the convenience store. It was going to be an undertaking changing the store up, but Rita thought it would be worth it. The conditions for hiring Hiroshi were already established and he seemed fine with them. He claimed that he only needed to be off on the days that aligned with students being off. Kaguya would be the one to explain that one. "Seven days in a week students attend Monday through Saturday which is six days. There are exceptions for those who have to attend cram school or certain kinds of club activities, but in general students aren't in school on Sundays. So...probably Sundays...." she offered Hiroshi the information and it was a bit weird to hear. Maybe he was from a really rural place that had slightly different customs. Still, his name sounded pretty easy to accommodate. "I can give Sundays easily... and any others with enough notice," Rita agreed to that term rather easily though the confusion on her face was initially very clear. It would only serve to become more obvious a few seconds later when Hiroshi claimed that she could spend a bit more time doing what she wished and claimed to not know she'd been married. "Oh, well he isn't around here and I don't wear my rings at work. It's not that odd... my husband is a salaryman so we don't get to spend a lot of time together. I'm hoping to change it," she said seemingly optimistic. Kaguya's eyes shifted slightly before she immediately covered the look on her face. She had no reason to make assumptions in this case, this was an adorable lady who'd proven herself to be quite nice, but given that it would also be fairly easy for her to get taken advantage of. "I'll put up some hiring signs and do some interviews. But I'd rather wait for the store to be reorganized before the hires come on, it will make the transition a lot easier for all of us. So, any more changes you are thinking about making. I can make sure we have everything we need for the changes you wish to make," she added willing to continue the process of learning what this man had to offer and making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible.

[Bloodedge]

Sakura would rather call Jormungandr a wyrm as opposed to a serpent. As Charlemagne, Kazuhiko heard a fair amount about that creature as well... though not nearly enough. Even so, he knew of the card. Patterns found between the card game and Alaya implied that Jormungandr was something greater than wyrms and serpents both. "Fought wyrms. If that thing actually counts as one, the rest should be ashamed," he joked. Moving on, Sakura was greeted by another player. The look she gave him upon turning around was eerily empty, but the lad called Junpei could not call it negative. No, he'd still call it... somehow lascivious, at least in the way his body responded to seeing the girl's face. "Hai hai!" he said after Sakura agreed to learning, passive though it was. Kazuhiko looked up briefly upon being questioned ─ lifting his gaze only enough to view Sakura's cards and see her via periphery. "I was here last year. The owner has changed since then, but my picture should still be on that wall over there. Maybe I even played against some of the people here now, but yeah... this community is usually really welcoming to new players," he said absently. Noticing how little mind Kazuhiko was paying anything around him presently, Junpei acted on a blend of impulse and bravery. He leaned forward, 'accidentally' rubbing his erection against Sakura's shoulder while pretending to look at her in-progress deck. In actuality, he was watching her face through the corner of his eye. "That's going to be a good deck, Tohsaka-chan! I hope we can play soon!"

Meanwhile, it seemed the hiring process for Hiroshi was reaching its end. His free day would be Sunday, and seemingly whatever other days he gave proper notice for. The workforce of this world was similar enough to what he observed in Alayan humans, so adjusting would be a simple matter. "I will be sure to notify you in advance," he stated plainly. From there, Hiroshi was somewhat stuck on Rita's lack of signs as a married woman. She spoke of an unworn ring, which he equated to the same ring-sharing tradition on Alaya. Seeing someone go without it was strange indeed. "So rings are worn here? Then not wearing it ─ is that not an advertisement of availability? If I were to suggest any changes, I would start there. Based solely on your appearance compared to others I've seen since our arrival, it should be easy to say men should be throwing themselves at your feet. Perhaps I'm misinformed? Is this how polyamory is shown here? I've so many customs to learn about, and so little time to make necessary observations myself," he rambled.

[Apollymi]

Jormungandr was something of wyrm of this Sakura was almost certain. Perhaps he was the first of such creatures or what they were based off of? Those were always likely, "Could be the first, a certain status upgrade is usually given to things that start others..." she offered seeming to understand the subtly of discussions they could have about their other lives without alerting the humans. Not that she assumed that the humans would understand he meant it literally. She made the assumption that if humans thought the magical world didn't exist, they'd likely just assume some relation to a game or something else. Whatever the case, the lad known as Junpei hadn't exited Sakura's general circle, but the kind of behavior he exhibited wasn't entirely odd to her either. He was rubbing against her while she was talking to Kazuhiko about his appearance the previous year. Junpei rubbing against her shoulder garnered him no extra attention, he didn't hit her senses as anything worth pausing her current conversation for. Her face retained devoid of emotion but there was a certain ominousness, that made her aura scream rejection as her eyes turned to see the picture, she didn't like being blocked from seeing things. "We can play later. Move, I'm trying to see a picture of Kazzun," she said without emotion as she tried to see this picture of Kazuhiko. This lad truly didn't matter to her and her own kind of oddity. But she was more excited about potentially seeing a different picture of Kazuhiko than she was for anything Junpei thought he had to offer her related to his physical self. He was far too underwhelming, but she expected that of humans.

Moving on, Rita was given a confirmation of receiving notice before Hiroshi took any time off. This was about all she needed, but it would seem some other changes came from the man's mouth. These were mostly concerning the idea that to her she appeared single. He wondered about the nature of relationships and how this all should work. He thought she should wear her ring as part of the custom and should be fighting off potential suitors. He wondered over the idea of polyamory and her open-ness potentially being part of that. "Yes, rings are worn here. You are given one for engagement then bands are exchanged on wedding days, but they are quite expensive and the stones can be unset for physical labor which is why I don't wear them here..." she said which was very humanly reasonable. "It's flattering that you think it might be a problem, but I'm 30... it's not like people are propositioning me while I'm at work or anything," she said in a manner which was almost innocent enough for Kaguya to chuckle immediate. "As far as I know, polyamory isn't something that is normal at all here... I could be a bit out of touch though..." Rita admitted. "Regardless, I could wear my wedding bad, it just feels a bit odd without the other one," she added. "Hi-aniki, it isn't that much of a problem. Part of society at this point is letting people work and not being too weird about it. Rita-nee might be a bit on the oblivious side, but she's super nice, so she's more likely to turn down suitors who appear at random. That's pretty standard for women in this world, besides wearing a wedding ring might have the opposite effect... Sometimes single women wear them to discourage, and sometimes, people try harder because someone else already wants them. It's a pretty complex topic," Kaguya added to hellp clarify a few points. "Also, Rita-nee definitely doesn't look thirty, she must have great genes. Your husband is a lucky man~" she complimented in her usual slightly flirty way, but she also knew a human woman wouldn't really take her very seriously. "Aww, stop it. You're far too young to be buttering up somoene like me..." she managed making a blushing face which definitely made her look like her niece. Yeah, this woman likely didn't come across too many people who flirted with her in this little place and even if she did, she only had eyes for her husband really. Her response didn't imply at all that she saw any potential romance in the other girl's words.

[Bloodedge]

"I've heard about that, but it always sounds a little weird. Like... is it really worth calling something its watered-down form? It just feels almost disrespectful, you know?" Kazu bantered for no particular reason. He didn't have a hard opinion in one direction or the other, but a bit of blabbering was common in such venues as this. Such would be seen on Junpei's end as well, at least as Kazuhiko observed in his limited way. Human as he was, Junpei did not register the aggressive aura Sakura emitted... but her sudden demand that he move served its purpose well. Junpei stepped back quickly and nervously, while Kazuhiko looked up at last. Kazu felt that energy, but the cause was a little extreme the way he saw things. "Wow, no need to be rude to the guy," he said in defense of the boy who was quickly scurrying away for reasons unknown. "It's just a picture, and that guy was just being friendly. You could've just said you couldn't see past him," he said. From Kazu's perspective, Sakura was doing a lot just to see the blandest image ever taken of him.

While this exchanged happened between the pair, Junpei was meeting with another group who were already whispering among themselves. There were talks borne of jealousy and spite. That last reaction made it obvious those two were dating ─ or at least that Sakura was very interested in the male she accompanied. "He's got some nerve pulling a girl like that and coming here to show her off," one boy said. "Who does he think he is? He's not even keeping an eye on a hottie like that?" added another. "Dude, I wouldn't even be here. I'd be at home clapping her cheeks all day long!" a third declared. Upon returning to this group, Junpei seemed far more satisfied than bothered. "Guys! I rubbed my dick against her and she didn't even budge. If that guy wasn't with her, I swear I could have gone all the way!" he boasted. And so, the plotting continued. Several moments of discussion passed among that group of lads, eventually leading to the decision of one. "If anybody's gonna do it, it'll be Kakihara over there. We'll get him to show fuckboy the error of his ways. As long as someone distracts him, we can get her hooked up with the bitch-breaker!" For whatever reason, that male's idea resonated with the rest of the group. "Yeah! Then once she's been turned into an onahole like the others, we'll use her as a fucktoy mascot for the shop!"

Speaking of shops, Hiroshi was having quite an interesting time figuring out Rita's overarching purpose. Engagement rings and wedding bands as separate entities was a new concept to him, but that was alright. On the other hand, Rita's claim that others did not express much interest in her was an absolute impossibility that he refused to believe. Just the same, her age made little sense. "Thirty? I find that hard to believe as well. You make it sound like that age is something old and useless, but all observable features here say you are at or above the pinnacle of appeal in all physical regards. I am also inclined to agree that your husband is very lucky. Dedication despite an obvious distance is rare for any species. I've seen many men since arriving, and unless he happens to be another anomaly, it's obvious he is the victor in this proverbial exchange," he observed, rambling to no one in particular once more ─ even though the tone of his voice hadn't changed at all. "Physical ability notably lacking, but presumably not to the detriment of sexual prowess. I'd wager an underlying tone that belies a love of mischief, which I've discovered is a very desirable trait as well. Eyes, skin, hair and nails all speak to great health and longevity. Very likely to live well beyond normal expectancies without signs of decay in the body, so more reliable in a partnership than... ninety percent? No, humans ─ likely ninety-nine and beyond. Surely a specimen that would be worth studying for any scholar, should the opportunity present itself. If not for societal conventions... no, I suppose those are limitations that apply on all sides."

[Apollymi]

Kazuhiko was having a bit of a playful conversation about the nature of calling something its lesser version. "That is an interesting perspective. Though if you came first, smaller versions of you would only add to your legend," she offered her own perspective in a manner similar to what one would consider juniors. Moreover, one could consider them the mold used to create the others, which was clearly something that happened. Whatever the case, the other young man jumped back at her words. Perhaps people in this world needed a more direct approach... she'd keep that in mind for later. Strangely enough, Kazuhiko seemed to think she was being rude, she peaked at his picture with mild excitement while responding. "Iia, I wasn't being rude," she said plainly. In truth, the lad needed to know to back away. Her mother had told her firmness with lesser beings was important. "Wrong it is a picture of you, thus more important to me, than his closeness to me," Sakura said with strange firmness while returning her eyes to Kazuhiko. "Though if all he was doing was being friendly, perhaps I need to observe more of this world. For you, I will try and be more considerate," she said in an almost absent way. In truth, it seemed that Kazuhiko hadn't noticed how very close that lad was, nor what he was doing. She'd not brought attention to it because it seemed to her that bringing attention to such things was distinctly rude in the way humans presented themselves. Perhaps there were nuances she was missing? She'd give it some more consideration while reading cards. All the while a conversation saying exactly the opposite of the good intentioned Kazuhiko, but that was fine. Sakura confirmed her card count and the cards she wanted and sat the deck in front of Kazuhiko. "I think I did it," she offered the lad after constructing her deck.

At the convenience shop, Hiroshi had a self-talking tirade to go though. Most of it was directed at the things said by Rita, just the same she found herself under his scrutiny and a bit evasive about such a direct amount of attention. Not to the same extent as one who hid in plain sight, but just a bit uncomfortable. His words seemed to imply an almost scientific observation of the highest order and he was using that to speak of her looks, character and even her potentials compared to others. It was stunning, a bit invasive and... flattering really. By the time Hiroshi finished speaking her eyes were swirling what was she supposed to say to all that? Well there was one thing a human could always do, "You... are one of those library hermits that talks to yourself a lot, aren't you?" she said a full blush on her face as she clapped her hands over her cheeks to rest her own brain. "It's kind of nice to know, you think that... I do love my husband though and odd though it might be in the modern setting I am fully invested in building my life with him. It's why I'm here, working so we can both take some time together. I'd say I am fairly normal, a bit older than most in the dating pool by societal standards. Like if I wasn't married already, I'd probably not be able to achieve it. But that isn't a worry of mine and now with you to help out in the store everything will be fine. I feel like I even got a bit of a confidence boost!" she explained. "Ah, yeah... but that isn't really true, you are a knockout without question. Most people can't tell how old people are... and you seem like the fun type. No need to worry about Hi-aniki either... He's definitely one of those recently back in society types and says a lot of stuff like that. Wear the smile those compliments give and know he'll definitely help~" said Kaguya with a huge grin. Rita was set at ease by the girl, still this man was very good at observations so she assumed it was part of why he would be so great for this store.

[Bloodedge]

A conversation about the order of creatures and what names they were given, neared its end with a minor outburst from Sakura to Junpei. Kazuhiko chided as any socially conscious individual would under the circumstance. Sakura, however, claimed she wasn't being rude at all. Seeing a picture of him specifically was an apparent matter of importance. That could have been flattering... and perhaps it would have been, if it wasn't so strange a thing to hear. "Riiight... yeah, it still shouldn't be that big a deal. I mean, I am sitting right here. That picture is from a year ago. It's not even a good picture," he said, glancing at the image with minor disappointment toward its quality... or lack thereof. Whatever the case, Sakura claimed she'd be more considerate. That was about all he could hope for while she inhabited this world, lest her strangeness as a goddess cause too many issues in public. More importantly, her deck was complete! Kazuhiko gave up caring about any and everything else as he slid the deck closer to himself for inspection. He scanned it one card after another, wearing an expression of utmost satisfaction. "Wow, this looks pretty consistent! You might encounter a couple of issues when playing against other decks, but that's just a matter of learning the types of playstyles you'll encounter when playing," he explained. Midway through his observation, one of the boys from Junpei's table approached Kazuhiko. He placed a hand on the brown-haired lad's shoulder. "Ohayou! Kato Haruki! Wanna play?" he asked. "I've been having a hard time finding a good game." Kazuhiko seemed taken aback for a moment, but this was normal behavior in card shops. "Uh... yeah, sure? Saku, are you gonna─" Whatever Kazu had to say, Haruki had an automatic counter. "Ah! You're the new player, right? That table over there is very friendly to beginners if you want to get some good practice games in!"

Another person was taken aback ─ that person being Rita. Hiroshi's commentary was mostly what it had always been, but it was never suitable for human consumption anyway. Rita at least took his complimentary statements as intended, though she did believe he was some sort of... library hermit, as she put it. She wasn't entirely wrong. Well... Hiroshi did take exception to being associated with libraries, but he knew the learning methods of elves and Munetsuchi could not be observed here. Kaguya confirmed his strange ways before Hiroshi added anything of his own. "What she said ─ all of it. Whatever the case, I can begin my duties immediately. There are things I am unfamiliar with, but... I have ways of finding any answers I need beyond the job's duties."

[Apollymi]

Kazuhiko thought her reaction outlandish but she didn't see it as such. She agreed to refrain from extreme reactions but wouldn't be letting go of the idea of seeing him at a different point in his life. It was quite important but maybe he wouldn't understand why, "But I didn't know you then. I only know the most recent form of you... so it's different seeing what you were like before... It adds to the greater picture that is Kazuhiko," she explained of herself without much thought. Such a thing was how she considered most things. Little pieces of the lad being added together to get to an entirely new person. What kinds of thing made him into the person he was... perhaps that picture was simple or low quality but it did give at least a little insight. What gave just as much insight now, however was... how he reacted to her newly constructed deck. "Sou ka, so it's one of those things that will need to evolve with my own understanding and experience," Sakura said aloud. She'd give it consideration to make sure she kept track of situations which needed answers she did not necessarily have. At the same time, one of the other boys came up and introduced himself specifically to Kazuhiko. He seemed to want to play a match with the more experienced player. Sakura would have been content to observe but there was a suggestion that she play with someone else because she was a beginner. Sakura knew that Kazuhiko would want to play so she wouldn't be interrupting his potential fun. "That seems fine. No worries, Kazzun, have fun~" she said to him more than happy to let him enjoy himself. In the meantime time she'd be wandering over to the table that was apparently nice to beginners with her own deck in hand. In the time of separating from Kazuhiko, Sakura seemed to return to a more neutrally apathetic visage, but she was about to use her brain a bit which was always an exercise which was worthwhile.

Moving on from this, it would be Rita's surprise and fluster which would lessen as she had Kaguya explain some things to her. Hiroshi confirmed the idea that Kaguya's explanation was the right one. Of course, she seemed to relax a great deal, making herself laugh just a bit. "Hai hai, I'll keep it in mind. As for what else you need to do. I can walk you through the cash register, end of the night money counts and clean up. Since we are doing the remodel, a sweep would be fine once the store closes. And I have a spreadsheet with the right calculations up that I made for the original owner for money counts. The credit cards will run themselves at the store close so don't worry too much about that... unless you want a heavy explanation. Oh and I guess I'll give you one of the keys since you'll be closing up at the end of the night," she gave a little bit of background and wondered if she'd need to give a more detailed explanation. She invited him to the back office with a little wave so that she could show him where to find everything... all the while, Kaguya could only smile. She thought her night, might become itneresting.

[Bloodedge]

Kazuhiko was in for an interesting revelation: a look inside the mind of one Tohsaka Sakura. Her explanation of wanting to see a simple picture was so disturbingly logical, he could say nothing against it. Whether it was exceedingly wholesome or unnecessarily scientific, he couldn't tell... but it didn't really matter which, did it? Either way, their conversation was in its final phase due to an abrupt interruption and challenge from another player. Kazuhiko thought the better of accepting. He did kind of want to experience Sakura's first match for himself, whether as her opponent or as an observer. Ah, but she seemed willing to accept going to a beginner-friendly table for that, so he'd leave her to it. "Right. You too. I'll try to be done in time to see your first match. Let me know how it goes if you crush everybody before I get there," he cheered as the purple-haired lass walked off.

Little did Kazuhiko know, he'd soon be going against the most stall-heavy deck in the game. All the while, Sakura would be moving toward an older tween with curly red hair in crumpled spikes, green eyes and... a constitution that dwarfed that of other humans who knew nothing of Alaya. As it happened, he was just ending a match. "That's a shame. Good match, Suzu-kun~. Let's play again sometime," he said while shaking hands with another lad, who would then be stepping away from the table. He wasn't privy to all the hullabaloo surrounding Sakura, Kazuhiko and those other players. In fact, he'd been too into his recently-ended match to even realize a girl was in the shop. In a matter of moments, that would change.

[Apollymi]

Sakura was a logical individual, almost to a fault. Her normal lack of emotion seemed to be missing in some specific instances and it was apparently jarring to people like Kazuhiko. Still, she didn't know enough about what he was thinking to set him at ease. Instead she found herself simply expressing things without being overly explanatory to help him along when she could. Whatever the case, they'd be breaking for a moment and Sakura was being encouraged to have a good time. Apparently Kazuhiko was interested in watching her match and would be trying to end his own in order to witness it. She found that logic a bit interesting and wondered if he too wanted to see important moments or if it was simply his excitement about the game in general. "Hai hai... we can talk about it, if you want," she added seemingly pleased by the encouragement. She supposed she'd figure it out eventually.

Still, by the time she reached this new table another was leaving. Strangely, her senses registered someone who was a bit more than human by her own understanding of Gaia humans. She didn't find this young man to be hideous by any means, and he'd apparently won his most recent match. She found herself standing to the side of his table watching with apathetic eyes. "Tohsaka Sakura... those boys said you are a good match for a beginner. Would you like to play?" she asked seeming to get the jist of how to start these sorts of things she remembered that she should likely introduce herself as well. She didn't expect to encounter anyone at all and she was keeping in mind her most recent lessons so she supposed she'd try being less 'rude' as Kazuhiko would have put it.