Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

Shortly after another victory among many, the most renowned lad currently within the card shop heard... surprisingly, a feminine voice. It'd been a little while since he saw a woman here in the shop, and longer still since he met one worth anything in terms of their looks. One look at this girl who called herself Sakura, though, and he knew she was incredibly misplaced. This purple-haired girl reeked of sex appeal even beyond that empty expression... or maybe even more because of it. One might talk about curves in all the right places, but very rarely could they speak of said curves being perfect in shape and size, appreciable even beneath the most modest clothing. Very few women known across the world could claim to be such bombshells, and surely none of them would ever be seen at some rundown card shop in Osaka.

"Holy fuck," he muttered without thinking. Would he like to play? Sakura asked, and the answer was undoubtedly yes... but with her, he immediately thought of a different kind of play. "Ah, gomen, gomen! Kakihara Shota," he offered with a handshake. "For you, I'll play whatever you want, whenever. Let's have a good time, Tohcchi~♥ How much of a beginner are you?" Shota asked, gesturing for the girl to sit while straightening his own playmat and sleeved deck ─ the latter of which he'd soon be sliding across the table to Sakura's side. All the while, there was a smile on his face and a glint in his eye as he thoroughly visualized the girl being undressed.

[Apollymi]

Sakura in approaching the man sitting at the now vacated table found herself confronted with a very interesting reaction. First an utterance which seemed to be one of the most logical to be uttered in her presence. Human as he was... holy fuck, was technically speaking an apt understanding of Sakura's existence. 'Sou ka, even when they don't truly understand their first reactions are fairly accurate,' she thought to herself. Soon after though she noted the lad recovering and he seemed to be offering her his hand. She'd seen a few of these interactions and reached out to take his hand and give it a shake. Soon after she'd take the seat in front of him and begin the shuffling of her own deck by separating it into various stacks to get the proper mix going. She'd also observed such an action upon entering the shop.

"Nice to meet you, Kakihara-san..." she gave that last syllable a bit of thought but decided this man was old enough to be given a bit more of a formal interaction. Whatever the case this man was apparently being friendly, as Kazuhiko would have said. And claimed that he would play what she wished, whenever. Something about that statement was laced with desire, but more so than others within this shop, an odd amount of power backed it. At the very least he wouldn't have been completely unworthy of her attention. After finishing the first shuffle of her deck she offered it for cutting and would go about doing the same to his. "I've never played this game before, but I am a fast learner and I think I understand it in general after putting together this deck," she offered her own level of experience taking note of the rather affectionate way he referenced her. She generally liked being treated in such a way, and while it wasn't equivalent to how someone like Kazuhiko or Angelica could expect from calling her something cute... there was at least a little flash of something not apathy in her eyes at the reference. "I'd appreciate any pointers you could give me along the way," she offered logically. She was after all, legitimately interested in the game at hand, and while she acknowledged desires, his weren't nearly as clear as they could be. So, she'd watch in wait for a bit while getting herself properly familiar with the game.

[Bloodedge]

The moment his hand was taken, Shota felt something very strange. Her hand was so incredibly soft, he could hardly avoid rubbing his thumb along it during the shake. Regardless of how very desirous he was becoming, this girl desired a card game from him. He'd happily oblige for all the right and wrong reasons. Decks were exchanged and cut as Shota realized some things were missing on Sakura's end of the table. "No sleeves or mat?" he questioned. Without hesitation, Shota reached down beside his own chair to procure an extra playmat from his backpack. Seeing her deck box, he decided to place a red mat on her side of the table. "Never played, huh? It's not often we get brand-new players to this shop, but that's alright. I'll play with you," he said, winking as the flirty tone passed his lips.

Once decks were cut and mats were in place, Shota gave his deck one additional shuffle before drawing five cards. His eyes were trained on Sakura all the while. She claimed any pointers would be appreciated, and she'd surely get them... but she'd also get a lot more if Shota had his way. "I'm sure you'll do well. Fine girl like you coming to the shop for her first game? It's my job to make sure you have the best experience possible," he said while rolling a single die, which landed on the number four. Once the die landed, he gestured toward Sakura, even leaning forward to make the rest of his point known. "So... I wonder what I can do to make your experience the best one possible~♥"

[Apollymi]

For Sakura conversation seemed to be progressing fairly normally. It would seem this man truly was kind to beginners allowing her the ability to use one of his mats and even matching it to her pre-existing deck box. She seemed interested in this, but also in the almost drawn out contact between their hands during that shake. "Iia, brand new I just built this deck today as well..." she mentioned calmly which was the truth. "Arigatou gouzaimasu," she said acknowledging the kindness that was this playmat for her use. She knew that a goddess's flesh was nigh irresistible to most beings, but she didn't know she still had such an effective pull. Perhaps that would be worth looking into, considering the boy who'd been rubbing his childishly small cock against her shoulder. Impassive eyes looked at this lad as he winked at her, he seemed to be meaning multiple things when he spoke. The amount of desire in his soul said he was making a pass at her, but he as also simply getting ready to play a game. This was a bit of a conundrum wasn't it?

Ah, but that didn't matter. Mats were in place, seats were taken and all would be well. She was eerily aware of the eyes on her but it was far form abnormal to her to be the focus of someone's attention. His words gave her an odd response as she drew her own five cards. Unlike Shota, her eyes were on her cards, studying the ones she currently had and acknowledging a potential order in which to play them. "Sou ka, Kazzun was right. People are quite nice to beginners," she murmured aloud but to no one in particular. "It's best to learn things from the experienced," she added. She picked up the die and rolled it netting a 15. "Does this mean I go first, or that I get to choose. The rule book said either way works..." she said seeming to have the ability to regurgitate the booklet she'd looked through less than an hour prior to this. Still she stared, finally looking up form her hand to see the lad before her and hearing his words. Was he offering or just being nice? It would seem it could be taken as either but she was trying to work on being less awkward. Given this she'd avoid asking directly as apparently that wasn't normal among humans. "For this a few pointers and as fair a game as I can get will make it the best experience. In fact, I'd say be as complex or aggressive as you need to be, I'll learn faster that way..." she expressed of this potential learning environment not knowing that it could be taken quite the strange way.

[Bloodedge]

"Today? That's exciting," Shota commented. It was always a thrill to watch new players develop. In his case, the only thing more thrilling was being approached by an obvious 10/10-rated girl with shared interests. Had he stumbled upon the one to pursue long-term? It was possible, albeit highly unlikely. Shota very much enjoyed being a promiscuous individual, but if he could make this girl his number one option... life would be very different moving forward. "You're not from around here, are you? You look like... a Kyoto or Ishikawa girl," he observed.

Sakura rolled the die, having it land on a higher number. She spoke of people being nice to beginners, which was relatively accurate in all honesty. He didn't know who this Kazzun person was, nor did he care. "Most players are. There are some just looking for an easy win. Not all of us have the confidence in our ability to win without a handicap," Shota stated. Sakura won the dice roll, so hers was the right to decide the first turn. She brought this into question, fairly enough, as the rulebook barely mentioned how casual games were approached in full. "In an official match overseen by a judge, the challenger takes first turn. In tournament brackets, the lower seed goes first. In casual play, whichever player wins the dice roll usually gets to pick." With that explanation given, Shota awaited the purple-haired girl's decision. In the meantime, she spoke to her own developmental capacity in the most... interesting way. Shota's brow rose, as did his interest in Sakura. "My, my, Tohcchi ─ you like it aggressive, huh? I could take that so many ways~" he flirted openly while shuffling his hand. "No worries. I can handle that, whichever way you meant it~♥"

[Apollymi]

Exciting. This day was called. Kazuhiko obviously thought so too. Perhaps there was something to people who played card games. A sense of adventure which was demonstrated in a very controlled environment. A simple inclination of Sakura's head occurred. She supposed this was exciting. As for where she was from she hadn't thought of needing an answer to that yet. The names of places mentioned were odd to her, but one of them felt interesting to her ears. "Kyoto feels the most like home," she murmured seeming to not be confirming where she was from except to say that she wasn't from here. Munetsuchi likely didn't exist in this world as she understood it. Perhaps she should have gotten a bit more familiar with the geography of this country before moving about with everyone else. "Are you from around here?" she asked as a method of gaining a bit more knowledge about the immediate area.

Even if she couldn't properly place this man's motivations, she did at least get the advice and extra rules out of their conversation. Apparently, she should be on the look out for people who try to get easy wins off newcomers, but she doubted she could easily fall for that sort of thing. "Sou ka, I'll have to keep that in mind," she mentioned knowing now a strange kind of dissonance to look for. Ah, but that wasn't all, the rules about the start of this game were a bit more detailed. According to Kakihara there were several different tiers to the difference between official and unofficial matches. "Sou ka," she said keeping track of the nuances of these rules in her head. Given the choices he gave and the strategy she had built into her deck there was only one real choice. "You can go first," she said willing to see the start of his strategy and see what kind of information she could come up with based on what she saw. But this wouldn't be all... she would be receiving an answer to the question she had in her mind initially. Whether this man was being friendly or actually trying to make a move on her was a thought which was up in the air, but his words in response to her desires for this game made it much more clear. "Sou ka, you took that in that way..." she mentioned. "I suppose that clears that up for me... but I was just talking about the game for now," she said in a manner which likely wouldn't have counted as flirting if it'd come from anyone else, but it wasn't the sort of definitive no, that humans needed to stop flirting.

[Bloodedge]

According to Sakura, Kyoto felt... the most like home. Though that was a strange way to phrase things, Shota believed he understood her. She must have been one of those people who constantly moved from one home to another, but always felt best in a specific location. "Must be a busy life," he commented absently. His own location was brought up, and he nearly scoffed. Him, from Osaka? Absolutely not! "I live here now, but I'm from Saitama. The nightlife here may be nice, but Saitama is still better," he griped.

Enough of that. Shota wasn't here to talk about homes and life changes. No, he was here to play card games and, ideally, get lucky with the bombshell sitting across from him. She gave the privilege of first turn to him, so he slid a hand over the top of his deck. "Going second, you're most likely giving up defensive advantage to take first offense. Draw," he said, casually sharing some knowledge of game strategies in case they were needed. "My Ruler is Vortigern. I'll start by summoning a knight. Under Vortigern's rule, a standard knight becomes a 0/1 with Deathtouch and Haste." With that said, Shota looked across the table, his growing interest showing through every gaze. The way he interpreted her previous statement was addressed. Sakura meant to speak on the game when presenting the original clause, but she specifically claimed... for now. That was perhaps the most important thing he'd heard in a very long time. "For now, huh? That sounds like you might consider something else, Tohcchi. Your turn~"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Kakihara thought that she had a busy life. This was true and an interesting observation for a human to make by her own approximation. "Busy is fine sometimes..." she commented absently. Of course, when asking where the lad was from, she as given the name of a different place. Beyond that there seemed to be some amount of hostility towards the idea of being from a place like Osaka. Interesting, it was a nice and quiet place from what she observed. It looked way busier than the area surrounding the palace she'd grown up in, but perhaps this man preferred a more active life. She could assume so, given his hobby. "Sou ka, I've never been there..." she said adding it to a list of inquiries among her friends. Perhaps they'd have a reason to make a visit some other time?

Regardless, Sakura was now able to begin to play a game. It would appear that even though he was obviously flirting with her, he was still aiming to help teach her the basics of the game. His first bit of extra commentary gave the idea of giving up defensive advantage for the sake of offense by giving away the first turn. "Hai," she said confirming her understanding or the fact that she'd done it on purpose. He chose the Ruler Vortigern. Interesting, she didn't know that one. Moreover, he summoned a knight with Deathtouch. There was an implication of what that word meant, she seemed to give it some more consideration but at the very least she didn't think it would have a bad interaction with the cards she used. "I might, I don't know yet. Draw..." she said as she picked up another card. Her hand was currently six cards so what would she be doing? Well since it was only the first turn her options were limited but as far as she understood it her hand was reasonable. "Summoning a Mage under Metis's rule. 0/1 with Hexproof," she explained. "Your turn..." and like this their game would begin. But it wasn't simply the game being played by the cards, now that she understood he was propositioning her, she figured it'd be worth while to figure out if he could be used for her observations of humanity.

[Bloodedge]

This Tohsaka girl was only becoming more interesting by the moment. Shota began to wonder how such a fine girl found herself playing alone in a card shop in Osaka, but it could only be considered a stroke of good fortune in his favor. It was about time he had one of those again, rather than going on the proverbial hunt so frequently. If he could secure this one, he'd have the ultimate win under his belt. Sakura had never been to Saitama, according to the girl herself. What an interesting thing to admit in conversation ─ particularly one going in the current direction. "I could take you," Shota commented.

What of this flirty banter, though? Ah, Sakura did not yet know if she'd be making further considerations. Shota heard that sort of thing many times, though not from the mouth of one so naturally apathetic. In his experience, it was all part of the 'hard to get' routine, typically turned into its own type of flirting. "I guess we'll see then. If you don't start considering things yourself, I might have to give you some reason~" he declared as her turn began. Sakura chose to play the Ruler Metis, using her ability to summon a defensive force. Once her turn passed, Shota drew his next card right away. "Strange. I don't know if you've got some strategy going with that or not. If not, that sort of defensive start would be better if you went first," he commented while placing another card. "I'll spend two mana for turn to play the Magecraft: Knights' Armory. My Knight classes all gain +1 offensive power for each one I have. I'll attack your mage and pass turn."

[Apollymi]

The interest that this lad was showing to her was getting clearer by the moment. Though Sakura didn't technically understand the full breadth of this flirtation she was starting to understand how much or how little this man meant his words. Whatever the case, she'd mentioned never being to Saitama and Kakihara offered to take her. How strange. She assumed that sort of offer should only be something done between friends or even more seriously engaged people. Besides that she definitely couldn't agree while having other potential things to do between here and her homeland. "That's odd. I didn't expect you to say something like that... I can't agree without knowing where it is. The group I am here with I need to stay with..." she expressed without much detail the absolute truth of the situation. Though she'd willingly explore her own world without even a second thought, she assumed travel in this world was much more restrictive given the preoccupation with currency and connectedness.

While Kakihara focused on her flirty behavior, Sakura was made curious about his objectives. It was strange to her for one to be so direct while having no idea who someone else was. She'd been led to believe that humans of this world wouldn't respond well to the sorts of interactions she might have been raised to think were normal. "You think it is possible for you to give me a reason?" she asked that question as a pure point of curiosity. This human had to think rather highly of himself and she wanted to know what he thought he could use as leverage to sway her opinion. It might be something she could use for herself in her own life. Since she passed her turn Kakihara seemed to be still full of explanations. He made the claim that her rather defensive play was better suited to go first. At the same time he didn't discredit any potential strategy she may have been working on. Sakura's mage was attacked and thus she lost it. And she watched as he gained an artifact which would boost the attack power of his knights making them more powerful. It was an interesting strategy as far as she could understand it. "Draw." she murmured. She looked at her hand and saw that she had a fairly good idea of where her mind was going. "I use two mana to set this... and I'll end my turn," she offered. She truly was one to observe and absorb. If this man was going to be aggressive, she could play the way wished and test the limits of her second mother's battle strategy.