Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

For the time being, it seemed a bonus music show was officially over. Takao really needed to start resting his voice anyway, lest his next show be a nightmare to follow that final song tonight. Regardless, there was the matter of their newly-produced work, which Miko alleged needed a name. Takao had that covered; the full feeling of that song was still resting inside him. "... Opening Sequence. I think that part wraps up the whole theme," he said succinctly. Takao stretched while Miko gushed over her apparent new best friend, chortling as she endangered everyone's ears with a potential tirade. "Hai hai, been there before. There'll probably be a drum kit next, so I guess I'll start looking for an official drummer. If you keep that rant going, Kaiba will hear you and start playing with himself or something," he joked.

Humans were strange creatures. Nara Rita insisted upon her own gratitude, while Hiroshi considered it beyond unnecessary. Any help he gave was irrelevant. Still, she continued the train of analogies with one of her own, establishing the method by which his words aided. He supposed there was much accuracy in that. Her interpretation of his words, however, was missing a few small points. "That is not quite the message, but it is very close. I don't believe you should have to go searching. You should only have to make the right decision, or the right allowance, and events should naturally warp around you. Let's say a man stood in front of you right now. It wouldn't matter the type of man we are discussing, as I'm willing to theorize yours is a constitution that permits a healthy pruning of negative traits to promote growth in the positives. It would all begin with belief in your own ability. Those ingredients you used minutes ago, for example. I noticed you did not measure them, but in processes such as this, precision is necessity. Apply that same natural capacity for precision in life, and you will have your cake... and be able to enjoy it as well. The different aspects of an individual are no different than the eggs, milk, and other ingredients. A recipe may exist, but you are the one assembling it. Merely take the ingredients you see, and guide or force them into the proper arrangement. That is the spirit of Alchemy."

[Apollymi]

The name for that particular song, had already appeared within the mind of Takao and as such it would be immediately added to the box which contained the melodies and rhythm. She'd be putting that song together when she did the rest of her work later, a thing she did in batches for obvious reasons. "Hai hai, boxed it~" Miko chimed still quite pleased. Well, that was the case, she was beyond pleased, meanwhile, Kaguya couldn't help but notice even with her diminished senses the improvement to the states of both individuals. That was something worth thinking about later, perhaps she'd ask her own mentor eventually. "Drum kit," Miko gave that a bit of thought. That sounded like it'd be pretty fun but who would play the drums? She supposed that was something for Takao to figure out given it was his band. Still there was a joke made by Takao about Miko's gushing and how it might make Kaiba Seto behave. In the same moment, Miko's overly active imagination produced an image she had to close her eyes to make go away. Kaguya noticed and chortled. "There you are!~" she said seemingly as if she'd been waiting for Miko to fall into one of her more perverse habits. "I can hear you..." Miko mentioned. "Did you finish the tea?" she mentioned to Takao. She was more than willing to give Takao a proper break... looking after his voice was her primary concern anyway, impromptu songs were another thing entirely.

At the same time, Rita was being enlightened. There were some caveats that her interpretation of Hiroshi's words needed and she having nothing else to do, while waiting for her cake to bake, managed to hear him out. Long winded as always but she caught the key words. He seemed to think her precise by her own measuring practices and thus made another cake based comparison. It was something she understood once again but it was quite interesting to hear. "Hm, I don't know if my cake method is a matter of precision, more or less it's one of practice. I've simply made enough of them that I know what the measurements are by sight... well as long as I'm not wearing my contacts..." she mentioned with a shrug. Beyond that point she finally found herself turning on the light to her oven and bending over to peek into the window. "But I think I understand what you mean...I suppose then I'll just be myself and apply by regular logic to the rest of my life," she mentioned. Her understanding was clarified by his extra words, a need to shape or take only what was needed from what was in front of her to make her cake. She'd relax then... maybe. Or keep avoidng people, that also worked technically. "Mite, it's starting to rise~" she said in a voice which showed legitimate excitement. She was the type who actually enjoyed seeing the fruits of her labors in these ways.

[Bloodedge]

An exchange occurred without Takao understanding the first part of it. Apparently, something about his mention of Kaiba Seto caused a showing of Miko's hidden side ─ whatever that was. Takao didn't give it much, if any, consideration. He was already looking for the remnants of that tea cup when Miko asked about it, picking it up seconds after. "I didn't," he said immediately, taking another small sip and extending the cup again. "Did you want it back? I'm going to get sick of tea for a while after tonight anyway," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe a drink will help you stop fantasizing about Kaiba Seto whacking off," he added. Takao was only joking due to his own presumptions. Little did he know. . .

Meanwhile, Rita was rejecting the idea of her bakery being a matter of precision. Her argument, however, was invalidated in the mind of Hiroshi. "You say practice, but practice is the mother of precision. Perhaps if there is something you have more experience with than baking, it is dealing with people. All knowledge is a tool to be used," the tall male assured. Moments later, something strange was occurring. The way Rita decided to check the progress of her cake was similar to how his apprentice would... essentially pretend to do anything but an act of deviance. Perhaps he'd simply been mentally/spiritually poisoned and returned to a time long since passed. Similar as they were, Hiroshi gained a mental image of one Anais performing a similar bending maneuver for very different purposes ─ especially with that mention of rising. He cleared his throat, sipped his beer again, and steadied his mind before looking past Rita into the oven. "Ahem. Yes, very interesting. It is always a marvel to see such drastic change come of such mixtures. A combination of the right components can create many wonders, all fascinating to witness."

[Apollymi]

Miko and Kaguya had gotten far too used to each other's presence in the last few days. They were already best friends but their level of closeness was quite extreme, even Ai noticed this and wondered what had changed between them. Though they were voted the most likely to become lesbians by the group at large... that had yet to come to fruition. At least as far as they knew,
Kaya-tan, you and Mi-tan aren't supposed to have extra inside jokes~" Ai chanted which only made Kaguya laugh, "Outside jokes aren't nearly as funny though~" Kaguya claimed as the joking type she was. Moving on from that, Miko could only shake her head, both of her friends were strange, but Shutara was happy the younger girl had other friends who actually understood her fully. Such was always a good find, especially given the oddities involved. "I didn't want it back per se, maybe just a little sip. You getting tired of tea for a few days isn't the worst thing ever. I do want you to finish drinking it... vocal care is necessary! Also I heard you and I'll get you your own next time, so long as I am not carrying enough t-shirts to clothe a small army," Miko had a few hard opinions about things one of them definitely concerned the voice of Takao. She'd been in the middle of taking that sip when a joke passed through the mouth of Takao, she knew it was a joke, but the extra aspects of her were tickled in a different way. A little flicker in her eyes occurred, 'Please, we're imagining a man like that flattening us into a desk, his selfcare is nothing but a gateway!~' Miko couldn't help but react to her own musings, as she coughed trying to laugh seeming to need a moment to recover. "Oh? I missed a good one... Is this kind of thing what Mi-chan's up to when she's skipping out on friend day?~" Kaguya said looking over at Miko, though her question was obviously for Takao or Shutara, whatever her brain said initially, Kaguya was remiss that she'd not heard it. And more remiss that she'd probably had several interactions like this which would have been worth a peek. "You're trying to murder me," she managed to Takao, another sip was required but still, she handed it back. The things that moved through Iino Miko's head weren't for normal people's consumption, well... there were a few exceptions.

Meanwhile a kitchen was a place of new types of word play. Hiroshi claimed that practice was just the beginning of precision. "Hm, I can see how we got here. It's still really weird, how much things you say seem like things I want to commit to my memory. Like a life coach..." Rita surmised. "I suppose I have a decent amount of experience dealing with people, baking and photography in no particular order and I am finding all of those things very useful in my times of mental crisis so I can understand why you'd say those thing too," she commented almost absently. Little did she know the man behind her would continue to be so. When she'd mentioned the rising of the cake it'd been something done out of pure innocence. But she couldn't know her niece had intorduced this man to an odd taboo roleplaying farce. No, instead she was left almost oblivious to his focus initially. "Yeah it's one of the most exciting parts. Especially when it turns out as you expected and no bumps. I like a nice surprise once in a while but... these moments are one of my favorites!" she explained of herself. She'd enjoy a moment or two longer the warmth of the oven as she peeked into that litlte window, it would only be a few seconds later that her brain caught up to their positioning and the very full view of her rear end she was providing Hiroshi.

[Bloodedge]

Takao had his sip of tea and passed along the cup, only to have Miko reject the remainder. She wanted him to finish it, but he wanted no such thing. Tea was going to be the only thing he drank until... possibly two days from the present. Such was the reason he denied another sip. "No way. Do you have any idea what my routine is right now? I'll be drinking tea every three waking hours for days!" he griped, rejecting the second offer. "But hell, I'll take an energy drink if you're offering. Or like... juice! I haven't had juice in weeks! I've got the most random craving now." Takao couldn't explain his sudden desire for juice, but he wouldn't argue against it either. Maybe he'd go out and treat himself before entering tea jail. One would assume he'd have a better time of it than Miko apparently had dealing with a simple joke. As for Kaguya's question... Takao had no real answer. "Not that I know. I've got no baseline~"

All the while, Hiroshi was experiencing no shortage of oddities. Rita was quick to take his advice, but equally quick to make him question her methodology. Some of the things she said would have come from another mouth in the same situation, albeit with very different intent. Surely bending over to look within the oven was a necessary step, and doing so in front of him was pure happenstance. Perhaps he truly had gone native and lost the full composure of a highborn elf. Though a view and thought process may have been distracting, Hiroshi could always manage to continue a scholarly conversation to some extent. "I do understand the reasons you favor such moments. The process of creation, in this case, does briefly involve a very lumpy substance as I noted. It seemed rather smooth by the end, however... so yes, that sort of surprise would not be desirable in this case. Though yes, in other, similar situations, a shocking turn of events may prove fruitful."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Takao wouldn't be taking the tea back, he griped over his current routine which apparently had him drinking tea every three hours for the next few days. Miko thought over that regimen and given the strain that music took on his voice she could appreciate it. "Hm, yes that would indeed make up for the amount of strain you put on yourself. It's price you pay for lack of moderation, Ta♪-ku♪-shi♪~" Miko said giving it a bit of thought, remembering her earlier discontent. He'd made that decision himself so she wouldn't push his buttons about it too much, instead she heard his desire for an energy drink... or juice. Especially juice which he claimed he'd not had in weeks and had a craving for currently. "Craving juice, huh? It's always weird thinking of things we like and don't have nearly often enough. Let the man have his juice~" Kaguya said aloud staring at Miko. This man being magical was obvious and it was only becoming more obvious the more he spoke. Miko in hearing it also found herself glancing over at Takao with a different kind of thought settling in her head. 'I'll give him some fucking juice!' another invasive thought that needed mediating. Cravings were important, if he wanted juice he should have some, if he wanted energy drink, he should have some... the fact that both of those things could be said to apply to her at least a little was something she boxed immediately to avoid saying something, she shouldn't and it didn't help that Kaguya had practically said exactly that in the same moment. "Sou ka, you should answer your cravings when they appear, it's healthy and responsible. Your fridge is still stocked right?" she asked standing up still barefoot and tiptoeing towards the kitchen area of his bus. Having every intention of mixing energy drink and juice until she was satisfied that it wouldn't agitate his throat while, giving him what he craved. "I'm going to try a thing. Anyone else want anything while I am up?" she asked the group at large. And while that happened, Kaguya was treated to the fact that Takao had no baseline for Miko's behavior. But given how comfortable she seemed existing in his space, Kaguya would say otherwise, "I think you have more of a baseline than you know. Mi-chan doesn't share this part with us normally~" Kaguya mentioned.

At the same time, Hiroshi was dealing with the less obviously horny version of his apprentice. Rita for her part in this was happily appreciating new advice and having somoene to talk to without any added oddities. Perhaps if she'd not literally been crying in front of this man a few minutes ago, she might have had time to consider how suspicious it should be that they got along so well. Even their very first meeting she'd not taken his more blunt manner of speech personally and was simply happy to hear a real opinion. Perhaps this was something she preferred in people, even all her roommates were a bit more extreme than most but she'd always taken their blunt and honest opinions, even the vegan one before she went too out of line. "Hai, I knew you'd get it. Still a bit weird, but some surprises are just admittedly better than others..." she mentioned. "How are you holding up?" she finally asked the man knowing he'd been looking after her a bit it was only right she return the favor, knowing that beer had a certain effectiveness to sneaking up on someone.

[Bloodedge]

Takao didn't need to be told several days of tea was enough. He knew better than anyone that it was far, far more than enough. Though he wanted to reduce some of the excess, Takao sadly decided it was better to do more than less. He would of course lament that decision at every opportunity, but... at least he had a vast selection of teas to choose from. The desire for something like juice was becoming greater the more he thought about it, however. Luckily for him, both Kaguya and Miko were advocates of his enjoyment of juice instead of more tea right away. Miko even got up, wondering if the fridge of his tour bus was still stocked. Takao had to think about that for a moment. "Uh... good question. I haven't been in here since yesterday morning, so I don't know what's left in there. Could be empty, could be recently filled," he claimed, leaving the girl to peruse at her leisure, as always in these moments. "It's a little concerning any time you say you're going to 'try' a thing, though. What are you trying in there?"

Hiroshi wondered where the similarities between this Nara woman, and the one he knew, would end. It seemed one thin line had been drawn. From what Hiroshi could see presently, the promiscuity of Miko was apparently missing from Rita. Ah, but was it? The one he knew as Anais had been very reserved originally, only showing her other side after several interactions and the awakening of deeper desires. Perhaps that was yet another line? He'd have to observe. "Very true. It is via those 'surprises' that we gain wisdom and grow. There is no need to shirk the unknown or unexpected," he agreed. With that, Rita was questioning his wellbeing. One could assume she was talking about alcohol consumption, in which case there was little to be said. He could certainly feel the effects of alcohol in a strange way, though it was nothing stellar by his own approximation. "Hmm. I believe I am well, though that is always in question. The mind does strange things. One must wonder if influence is a factor. I don't believe it is, so... I suppose the answer is 'fine'. What of you? Admittedly, my constitution is perhaps higher than it should be."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Miko would be the first to peruse the findings of Takao's fridge in the most recent 24 hours. "Hm, I didn't expect her to agree to that so easily," Shutara found herself saying in an almost absent fashion. Miko wasn't completely unreasonable or anything like that, but she seemed oddly possessive when it came to Takao's voice, at the very least. In the meantime, Miko opened the fridge to find it, fully stocked. "Oh, someone is on top of things then," Miko said about the fully stocked fridge. There was some random variation within this cold box, several natural juices, cans of coffee, bottles of water, and even energy drinks were all present. It was also always possible to make tea within Takao's tour bus for reasons she was already fully aware of. Beyond that point though there was Takao's speech about her trying a thing, which made her scowl gently as she reached for a cup and straw. "Oi oi, don't say that like you've seen me do something irresponsible," she said quickly not liking the concern for her words alone. "Also, I am trying a thing, respect the thing..." Miko mentioned without saying anything. It was much easier than explaining that she was essentially mixing up a fruit punch energy drink. All while up on her tip toes. Kaguya could help but chuckle. "Oh? Is there something there... I know why I'm worried when Mi-chan say's she's trying a thing, what's worrying about it to you, Taka-nii?" she questioned in a teasing manner.

Meanwhile, Rita received more words to keep in mind. Not shirking the unknown or unexpected for the sake of growth and gaining wisdom. 'Yep, definitely a life coach,' she decided. Whatever else, Hiroshi was, he was oddly good at explaining the nature of things to people who were too engrossed in a situation to figure it out on their own, which could easily be a description which fit herself. Moreover when asked about his wellbeing Hiroshi expressed that he was fine though a bit under the influence, or at least that was how Rita interpreted it. "Sou ka, well that's good..." she mentioned happy that she'd avoided a potential pitfall. "I'm... fine too..." she mentioned, finishing up her second beer and moving to take a third while getting rid of the second can. "At least, I'm not drunk and crying so I am taking several steps in the right direction I think. Besides... I'm usually fine with something light, as long as I don't end up with a hangover, I'll consider my night a success. There isn't much need to worry about me, " she claimed, still she looked Hiroshi and wondered a couple of things. Sheer curiosity crossed her mind as she realized that inviting a man up to her apartment under the guise of consuming sweets could have been taken as a proposition. Actually, many men probably would have taken it as one and been disappointed to have been given actual cake. Hiroshi had to be very odd, unless... he had different motivations completely.

[Bloodedge]

Shutara wasn't the only one surprised by that sudden agreement. Frankly, Takao hadn't expected it to work; he figured a guilty pleasure drink would have to wait until this group left. Much to his surprise, Takao wouldn't even have to get it for himself. Ah, but perhaps there were some caveats. Miko deciding to do a 'thing' was always questionable, regardless of her naysaying about irresponsible acts. Kaguya had a shared opinion on the matter, though she wondered why Takao had concerns of his own. The list was long, ever growing and quite possibly convoluted when delved into. "Well how much time do you have to hear the story? The next concert will be over before I could give the whole list, so let's chalk it up to... general, irresponsible, outlandish obstruction of the natural order of things," Takao said, one finger extended as if to emphasize a major point. He had his own reasons to acknowledge Iino Miko as a disruptive influence, but he also knew... a rare few would understand the truth of it.

In the meantime, Hiroshi had room to see the actual rising cake in Rita's oven. Distractions aside, he did have a particular interest in this process. He leaned rather far to get a decent look, even adjusting his glasses. Baking was quite fascinating in this world. As for their starting conversation about drunken stability, it seemed both parties were well. Of course, Hiroshi couldn't fully believe that in Rita's case. She wasn't drunk, she wasn't crying, but unstable she remained. At the very least, it could be said she was on the right track ─ with or without the third beer and the eventual silent stare. "I suppose those are things to take solace in. Avoiding a hangover should be no issue; I have multiple answers for something like that if necessary. With that being the case, you can feel free to consider your night a success already. Besides, it seems your creation of the evening is coming along perfectly ─ if my ignorant opinion is worth anything," he rambled. In the middle of speaking, Hiroshi took note of Rita's silence. They'd been having a decent back-and-forth since their conversation began, but she now seemed a bit... missing, he'd say. "I think I'll have another of these as well, but is something the matter? Your demeanor has shifted quite a bit in these last few moments."

[Apollymi]

Miko stood with a cup on the counter opening a couple of juice bottles and a can of energy drink. She poured a bit of the energy drink into the bottom of the cup then poured juice of a few types on top of it. She was stirring with a straw casually listening to the sound the glass made while Takao and Kaguya discussed her apparent oddities. Takao for his part in this boiled down Miko's odditi4es to one sentence, 'obstruction of the natural order'. "Shishishi~" Kaguya giggled and Ai laughed and so did Shutara. 'I'll fucking show you a disruption of the natural order,' she thought almost haughtily. "I am standing right here... and I am not irresponsible or outlandish," Miko managed looking slightly pouty. Having finished her work, she moved forward holding that cup in front of Takao, waiting for him to take it before going back to the counter. The juice inside, would taste like persimmon punch with a bit of citrus and slight bubbly at the end. "It's such an accurate way to describe you, Mi-chan. I suppose given this he really is a bestie, only we get to understand that~" Kaguya mentioned knowing the type of person Miko was, to an even higher degree than the rest of the people present. As for what was left, she gave the most of the open energy drink to Shutara, the other two juices to Kaguya and Ai, in the opposing flavors they'd enjoy and took for herself the rest of the tea she'd been drinking this entire time. She'd managed to suit the general needs of the other women and perhaps Takao as well, without wasting anything by knowing their general habits. 'Hm, is that efficiency? Did I get that from Shishou?'

In the meantime, apparently one Nara Rita's brain was all over the place. And the life coach Hiroshi came with hangover cures and the like so she could consider that she was having a nice night regardless of any other circumstances. Considering the circumstances, she was busy thinking about the oddity surrounding this man joining her in her apartment and finding his current lack of pushiness confusing but also refreshing. "If anything your opinion is definitely worth something. And if my night is already a success I won't question it," she admitted. Her cake was seemingly perfect without her having to try very hard at all. Oh, but her own demeanor had changed a bit, "Oh? That isn't anything wrong I was just thinking and admittedly my process was a bit weird but... nothing is wrong or anything," she took a deep breath and began explaining. "In truth, I was thinking that many men in the position of being invited up to a woman's apartment for sweets would have assumed it was a proposition. And as such would have been very disappointed upon realizing that I meant actual sweets. I also just realized that since I haven't been putting myself out there like that in almost a decade I didn't think about it when I did it. There are also the rest of the social oddities around what I did but... I am less worried about those directly," she explained of the situation.

[Bloodedge]

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."

[Apollymi]

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....

[Bloodedge]

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."

[Apollymi]

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.

[Bloodedge]

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."