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[threelayers]

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*BEEEP*

It seems that Neopolitan still isn't managing to master the fine art of caring to be properly sociable. Still, the inbox does work, and she's known to respond fast enough, if she likes someone. So, at least there's that?

(OOC Note: 99% of all replies will come in the form of Text Messages unless Neo has a strong reason to send video messages. She might send pictures, but she prefers text.)

Comments

[threelayers]

[She blinked and then giggled before one finger became two and she winked over at the server, who just grinned away and chuckled herself. The waiter raised an eyebrow and looked about to say something, but there was an idle tap to one hand, over her ring finger, and she shook her head. It wasn't the first time that the girls here had thought she'd picked up a stray.

'Sure thing, I'll be back with your drinks,' they said before toddling off. Neopolitan, for her part, turned and smirked, reaching over to ruffle her on the head.]

Don't be so nervous around here.
Nobody's worried in this place if we look a little silly.
You're among friends in Sapphora.

[tealeafs]

[ It's so easy to ruffle Chizuru on the head. Her hair is so nice and fluffy, and she doesn't move away from the touch in the slightest either. It really is as if Neopolitan just brought a puppy in here..

Especially since Chizuru still seems a little shocked by it all, even now it seems the other took care of her order. ]

W-Wait, um..

[ She leans a little closer towards Neo when the other is done ruffling her hair. ]

Sorry, but.. this isn't some sort of.. gang, is it..? [ Look, that question is a lot more understandable when you consider the fact that meeting in inns is something gangs did all the time where Chizuru comes from.

And Neo's whole remark about being 'among friends' sure only made it seem even more that way to someone as innocent as Chizuru who would not recognize a lesbian bar. ]

1/2

[threelayers]

[Blink.
Blink blink blink...

Huh? Gang?]

2/2

[threelayers]

[She busted out laughing silently right afterwards, realizing what the girl had just suggested. Slapping the table, she looked like she was in stitches for a second before she managed to hold a finger up to forestall her. Give her a second.

Wiping a tear away, she typed and smiled at her.]

Hah, no nothing like that.
I should know what a gang was, since I was in one once upon a time.
Nah, they're all hunters who patrol the streets for monsters, that's all.
Fair warning, though, some of them are gay, so you might get hit on.

[tealeafs]

[ Sorry, Neo.

This is your company for today.

It probably doesn't help that Chizuru still looks as nervous and half-panicked as she sputters out: ]

H-Hit on me? But you just said they aren't a gang..!

[ Because of course Chizuru, a pure and innocent flower, would immediately think of that kind of hitting, rather than flirting..

If not just because she's definitely not used to anyone trying to flirt with her. Or when it happens, it always went straight over her head. ]

[threelayers]

[She was busting up. There was a momentary snort, and then she was patting on her shoulder, laughing softly, holding a finger up and shaking her head. The drinks came out at this point and she shook her head, grinning over at the barmaid, who looked confused. She paused and took the device up before typing her a quick message and holding it so that the server could see.

'Go easy on her. She's real new to this.'

She deleted it and gave her a wink which got a nod from her and a little color in the server's cheeks as she stammered something off and departed. Neo grinned and wiped a tear out of her eye, finally typing for Chizuru.]

Not 'hit hit.' Hit on you means flirt with you.
You're an attractive girl, and some of the girls in this place like girls, not guys. That way.
So, a few of them will probably want to flirt with you, hoping for a kiss.

[Or more, but she was going to just start with kisses for explanations. Kisses were easy to understand. They didn't involve nearly as many other ... things.]

[tealeafs]

[ The only mercy in this situation is the fact that Neopolitan at least leaves it at just kissing. Because even just the mere mention of that..

.. well, it's making Chizuru's face turn as red as a tomato, visible even under the lighting in this place. The idea of girls kissing girls doesn't even strike her as wrong, it's just.. girls.. wanting to kiss her? And Neopolitan even just saying she's attractive as some sort of objective compliment here?!

She's dying. There's steam coming out of the poor girl's ears at this point. ]

W-With me?!

[ That's the baffling part. People wanting to flirt? With her?

???? ]

I.. I've never kissed anyone before though!

[ It's not really Chizuru's main objection here, it's just the first one her flustered mind reaches. And since there's so little of a brain to mouth filter when she's this embarrassed, the words just fly straight out of her mouth. ]

[threelayers]

[Oh yeah, this ball of awkward was absolutely someone's type in this place. Neo was sure of it now. She grinned and patted her on the hand before taking a glove off to show a wedding band on one of her fingers before typing again.]

Well, don't worry about it tonight.
Your first kiss is safe as long as you're with me, since I'm spoken for.
You're a nice girl, but not quite my type.

My type involves green hair and a love for pilfering property.

[She gave her a wink at that point, hoping that the fact that she wasn't in any danger of getting flirted with seriously tonight would help her calm down a teensy bit.]

[tealeafs]

[ At least Chizuru seems to believe Neo when she says that. After all, Chizuru is such an innocent-hearted girl that she wouldn't even consider anyone being even slightly disloyal to their partner, after all.

.. but on the other hand, even if she's safe from Neo flirting with her, it doesn't mean she's necessarily safe from anyone else doing it, right.. Especially now the other has established this as a Flirting Zone.

Chizuru warily looks around them for a moment before scooting a little closer to the other girl. T-There, she's safe here, r-right? ]

U-Um... The person you like must be very.. special. I mean, if they like.. pilfering property and all...

[ .. wait, is Neo in love with a pirate?

Confusing. But it's still better than focusing on the flirting danger all around them, thanks. Chizuru is too faint of heart to think about that too hard. She might just pass out at the table otherwise. ]

[threelayers]

Emerald's a one of a kind, a real partner in crime.
We've known each other for years, but when we were in the nightmare we realized how important we were to each other.
She went and stole my heart in the end, corny as that might sound.

[She let Chizuru scoot in and patted her on the head and smirking, shrugging as she let her get away from all those flirtations that weren't quite happening just yet. But the imagination was a terrible thing.]

Of course we're both crooks, so that's just part of the show.

[tealeafs]

[ It sounds corny, sure, but Chizuru is the type who totally thinks that anything corny is also cute. If people can rely on each other in these sorts of places, then that's all just for the better, right..?

Which means it's not that part that she focuses on. Instead there's something that's been on her mind for longer now, considering stuff Neo mentioned even longer ago. ]

.. you know.. You keep saying that you're a crook, or that you did bad things, but.. you seem really nice to me.

[ She isn't too sure if that's not just a naive observation, but at least it is true to her. ]

I mean.. not that I'm saying you wouldn't have done things, but.. um, I just mean that you don't seem like a bad person to me.. You've been really kind to me so far.

[threelayers]

[She winked as she typed. no, she got this a lot. She definitely got it a lot with folks who'd just met her.]

Well, by crook, I mean I actually am a thief.
Used to steal a lot for a living, and me and my partner were damned good at what we did.
I was his muscle, and I did most of the stabbing if someone needed to die during a job.
But I don't just go around stabbing people unless I have a reason.

So, I guess the smile's not totally an act, and there's no point robbing people here.
Which means I fall back on what I'm really best at, which is stabbing things, and monsters are things.
But, I've had a little help on the whole social graces thing.

[She didn't entirely like pretending to be a good guy. It never sat well with her, especially since her being on everyone's side here was as much survival as ethical growth.]

[tealeafs]

W-Well.. I don't think stabbing monsters is a bad thing..

[ After all, monsters are pretty indiscriminately bad - especially in this place. That's the impression Chizuru has gotten so far. So that means stabbing monsters is just protecting yourself and the people around you.

But the idea of stabbing people.. it's a little harder to process. Chizuru spent all her time around people who killed for a living back home, but at least she liked to believe that they did it for a good reason. That they got rid of the bad guys, so people could be safe.

She doesn't scoot away from the other. There's no rejection, but Chizuru does look a tad more worried - if not just because she's a tender soul. ]

But those people who had to die during jobs.. Were they bad people..? [ Or bad people too, perhaps she should ask, since it doesn't sound like Neo was exactly the good guy back home.

But it's so hard to combine the idea of her as a bad guy with the kindness the other has shown her so far. ]

[threelayers]

[She reached up a hand to pat her on the head. Deep down Neopolitan was more aware of others moral concerns, even if she didn't actually share them. However, she did at least have a little that she could mollify the girl with.]

Well some of them were definitely other crooks, just as bad or worse as us.
But I won't pretend that everyone I ever fought actually deserved what they got. I'm honest about it.
Still, if it's any consolation, most of the people with enough wealth to get our attention to steal?
Those folks didn't get that kind of money the honest way.

[That had never been part of the justification, but yeah. You didn't get rich in Remnant by being honest most of the time. At least not in her world view.]

[tealeafs]

[ It sure is a moral conundrum.

One that Chizuru never really had to think about before. After all, she's always lived in such secluded ways. Growing up in the demon village, away from humanity. Then in her father's house once she did live among people, never mingling with others out of fear that they would find out about her power. Then among the Shinsengumi, never having been allowed to leave the compound..

It sure made it hard to ever really have to consider such social conundrums as the shady ways people make money when Chizuru has hardly ever really been part of society.

.. It feels complicated, and messy, and Chizuru tries to shove the thought a little bit further to the back of her mind when she feels her stomach turning. ]

Then.. have you been doing the same thing here..?

[ She doesn't think so. Neo has been talking about stabbing monsters, after all. Not people. ]

Have you hurt people for similar reasons in this place..? [ Chizuru can't imagine it. Someone who could do that one day, and then go to this place with her and sit here and pat her head like a friend right after.

It'd make no sense.. ]

[threelayers]

[She shook her head rather firmly. That, at least, she could be honest about and not come off as dangerous, not in the same way.]

Not unless I end up cursed.
I haven't really hung the whole "Thug" thing up completely, but there's no reason to hurt random people here.
And there's no real sense of property so stealing's just about completely pointless in Trench, honestly.
So I just kind of converted my talents to something people use.

I'm adaptable.
No crime? Fine, I'll work in a protection racket.

[Because in the end, that's sort of how she saw the Hunters. A protection racket without the shakedowns.]

[tealeafs]

I'm not sure I understand..

[ At least Chizuru is honest about that. She doesn't want to lie, after all. So even though it feels a little awkward to admit, she lets the words slip out of her mouth.

After all, it really doesn't make sense to her. Maybe it's because she's always been so sheltered, but.. someone being kind, yet committing crimes.. Someone who was committing crimes, but now instead is fine with protecting people..

.. it's a little weird, indeed.

But that's not the only thing she wants to say, so she shakes her head, continuing on. ]

But-- I do know I like talking with you like this. [ Because Neo is nice, despite what she might have done in the past. ] To me, you seem so much more like the type who protects others.. You're helping me out here too, after all.

[ Protecting her from dangerous flirting.

So terrifying. ]

[threelayers]

[She reached up and booped her on the nose before grinning in the most impish way possible right then. Ok, that was probably a playful flirt, because if she was protecting her from all that awful flirting, it was only so she could be the one to do it tonight... cause it was fun to make her blush.]

Bad guys do good things too, and protect people, if they are the type to want to.
Just think of me as someone who used to be a robber for a long time, who doesn't really need to do it anymore.
Got better things to do with my time.

Like tease you.

[tealeafs]

[ At least Neo is smart enough to move on from topics that threaten to only give Chizuru a headache as she rapidly tries to figure out both morality matters and friendship codes all at the same time.

Even if it's by making Chizuru blush and squeak instead. ]

W-Why tease me?!

[ Because you're so easy to tease, Chizuru. Just look at her. That boop and those words are enough to make her sputter already. ]

That's not an important thing..!

[threelayers]

Because it's fun making you make silly noises like that.
And when you're blushing furiously, you're not worried about things that you don't have to.
Might sound weird, but it's kinda a fun thing.

And having fun's important!

[If there was one thing about Neo? She had learned that diversion through amusement was important for keeping her safe to be around.]

1/2

[tealeafs]

N-No way, I can definitely blush and worry about things at the same time!

[ .. thanks, Chizuru. She isn't even thinking about what she's saying there. It's definitely just the kind of instinctive flustered response that someone who's being teased would give.. ]

[tealeafs]

[ In fact, she seems to realise what that sounded like only a few moments after the words have already left her mouth, which makes her squeak and almost seem to shrink a little in her seat instead. ]

.. ah, I seriously haven't dealt with this ever since Okita-san did this stuff too back home.. [ And that's already over a month ago at this point. Which might not be long in the grand scheme of things, but for someone who's never left either her house or the compound like Chizuru?

It's a long, long time to be away from familiar places. ]

[threelayers]

Oooooh, who's Okita? Is that your boyfriend or something?
And here I thought you were a first timer when it came to someone flirting with you.
You just blush naturally, which is cute.

[Yep, totally just milking this and making it worse. she strongly suspected that Okita wasn't actually her boyfriend, but she was expecting beet red in 3... 2...]

[tealeafs]

[ Neo is absolutely going to kill Chizuru.

And by that I mean that yes, yes. Of course she's looking majorly flustered over here as she sputters out: ]

H-He's not my boyfriend! He's just the captain of the first division..!

[ It's not even defensiveness, like it might be with certain other people. It's just Chizuru getting flustered at someone even assuming that fake fact! ]

I just lived on a compound with him and a whole lot of other guys, t-that's all! [ She's probably not improving her case here, is she. ]

[threelayers]

[she snickered a little and winked over at her before shaking her head just a bit, one hand leaned over on the table. This was so easy, it had to be wrong, but it felt too fun at the same time.]

And let me guess?
He liked to tease you just a little bit, didn't he?
His way of messing with his subordinate.