A First Meeting: (Private: Hana & Shairako)

Where the hell is he? Hana thought, scanning the area for whoever it was that she would be meeting up with. That damn bloke was supposed to be here an hour ago! Sighing in irritation, Hana crossed her arms under her chest, and continued to glance about the area in hopes of locating the man whom she supposed worked for her client.

"Wow kid, some patience you've got there. If I were you, I would've ditched this assignment long ago." Asarael said, but Hana was unsure whether that was a compliment, or if he was mocking her. She gave no reply, only pulling up her red scarf and burying a bit of her face in it. Although she didn't feel cold, she liked the comfort and warmth that its smell provided. It was... Soothing. She breathed out a soft sigh of content, eyes closed as she took a moment to relax.

That moment however, lasted for not even a minute when something bumped straight into her. Or rather, someone. Caught by surprise, she fell, landing right on her butt. She got up at once, and turned around, only to come face to face with a blonde who had a bandanna, which was red like her scarf, tied around his eyes. He was looking at the ground as he apologized. "Apology accepted. Be more careful next time." she said, deciding not to blame him for it as she herself hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings either.

Hana watched with disinterest as the blindfolded male got back on his feet with a single push and a spin. She couldn't tell whether he was gawking at her, or deep in thought due to the blindfolds. "Probably gawking at ya'. That happens quite a lot, yes?" said Asarael, and Hana agreed. Even if she did not sing, her looks were also what attracted attention. She sighed.

Hana was about to take her leave, seeing that the person she was supposed to be meeting was most likely not going to arrive at all. She'd explain the entire matter to Takashi, and he would understand. Probably. However, she had barely even moved from where she stood when the blonde male offered to get her a drink, as an apology. When he seemed to have realized what he'd blurted out, he turned away, saying that it was simply an idea in a more softer, less confident voice. Could she? No, she had to report back to Takashi. But it was only a drink. Plus, waiting for someone for an entire hour did make her a tad bit thirsty, so a drink seemed like a good idea to her. "I don't mind a drink." she said.

Hana flinched when the blonde grabbed her hand, and began to lead her. She rarely ever made non-violent physical contact with anyone other than her big brother and a few special acquaintances, so the warmth of the man's hand on hers was a little unusual for her.

Aware that the male would staring at her as they walked, the pink-haired maiden wondered how he could walk without even looking at the path. The thought of him having eyes at the back of his head seemed possible, as nonsensical as it seemed. Spotting the rough, dark body of a tree behind him, Hana opened her mouth to warn him, but barely got a few words out before he walked straight into it. The impact of the collision sent him onto the ground, his hand fortunately losing it's grip on hers in the process. Hana leaned forward slightly such that her face would be in his view, and out of curiosity, she attempted to make out his eyes underneath the red piece of cloth he had firmly secured over his eyes.

After a few seconds of trying, she decided to give up. Invading another's privacy was rude, especially when the point of him covering his eyes was to conceal them. Perhaps he suffered from heterochromia, or he had very unique eyes. Either way, she wouldn't dare pry or ask, for it was not her right to do so. When he held out his hand, the girl, albeit reluctantly, slowly reached out to put her smaller, delicate hand into his larger one. "So where are we headed to?"

"Oh, we are going to this cafe, it's a really good place.''

Contrary to what Hana had expected when the blonde had said it was a good place, the girl found herself standing before a small, ordinary cafe. It wasn't really anything fancy, but it didn't seem like a terrible place either. Rather, it seemed... Cosy? The atmosphere around it seemed lively, and there was a fair amount of patrons there. Business seemed to be good.

Hana disposed of any more thoughts involving the quality of the place as she was yet again pulled towards an unoccupied table. She noted that the blonde, however quirky he was, did have some etiquette when he let her have a seat first before taking his. Asarael snickered, the word 'La Princesa' echoing in her mind, along with the muffled laughter of her mentor. She huffed in annoyance, and did her best to ignore him, focusing on the person's introduction of himself. When she heard that he was from the guild Lamia Scale, she was suddenly wary of him. This was common for her, as she had to be particularly cautious of legals due to her past with them. She had had... A few scuffles with legals, both Rune Knights and not, due to her occupation. Those scuffles nearly got her killed a few times, if not then captured.

The faint glow of light that passed through Shairako's bandanna was slightly shocking to her, and she wondered if that was associated with his magic. Did that mean that he was casting a spell? She stiffened slightly. Was he a threat? Had her identity been found out, even after she'd so carefully made sure to never leave any evidence behind? Panicking slightly, she made sure to keep her cool. Carefully, she slipped both hands underneath the table to rest on her thighs, ready to create a weapon anytime she needed to. "I'm L-... Hana." she said, mentally face palming when she realized she'd nearly given away her alias.

Shairako, looking at the girl, introduce herself, was making some weird gestures with his arms, as per usual for the guy. He had probably already gotten bored of the cafe, as he couldn't really stand still for even a short time.

As he was making those weird gestures, he turned to Hana and gave her sort of a questioning look: ''So are you in any guild or?'' He really had no clue of who Hana was or if she was a legal or dark mage. Nothing of that mattered much to Shairako, he only cared about a few things in life, like dancing and food.

''Hey waiter, come here my man.'' Shai's way of speech was strange, he liked to combine words weirdly and in a way they felt good for him. He wasn't trying to appear nice or attractive to the girl, the main reason for the invite was just to eat together with someone and Hana was just a person Shai would enjoy a meal together with, maybe not even just this once.

''Hana, that is quite the pretty name.'' Shai said this out loud, though it sounded more like a thought, even though he hadn't realized that he said it at all.


(OOC: Still deciding on the text color, also forgetting it.)

[OOC: Haha, I thought so. I don't really notice much of a difference though, so it's all good.]

Hana pretended not to notice that her acquaintance ha been making strange gestures whilst she'd been introducing herself. It was probably a habit. 'Or a really obvious signal.' the more cautious, meticulous part of her added in. Her hand resting on her thigh clenched onto the skirt of her dress slightly, before she coaxed herself to relax. There was no reason to get worked up, even if he was a threat. His magic had no particularly threatening feel to it, and she couldn't smell the scent of death and blood on him.

When questioned of her guild, Hana instantly had her answer. "I have no guild." Not anymore, anyway. Now that Nox Animus had... Ceased to exist, her daily routine from before she joined any guilds had been resumed. It was a little monotonous and unentertaining though, and she missed her past guild members very much.

The waiter whom Shairako had called over to their table arrived swiftly, a notepad and pen out and ready to take down their orders. Hana, bearing in mind that it was polite to let others order their food first, waited for her quirky blonde acquaintance to order first.

She silently appreciated the compliment he gave her name.

Hana wondered if her acquaintance had some sort of leg disorder. He certainly didn't seem like he noticed whatever he was doing. Either that, or he was aware but didn't really feel ashamed. She noticed his crestfallen look and the depressed air around him when he was told that the cafe served no sushi.

Hana's eyes widened slightly when Shairako ordered for all the metal they could find in the restaurant. Did he know her magic? How? She hadn't told him. Then, she spotted Shairako nibbling on his metal necklace with sharpened teeth. Either that was made of candy, or... He was like her? Perhaps a metal slayer? That, or he was just... Really unique.

"You seem like quite the relaxed person or tensed up, I can't tell."

Hana blinked when he told her that. She guessed that he'd noticed the small, strange changes in her behavior. "I'm sorry, I'm just... Not used to talking to people outside my family and line of work. I'm terrible when it comes to socializing." She blurted out, cheeks suddenly flushing slightly when she realized she'd confessed her inability to communicate properly to someone whom she'd just met. She turned away in an attempt to hide her now burning cheeks. Asarael mentally groaned.

[OOC: Thanks for replying :D]

When he had stopped chewing on his metal ring, Hana wondered if he had caught her staring at him doing so. How rude of her. "Miss, are tho' a metallic slayer as well?"

Hana blinked once. Then twice, until she finally realized what he'd asked.

"Pfft. You're slow, brat. " Hana ignored her mentor, and shifted slightly in her seat. "Maybe." she answered, guessing that he probably knew the answer to his own question. Seeing as he used the words 'as well', she guessed that he had a metal slayer magic as well. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you a god, dragon or demon slayer?" she asked, unsure whether there were more than one metal element demons.

The girl was slightly irked by the sudden grin he had. Was he planning something?

She guessed not, when he dropped the grin within seconds. Perhaps excited to meet another like him? Yes, it was possible. She'd felt the same way before, whenever she was given a chance to be useful to Takashi when she was much younger. Now it was still the same, although perhaps she did hide her eagerness instead of so obviously beaming at the mention of whatever request he had for her. "God metal slayer..." she murmured upon hearing him speak. He was the opposite of her, which made it even more interesting.

She listened quietly as he explained further. She wondered why his brother would give up using God Slayer magic; especially when he was already born with the magic. She was sure that being born with such a strong, ancient magic would've made him powerful - why'd he give that all up? "Why did he give up his magic, especially if he was born- What? Born with it?" she muttered the last few words to herself. It had taken her by surprise; realizing that his brother had been born with the magic. Born. Not... Trained, or gained from lacrima. Was that possible? She hadn't known about it before, since most slayers either got their powers from their respective mentors or lacrimas.

Hana was unsure of how to answer his question. "I made a contract with my mentor... And in exchange for power, I gave up a small portion of my soul." She answered hesitantly, wondering if he'd see her as inhuman for giving away something like that. Not that it affected her much anyway, since she'd probably never see him again after this. Staring down at the pieces of metal, her ruby colored eyes widened. "Ah. I forgot to place an order."

Hana cursed in silence upon noticing how his mood changed. She might've accidentally brought up some unpleasant memories for him. However, he seemed to perk up once more upon hearing that she hadn't placed an order. It was slightly embarrassing, to have gotten so carried away that she completely forgot to order, but she had been told she was a little airheaded at times, so it wasn't very surprising. A ghost of a smile made its way to her face when he explained that he'd ordered a large quantity of metal just to see the look on the waiter's face. In an odd way, he resembled... Him she thought, but quickly dismissed of any memories or thoughts of that person. He was no longer related to her. Just a part of her past now. Nox Animus had fallen, so it no longer existed. Neither did her team.

She couldn't help but bitterly laugh at herself whenever she thought of her team. She'd wanted to believe that they'd last long, maybe a few years or so, or as long as all of them were in the guild. How naive she'd been. Takashi had been right after all when he said they wouldn't last long. He always was, she'd think to herself, nodding her head to Shairako to thank him for sharing his meal. Her fingers reached out to grab a piece, then took a bite out of it. It was good. Not as good as the railings of the Noximus, but still good.

She was surprised to find out that he hasn't seen his brother for 5 years. Although there were some cases where siblings went their separate ways for years before seeing each other again, 5 years of not being able to see one's sibling was... Sad. She couldn't imagine being away that long from Mikoto. She'd probably pass out from worrying about him so much. As she continued to listen, the world seemed to come to a stop when she heard Shairako's description of his brother. Impossible. That description... It fit him so well. It couldn't be right? He had never mentioned anything about a brother. But the resemblance was there. The hair, the quirky personalities, and the magic. As far as she knew, the only Metal God Slayer she'd known from the only airship guild she'd ever been in, who went to Savage Skull... Was Indar Blackshield.

"Shairako... Your brother... May I know his name?"

She hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath the moment Indar was mentioned until a little later. The slight ache she felt in her chest every time he was mentioned annoyed her to no end. Months. She hadn't gotten into contact with him - with any of the others - for months. Why hadn't she let go of the past yet?

She nearly choked on the small metal part she'd begun on when Shairako mentioned that he had seven brothers. That was an extremely large family. Although, three were now dead, leaving four alive.

Three were dead. Three of their brothers were dead. Gone. That was a likely reason as to why the male had appeared slightly down earlier. She guessed that they must have been close to each other."I'm sorry that I asked." she apologized, giving a slight bow.

Then came the somewhat surprising fact of Indar changing his surname. Well, sort of. It wasn't really a change, simply a lie to cover up his roots. She didn't entirely understand why, but she knew enough to keep her from asking any more questions about their family, lest she triggered unhappy thoughts for the blonde again. Plus, it wasn't that uncommon anyway. People used aliases and covers all the time - she was an example of them. It was however, somewhat pleasing to know a little bit more about her former teammate, like she had wanted to way before all the madness happened. Removing herself from her thoughts, she looked at where the male's eyes should be, behind the red bandana. "Lamia Scale... What's it like? For you? she asks, in an attempt to actually stir up a decent conversation for once, to get rid of the awkwardness in the air.

Hana saw the resemblance between Indar and Shairako again when he grinned, and this time was sure that they were brothers. It was strange, however, that someone like him was in a legal guild. Not that he appeared threatening or dark, but with the signature twisted grin shared by him and his brother, as well as what he'd said about his guild being not overly under the command of the magic council. That could mean he wasn't fond of them either. She couldn't help but disagree, however. No matter how small of a hold the council had over his guild, as long as it was legal, it meant that they would naturally go against dark and possibly neutral.

"Your guild sounds... Enjoyable. Unfortunately, any legal guild is more or less under the control of the council. You'll eventually end up confronting your brother - and it's likely that you'll be on different sides. Would you still choose to fight?" she asks. She had no intention of trying to torment him or play mind games, but she hoped he'd at least know this fact. She was sure no one would kill their own sibling, right? Even if they weren't extremely close, they should at least have some sort of affection towards each other for having spent their childhood together.

Oh wait, his family was not so normal. They were insane by heritage, and one brother had already killed another. Who was she to say that wouldn't happen? And now that she thought about it, would her step-siblings do so as well? Right now, the only thing preventing them from doing so was her position, power and her being the favourite of their parent. Then, what was to happen if she lost all of that?

She made note to ponder about this matter later on. For now, she didn't want to trouble herself a lot. The pink-haired demon slayer was taken aback by her awuaintance's sudden question. "D... Date?" she repeated, muddled. A date involved romance, and she'd only met him just now. Then she reminded herself that he said it felt like a date, not considered it as one.

"That's good." she says, unsure of what else to say. Although now she knew why both brothers were so full of life. Why Indar never appeared down in front of her. Why Shairako, a man she'd just met, appeared so... Carefree.

She arches a brow when the blonde makes a peculiar sound - one that she had heard other girls making whenever there was something adorable was around. Guys did that too, but not as often as girls did. That, she had not even the slightest clue as to why. "You know, you are quite adorable." Without even thinking, she replies with the usual, "Thank you, you look a-" and stops just before she returns it, her mind finally registering what he had said. Her eyes retain their steel gaze as she subconsciously buries half her face in her thick red scarf, concealing rose-tinted cheeks.

She was a sucker for praises like these. She rarely got praises like these from her parent, so nearly every time a compliment was received, she was easily tamed. The situations and person were also factors of course. A praise given by a threat or target rarely got to her, since she would have an entirely different mindset. Compliments like these however, when directed to an unprepared, unsuspecting Hana, were very... Effective. She sinks her face lower into the scarf at the thought of it again, frustrated and pink-faced.

Meanwhile, watching from inside his host, a certain demon mentor groans, slapping a hand onto his face.