Idle decisions, idle decisions, hmmm... ( For Hatsuharu )

“If you can get the job done, then why not cause a bit of mischief here and there?” The idol would look down at her and give her a charming smile seeming not to be bothered about this conversation or how it was turning out. Though one had to wonder: was he being serious about this or was he just humoring the kid with him? It was hard to tell and that smile gave no hints on what the young man was thinking. He honestly just seemed like he was relaxing a bit more and beginning to like the conversation and company he was with.

Even when the smile vanished, his expression remained neutral and relaxed as he continued to wait for the train and let the conversation play out. When he asked his question though, the young man would tilt his head at the other’s reaction to it all. She seemed a bit shocked, but why? Was his question that out of the box? He had to wonder, but outside of the head tilt he wouldn’t do much else to dig into this matter further. Besides she was answering now anyway, so he’d listen.

“Is that so,” he would say and then closing his eyes for a bit he would think, wondering if his life and how it was built was out of the norm in comparison others. After all this kid got to do what she liked and choose her own path in life and while she was still young she still had room to plan her future where as his had been stolen from the get go. He never got that choice. It was enough to make him a bit envious, but at the same time the idol didn’t hold any ill will towards the child who was so free. He just locked the emotion away with the others as he reopened his eyes to look at her as she gave a solution to the problem of not having an answer. To what was asked the young man would look upward for a bit as he rub his chin, letting out a hum of thought as he gave a pause for dramatic effect. The pause wouldn’t be long as he nodded a bit and look down at her with a slight smirk.

“Alright. I will take that one for now,” he would tell her his tones while still soft, holding signs of playfulness. Heh. So he could play when he wanted. Regardless of that though, he was just rolling with the punches at this point and maybe would’ve continued the chat, but the sounds of the train’s arrival distracted him. Looking over to the crowds moving towards it, he would push himself off the pillar he was leaned against to begin his walk towards the train.

This time around he would actually walk so that he was easily walking at the kid’s side rather than ahead of her and when they got to the entrance of the train, he would let her go in first and if she wanted to she could even choose where they sat. In either case, he would eventually settle in a seat and wait to see if the conversation would continue or not from here.

Through out the whole conversation, she was doing her best to see if she could read him.  Before, it was out of honest curiosity.  Now it's become a game for her.  He was immensely difficult to read, though he maintained a very friendly and social appearance through out the entire conversation.  By now, the game was to see how much she could figure out based on how much he was letting her figure out.  If by chance she figured out something that he let slip, perhaps she'll call his attention to it?  Though that depends on how sensitive that may have been.  People hide secrets for a reason, after all.

Now the train has arrived, and it seemed he was letting her go first?

"If this is the whole 'Lady's first thing,'" she began as she went ahead and stepped forward ahead of Haru, "then you're sadly mistaken.  I'm not a lady.  I'm not even nobility.  I'm more like a pauper than a princess!"  Since it seemed she was taking the lead this time, she was quick to rush to one of the seats, particularly one that had a window by it.

"Okay, my turn!  Do you sneak out to get away from your current life?"

How ironic that I would ask a question with relevance to my own life.  Let's see what he answers!

There were many things people hid from the world for reasons only known to themselves. The dark haired male with the red headed child was no exception to this rule. While he did indeed remain friendly and seemingly open to conversation, he only showed the world and this kid what he wanted them to see - an ordinary guy that happened to have a job as a stage performer. It wasn’t a lie really. More like a twisted truth bent to how the young man wished for it to be presented. He played his game well, never giving any hints of his inner thoughts to the one he was with as continued the game of questions with the child wondering how long it would be before one of them slipped up and told what they tried to hold so close to them. She was a child after all and children were the most dangerous of opponents in any game. Always underestimated when they could be so strong. He had to watch her and be careful lest she trip him up, but the child would have to play carefully too. After all, he was now quite into the game after her question about being a Cadet. Just that quickly she turned what was at first was just an act to humor the kid into a real game of keep away as his curiosity in her grew though the interest was buried underneath the layers of friendliness he showed the world. No one would ever guess that the child was playing with fire, so it would be interesting to see if she left the game un-burnt. The game would only continue as they boarded the train.

As he followed the child he had let go first towards a window seat, he would choose to settle himself in the seat across from her so that they could be face-to-face and he could lounge without feeling awkward with a person next to him. As he sat down and relaxed in his seat, he would speak as he looked over at his smaller companion.

“I don’t see why class or age has to determine whether or not I let a lady go first. You are female, so why not treat like you lady? Or does it perhaps bother you?” He would tilt his head curiously at the other wondering if maybe she wished to be treated differently. If so he could change his behavior to accommodate that wish. After all, he was not here to offend and he’d rather know he made the error now rather than repeat it again and make the little one mad. Regardless of where that went though, he would become quiet for a bit as his companion asked her next question. To this one, he would smile a bit as he crossed his arms and thought for a few seconds. Well this one was an easy one to answer, so then...

“Mmm. I certainly do. In fact,” he would lean forward towards her his voice lowering a bit as he watched the other carefully with a smirk in play. "That is actually what I am doing right now. Promise not to rat me out?” He would give her a chance to answer before leaning back in his seat once again and continuing the game with her since it was his turn to ask a question. When he spoke his voice had returned to normal volume, even if it remained soft and gentle. “You said you were an explorer earlier. So does that mean you too do the same?” he would ask her and then watched to see just how she handled that one. Let's see how well she could play her cards.

To the comment about how age or nor class has any say in her whether to treat her as a "lady"...

"Well, I'm not particularly bothered, no.  If you want to see me as a lady, then that's your perogotive... peraga... paro... hang on, I know this word.  Prerogative!  There we go, Prerogative!"

To the confession about sneaking out, she couldn't help but give a small grin for it.

"My lips are sealed," she replied, pretending to zip her mouth, locking with a key, and then... tapping on her checks a few times as though she were dialing on a number pad?  Apparently, she password protected the secret.

To the question of if she was sneaking out herself, that was a difficult one.  She was still not ready to admit that she was sneaking out...

But he went through the trouble to admit his own crime...

Should she guard her secret?  Or risk being a bad judge of character and share a detail?

Why not both?

"Heh, okay, you got me," she replied simply, "Let's just say I have a bad habit of using any excuse I am given for heading out as an extra excuse to explore."

She gave another thought.  Maybe admit one other thing to see if she can get a small chuckle?

"Don't worry, an alley of justice has already gotten me to promise not to explore private property!" She said with arms crossed and a head nodding.

Let's see how this gets used against me, huh?

"Next question, hmmm..."  Darn, I can't think of a personal question... well, why not a mundane question?  "What do you think of how things are run here in Endymion?  Are you happy with it or does it bother you a little?"

He was patient enough as he waited for the girl to get her words right not showing any signs of mockery as his friendly behavior remained in place. “So it is,” was all he would say to that in the end as he gave her light nod. There was really nothing else to say now that the issue had been laid to rest and maybe the conversation would’ve fallen into a bit a silence right there; however, the girl had posed an interesting question which in turn got the young man to share a secret of a sort with her.

As he saw her grin and heard the response back, his smirk would shift into a rather pleased and charming grin as he sat back in his seat with a content nod. It seemed the action had blown away any mistrust he had of the girl for it seemed that whatever guards the man had up before would actually decrease. It seemed things were going well for the girl, but one had to wonder: who really had the advantage here? The kid or the man that only showed what others wanted to see? It was a hard call, but one that did not matter at the moment as the game continued on and he asked his question.

Well, well. What an interesting turn. She had actually fest up to her earlier lie. Heh. Had him giving his own secret away cause her to feel safe doing this? Maybe, but the young man didn’t think on it too much as he instead gave her an understanding nod. “I don’t blame you. There is much to see out there, so why not take advantage of the loopholes.” Huh. It seemed he supported her behavior, then did this make him a horrible adult, or did this just mean this was something they agreed on? Another mystery to add to the bag.  

And what was that now? Haru would tilt his head at the girl, his smirk fading as she gave him some other information. His eyebrows would raise slightly as an expression of light shock would go across his face not because of what he heard, but rather because the girl had chosen to gamble a bit bolder with her statement. Her comment might’ve gotten her in trouble, but with the man she was with now? Well....

The shock would melt away into amusement as he folded his arms as he watched the other with a thoughtful expression. “Caught at your own game, huh? On one hand, I am quite sad for you, but on the other glad nothing bad came out of it. Private property is a risky gamble in the end and has a high chance of going wrong if the wrong sort were to catch you,” he would pause and grin melting away the serious as the smirk came back. “I suppose Lady Luck favors you then. Who is this ally of justice you speak of?”

She had his interest now, but why was that? Was he secretly all for risks and doing the dangerous thing? Or was this curiosity something more? A question hard to answer when a face show only geniune curiosity and no ill-intent. The question was, how much would the child trust his behavior and openness to a chat that would have had other adults lecturing her?

Regardless of where that went though, the child would eventually pose a question that caused the smile to vanish as the young man became serious once more. He would bow his head a bit as one hand went to his chin and he let out a low hum of thought staying quiet for a moment. Well now, how to play this card? HmHmHmmmm...Alright. Let’s try this.

“To be honest, I’d say I am on the middle ground with this one. On one hand, I am grateful for what is happening here. After all, the rules here make the streets safe and allows everyone to live their lives more or less comfortable, but on the other hand, I often wonder if it would not be better to have some chaos in life also. To shake things up a bit and give life a bit of spice….” he would trail off seeming to be lost in thought as he looked at the floor panels and then seeming to remember he was with someone, he would look up at the girl and give her a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Heh. Maybe I should not have said that," he would give her a lopsided grin as he shook his head a bit. "Ah well it is done now, but I wonder if that is bad for me to think. Do you think it wrong?” He would tilt his head at his companion as curiosity danced in his eyes as he watched her. He wasn’t lying it seemed and his two pronged question didn’t seem to be hostile. He seriously wanted her know her opinion on both what he had just said and also about how the city was ran, but why was a mystery for now. Anyway let’s see how she gambled this round...

A question about the ally of Justice, ey? A very easy answer to give.

"The dog. Turns out, I ended up in the yard of one very efficient guard dog. I learned my lesson after that." She replied sheepishly. She didn't think it would be needed, but she was ready to claim that she came out of it unscathed, saved for a very terrified heart, should Mr. Hatsuharu decide to ask on her well being.

Never-mind the fact that it was a robotic dog who managed to indirectly trigger her claustrophobia and can speak the HUMAN LANGUAGE!

However, the reply to her question definitely got her thinking. She was expecting a black and white answer, either a Pro or Con stance about the government.

She didn't expect to see such a grey answer. She couldn't help but appreciate it.

"In all honesty, I see nothing wrong with that answer," she replied. "It's nice that there's a set up that maintains the peace, but I always wonder about if it's a perfect system. I always get this feeling that it's... not what it's cracked up to be."

After all, it's a weird system that lets a kid live away from her parents because they're too scared to leave me by myself in an unguarded home...

"An who knows, maybe it be nice to see the place liven up a little. But then again, what do I know, I'm not yet an ad-dult. I still have a lot of growing up to do."

The easy going expression would shift into slight concern as the kid mentioned running into a dog when she invaded private property. “That seems like a pretty frightening encounter. The dog didn’t hurt you did it?" Sure the kid looked fine now, but then again she never specified how long ago that happened, so she might've healed up since then. That logic aside though, it seemed that despite how cold he appeared to be, he actually cared under it all...at least that is how he seemed as he watched the other and waited to see if he got a reply. Regardless of what happened there, the topic would go from private property and dogs to something a bit more tricky to wade through - thoughts on how this city was run.

This was a area that might trigger the wrong person and maybe those around them might be frowning upon him for saying what he said to a kid of all people; however, for the young man didn't seem to care about this and if anything he seemed to be pretty open about opinions on this particular topic, but why that was was a mystery. Just like it was a mystery as to why the answer given did not cause him to flare or try to shut the kid down for being in the same boat as him. Or make a move to suggest he wasn't suppose to be taken seriously. Huh. Guess his answer was more honest than one would think and his seriousness on the matter very real. Anyway...

He would take in her answer and give a light nod.

“Sometimes things do seem a little too good to be true,” he’d agree with that one as his eyes drifted to the window now that they had gotten out of the tunnel and more scenery could be seen. While he didn’t look at her, he did hear her words as indicated by his response. “Who knows maybe that gut feeling of yours is right. Maybe the system is something else underneath its pretty face.” What was this? Was he speaking against the government or was he just looking at the picture from all angles? It was hard to say his voice remaining neutral and his expression blank as he watched the world pass by for a while longer. He would eventually blink and look back at the girl as she finished up her answer.

To what he heard, the idol would give her a small smile. He truly appreciated her honesty in this matter and even being bold enough to share it with him though they were strangers. It was nice to see this behavior considering some would try to fight for or against the system when it came to this sort of chatter. It became quite boring hearing the arguments and those that tried to convince you that your way of thinking was wrong and what not. To find someone of a similar mindset as himself was a nice change of pace and made him feel a bit more comfortable around the kid and in turn made it that much easier to speak with her.

“Maybe not, but you seem to be a lot more open minded than some I’ve encountered, so perhaps you are wiser than you think despite age.” He would give the compliment to the other before falling quiet again as his eyes drifted back to the window. While he knew they were playing a game so to speak, he couldn’t think of a question this round, so instead of digging into the dead space, he'd just admit the truth of the matter. “My mind is drawing a blank for question, so take a once more and ask another if you want."

He would fall quiet after that leaving the floor open for the kid to take the conversation wherever she pleased. Though that still didn’t guarantee answers. Ah well. At least he seemed to not be annoyed or bored by what was happening so yay?

Well, it seemed she'd have to reply about the dog harming her after all.  No better proof than hard evidence.

"No harm here," she replied, rolling up a sleeve to show no damage.  "No harm here," she repeated as she rolled up the other sleeve.  "And no harm here," she replied as she lifted her jacket and shirt to do the same.  All attempts would show quite a number of band-aids.  A band-aid here, a band-aid there, etc.  Though for the most part, it seemed her freckled body was mostly covered in individual band-aids for cuts and small bruises.  There wasn't a sign of claw or bite marks anywhere.

"I get nicked a lot, but the most I suffered from that guard puppy was a figurative heart attack... and maybe a severe moment of panic, but I got over that quickly enough!"

And it was to her answer about the government that she gained but a small boon from her opponent in this game.

Wow, he really plays the game well, she thought to herself, unsure of how seriously he took the game or not, But I think I got a glimpse of what's underneath.  Maybe I've played enough for now.  If I play any more, he might start finding out things about me that I'm not yet ready to share!

Still, I can't help but be very intrigued by him.  I wonder if he comes out to this place often?  I'll have to make a note of it.

The surprising remark was the claim that she was wise beyond her years.  

"I, I don't think so," She replied with what humility she could muster, "I mean, you've seen all the scraps I've gotten, right?  A bad jump here, a misstep there... I just do my best to learn from my mistakes."

She paused, thinking about the part he said before the claims of her wisdom.

"To be honest, though, I've seen a lot when I explore this city.  So many different thoughts and opinions... and as odd as it sounds, I kind of value all of them.  Every thought and idea is a valuable thought, no matter what anyone says."  She paused.  That didn't quite feel right.

"Maybe it's just that I find people to be very interesting."  That's better.  That felt like the more accurate answer.

I guess I get that from Mom.  She's the one interested in studying peoples behavior, even if it's through advertising and such... oh, right, I get a once more!

"I guess you were downed for that question," she said playfully, "I guess I could go for an all out attack!"  Sadly, she couldn't think of a big enough question worthy of being called an all out attack.

But she had every other question that she had been saving.

Almost ominously, she took a very deep breath.

"So, you gave me your name, but are you secretly famous?  Do you go to Seven Stars, and if so, what kind of classes do you have?  How old are you really?  Do you have a secret identity?  What would you do if you did have a secret identity?  How would you use that secret identity?  Would you walk the path of Light?  Or Darkness?  Or would you walk the path of Dawn, where light and darkness meet as one!  Do you love animals?  Do you have a pet?  Do you like plusies?  Do you surround your bed in plushies?  Do you have a best friend?  Do you know any juicey embarrassing secrets that would make your Best friend, or any friend really, blush madly if they knew you told a little kid like me?  How much do you know about Endymion?  How much do you know about the world?  How  is the sky blue?  How many fish are in the sea?  How much wood can a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?!"

And she finally stopped, taking this much needed opportunity to catch her breath.  After she did, she gave Hatsuharu a rather cocky look, as though daring him to remember and answer all of her questions.

He would watch the world outside for a bit longer before turning his eyes back to the child as she addressed his question on being harmed by the dog. As the child displayed her arms, legs, and stomach area, the idol took what he saw in with a calm eye noting the band-aids, but otherwise not showing any signs of being bothered by the display. In fact, by the end of it all the idol would give her a light nod and a gentle smile.

“You remind me of myself when I was a bit younger. I never could resist what caught my interest.” Sure he didn’t start running until he was older, but he had his fair share of bumps and bruises from his own adventures when he was younger and times were simpler. Now he received them in a different sort of way. Anyway, that matter was neither here nor there, so... “Well I am glad that you managed to survive that. Did you run or was the dog actually friendly?”

From there he would become quiet to give her time to answer before the topic shifted to the grey area that was their stances on the city and how it was run. Never displaying his intention for remaining so grey about the matter, the young man only seemed to fall into deep thought as the conversation fell into silence for a moment as his gaze returned to the window. Without further prodding he wouldn’t go deeper into this sensitive topic. Though he had to wonder what his companion was thinking since she had become quiet herself. Maybe if she had lingered too long in the silence he would’ve asked, but the kid would begin talking soon enough as she responded in a rather cute fashion to his comment about her being wise beyond her years.

Looking back at her, he would tilt his head at her.

“The wise don’t have the easiest of paths. There mistakes and learning from them is what makes them grow. The fact you’ve taken blows and decided to learn from what you have experienced versus not learn only proves my point,” he would tell her. There was no mockery or flattery to be found there. He was giving an honest opinion and that honesty would not fade as he heard the next set of words and let out a hum of thought.

“People are curious creatures, but being opened minded like that gives you opportunity to learn and discover things others in more boxed mindsets cannot. It is a good trait to have being curious and wanting to learn,” he pause and give her a sheepish smile as he scratched his cheek lightly. “Though I would advise playing with caution. Curiosity and knowledge can sometimes bite back in unpleasant ways.” Speaking from experience are you? Ah well. At least he hadn’t done anything to get himself killed. Badly injured mayhaps, but he knew better now, so no problems there....right?

That matter aside, the older male’s smile would turn into an amused grin as he heard her comments quite amused by her wording for unknown reasons; however, what came next caused the grin to fade as he at first gave her a blank look as if he didn’t comprehend all of it, but then the moment would pass as he unexpectedly gave her a rather cocky and mischievous smirk.

“Alright then,” he would say as a way of accepting her challenge before he leaned back in his seat and crossed his left leg over his right before folding his arms across his chest as he kept a serious gaze on her. He would take a moment to collect his thoughts, his training for interviews kicking in heavily before he took a breath and then begin pacing himself so the words came out calm and natural rather than rushed as he attempted to address all he had heard.

“I suppose I am only as famous as the people of the entertainment business make me. I have fans, but as popular as the big timers? I would not say so. I am quite average despite my job. As for school, I was home schooled so never experienced the pleasure of going through the public school system. I don’t have classes in the normal sense anymore unless you count self improvement, training for events, and dealing with people of all sorts on a daily basis as classes. I am not sure why it really matters, but I am 22 and as for secret identity, I am afraid I am pretty boring in that department. What you see is what you get,” he would chuckle lightly at this, but soon enough become serious again. “Though if I did have a secret identity, I would probably lean closer to the Phantom of the Opera or a ghost so to speak. I would use it to do what is right though my standards on that can be questionable so my pathway would be right down the middle and heading towards the dawn or twilight depending on the situation,” he would pause and brush a piece of hair out of his face and tuck it behind his ear. “I do enjoy animals, but don’t have many pets. In fact, I only have one right now which is a painted horse that the ranch folk out at East Eden take care of for me when I am away. She is one of the reasons I like to come out this way. The only other pet around is a pup, but he belongs to someone else in the household, but still it is nice to be able to spoil him a bit here and there too.” Yeah that little rascal was something else and kept one busy if one chose to hang around the little guy for a day. Anyway, he would pause when it came to the plushie question. “Well no, but I do have a few Zelda Amiibos and Toro Inoue figures I collect and keep in shadow boxes on the wall. Never really considered getting a plushie though, so I am afraid I don’t have any. As for friends, I do have one close one and as for a secret well...it goes back to the plushie deal. You see, if I did get some it would probably be...well…” He’d fidget a bit uncomfortable, but continue on. “Hello Kitty or Eevee plushies. I don’t know why those items are so appealing, but I cannot resist their cuteness,” he would actually blush a bit at this one. Lord knew where that would go if a certain someone found out about that one and now it was out in the air for another to go after. Well, I suppose one could give him props for being bold there and owning up to it despite how embarrassing it was to admit. Regardless of that though, he recovered soon enough and continued on. “As far as my knowledge on the city and the world goes, well I know as much as the internet, news, and experience allows me to learn. I dig into whatever, so you’d have be more specific if you want more solid answers than that,” he would pause for a breath and then continue. “As far as the sky goes, I could give you a scientific view, but I find that much too boring; however, I can tell you that the Great Spirit who gives life and death to all is a master of the color pallet. Thus that perfect shade of blue up there that no one can match. As for fish well, I am not sure of exact numbers, but there are well over thousands out there and even more undiscovered. As for the last part,” he would chuckle lightly. “You would have to do a tongue twister that is quite hard for me to say, so to avoid accent shenanigans, I will keep the answer simple: He would chuck as much wood as he could.” Whoo. Got them all! Now were all those answers truthful? Maybe and maybe not. Regardless, he would deliver them in confidence and smoothness that would leave no room for doubt, so who knew. “Now then, I’ve answered your questions, so now for you to answer all them yourself for me.”

The mischievous look in his eye would return as he gave her innocent, yet toothy grin that resembled a Cheshire Cat's though less intimidating and more charming. He would toss her own game back at her to see how much she would answer or even if she could remember what she had just asked. He had to admit he was highly amused with this game or not.

In terms of the question about if the dog was friendly, the honest truth about it was that the dog in question was friendly. She just wasn't sure if she could safely share that much. She did make a promise to keep his secret after all.

She also didn't run. How could she? She was trapped, literally, at the time.

"I... kind of got cornered," She replied honestly. If she was going to keep a secret and lie, then the most dangerous lie to make was the most dishonest one she could come up with. "The dog kind of had this intense glare as it sniffed me up and down. I had to wait until I had an opening before I could get out of there." Well, that was about as accurate as she felt she could get away with.

Of course, now came the impressively long response to her impressive all out attack.

Ironically, Tatum had always wanted to know what it was like to have a slack jaw. Now she knew.

Then she was challenged to answer her own questions. If she tried hard enough, she could easily recall almost anything, especially if she took the time to burn something into her memory.

Could she really remember all of her own questions?

"Hmmm..." said she with the crossed arms and closed eyes. She concentrated hard and thought critically on what she asked.

"Whelp, here goes nothing," She replied as she tried to take it one step at a time.

"I'm a Seven Starrer. My classes are alternating classes. I have eight different classes. Math, Science, literature (that one's kind of my favorite), PE (Another favorite), History, Home Ec., Grammer, and social studies. I'm actually a thousand years old, posing as a ten year old child! But I'll always claim to be ten because ten is the closest equivalent to my true age that you mortals can understand! And sadly, no secret identity. Maybe if I had one I'd use it to help people where I could? Or maybe it would use it to start a secret research that will allow me to control how much power and size one has so that one day, I can recruit loyal people who are loyal to my cause and turn them into an unstoppable giant army with powers similar to the Cadets except on a much larger scale and have them under my command so that we can take over the world! After all, the world is in dire need of someone to take it over and make things right again! So I guess that means I'd walk the middle path of Dawn slash Twilight." Obviously, the "conquer the world" part was more her playing than anything else. "And I love animals! Absolutely adore animals! But I have no pets. School dorms forbids it, so I compromise with plushie! And obviously, I love plushies! I surround my bed in plushies! My current goal is to get the entire Frost Family! I'm well on my way to a full Eeveelution set myself, actually! I'm only missing Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Umbreon, Espeon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon! And in actuality, I know quite a bit about Endymion. There are a lot of places you can get to if you know how, and each one holds many many MANY secrets! I haven't found all the secrets, but I know all the best sight seeing places! I know only as much of the world as the internet is willing to share with me! The Sky is Blue because the Air Titaness loves the color blue, so she commissioned the Great Spirit to make it blue for her! She paid with swirly cloud cup cakes which she made with her sister the Water Titaness! They ended up being the clouds in the sky because the Great Spirit wanted to share with everyone, but because they exist on a different plane of existence, we can only experience them as clouds that can bring us rain when it gets too heavy! I tried asking the Water Titaness about how many fish are in the sea, but she keeps losing count after three thousand, one hundred and forty one, then she kept getting distracted with pie. A woodchuck would chuck as much a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood! I had to learn that for literature once... oh, and I am not secretly famous."

There was a problem, though. The question about a best friend. Out of all of the questions, that one was the one she was the most adverse too.

In the end, she chose to concede defeat.

"I can't remember the rest," she replied, "Soooo, we have a winnaaaaah!" She actually went right to Hatsuharu's side to raise his hand into the air, as though she were a referee announcing the winner of the boxing tournament.

The concerned look on his face that had come about due to the dog topic would easily melt into understanding and calm as he gave his companion a light nod. “Well, I am glad sniffing was all the dog did and that you were able to get away.” He supposed Lady Luck favored her that day, but it seemed that the dog scare had gotten her to stop going on private property for adventures. Probably a good thing considering there were things worse than dogs to contend with when there was private property involved. In any case, her answer seemed to be satisfying enough because the man did not pry any deeper into the dog issue and seemed to accept the story she made up as truth.

As one topic died off, the young man would find himself talking longer than he had planned as he was asked a slew of questions that would’ve probably baffled or tripped up others; however, thankful the question being asked were the sort he had no problem answering. The pre-made answers only giving surface knowledge of himself and nothing more thanks to their general nature. He passed the challenge posed and it seemed the kid was a bit stunned about it. The look upon her face only increased the amusement that flowed through him, but he did not brag or say anything more about it as he instead reflected her own attack right back at her. He didn’t rush her as he gave her all the time needed to get her thoughts in order and in turn begin to answer. To what was heard, the young man would close his eyes and listen.

She was a student from Seven Stars that liked literature and PE. She was 10 years old and seemed to want to help people if she could. She was a very imaginative individual that seemed to like to play as demonstrated by this game, her take over the world story, and the explanation of why the sky was blue. As far as standing in the power struggle between light and dark went, she seemed to be as grey as him with no clear cut line of where they actually stood in the world. This was a nice touch since that probably meant he didn’t have to be concerned with her being on a high horse or pulling for one side or another with that sort of mindset. In any case, she loved animals and plushies, but due to arrangements couldn’t have a pet. Lastly, she was a curious sort that loved to explore and find secrets. And it seemed she knew how to keep secrets to. He did take note of the questions she missed or did not answer. Whether she forgot them intentionally or not was always questionable, but the idol didn’t seem to mind as eyes reopened and his grin settled into an impressed smile as he looked the child up and down with approval.

“Well played,” he would say quite pleased with the display she had given. For a child she was a very interesting piece of work with intelligence he appreciated and it seemed she had boldness to spare on top of that. As the kid moved to his side, the idol who usually hated invasion of personal space didn’t react to the child as she grabbed his hand and raised it upward like he was some form of champion and made her announcement.

As his hand was freed, he would just let it rest in his lap as he shifted in his seat to lean back against the side of the train, not to get space between him and the child, but rather to get in a more comfortable position to view her better. Relaxing much like a cat, he would address her.

“Oh? Through with the game already?” he’d tease her a bit, though in the end not really minding at all. The game was indeed fun, but there was only so far he would go before walls would be tossed up to block things deeper than the surface answer. In any case, he would allow her time to answer and if some more chatter came out of that, then that was fine and if none came that was fine too. The idol would take whatever he was given as the train continued its trek towards Eden and in time would begin to slow down as it reached the East Eden station.

"I couldn't answer all of the questions," She replied, "Plus I'm running out of questions... unless you want me to add utterly ridiculous questions into the mix like 'do you have a crush on our queen' or 'do you think Santa is really a very generous Jack Frost.' I for one think that's stretching it a bit. And for the record, I don't think I'm old enough to have a crush, though if I was and the rumors are true, then maybe I would swoon a little? And I think Santa is a special spirit who is able to be anything he wants to be, because he's that kind of spirit! He takes the form that most fits the needs of the society! He was once Thor, you know! Yuletide and all that. I did a paper on yuletide so I have at least an idea about it."

After that, she went back to her spot and looked out the window, admiring the view. It seemed that afterwards, the child had chosen to be quiet. If there was anything worth replying to, she would, but otherwise she may have decided she was more interested in the scenery.

“No, but you managed to answer a good chunk of them, which is impressive on its own,” the idol would say his tones calm and soft as usual, but with a hint of gentleness that did not seem typical for someone like him. Even so, it showed that while he could appear cocky, the idol was not arrogant in the least. No, he was actually more humble and respectful than that….and apparently liking his company enough to humor her next set of words. A crush and Santa Clause theories huh? They did sound far fetched and maybe had the other annoyed him, or he didn’t wish to be bothered any longer, he might’ve walled such talk; however, the idol didn’t block her as he heard her answer her own questions and then for whatever reason responded back in turn.

“Then you and I are in the same boat. I can’t think of any questions to ask myself and unfortunately my mind has a limit to how creative it can get in the inquiry department. I am afraid, I cannot come up with entertaining questions like you have,” he would begin giving the other a playful smirk and then becoming a bit more serious, he would tilt his head at the kid considering something in silence before speaking. [color=#99ccff]“Though for the record….” His eyes would drift from the kid to some point past her. “I do not have a crush and while it may seem silly, I still believe in Santa Claus and think it is rather generous spirit, if you don’t tick it off that is,” the idol would say with and then hearing the rest of what was, his eyes would come back to the other as he raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t say. Well now, I have learned something new. As for Yuletide, I don’t think it I’ve dug too much into that one. Maybe I will do it one day to see what other information I can learn.” He liked to explore new things, even if the information was useless in the end. It was still fun facts to explore and who knows maybe even good conversation fluff when one was running low on words and needed something to talk on. That aside though….

The idol would become quiet after that taking note that the kid moved back to her seat and began to take in the scenery going by outside. With nothing else to say, the idol would lean back against the side of the train and let his eyes wander about the interior for the time being. Unless something was brought up, they would spend the rest of their time on the train in silence.

In time, the train would slow down and then come to a stop at the station. As it did, people would begin to move to get off or move to better seats on the train. Getting up, Haru would join that crowd until he finally exited the vehicle. On the platform, he would wait for Tatum and if allowed he would accompany her through the station and outside.

Once outside, he would take a moment to stretch out and enjoy the fresh air that greeted them. As he let his arms fall to his side again, he would look down at his companion (if she was still there) and give her a light smile.

“Well Tatum, I thank you for keeping me company; however, I believe here is where we part ways. So until next we meet, take care,” he would say offering her a smile of thanks. However, the ending played out, the idol would eventually shift in his spot and begin to walk away as he shoved his hands into his pockets and continued on to wherever he was going.

~Unless stopped Haru is exiting the thread. ~

Wow, he still believes in Santa? Does that imply that you're not supposed to?! BLASPHEMY!

"Well, I'm glad you still believe!" she expressed, "Santa is a very important spirit, and his efforts should at least be recognized!"

At that point, silence. A long, quiet, peaceful silence. Perhaps every once in a while, Tatum would expressed child-like glee over seeing a horse or a cow or even a goat, but otherwise it was very minor chit-chat.

The train reached it's destination at last.

"Fresh air! Fun in the sun! Relaxation! And me going to find all the secrets again!" She announced. Of course, this was where they would part ways, from the sound of it.

"It's been fun! Thank you for indulging a random kid who decided to follow you around for no apparent reason!" She said playfully, bowing low to her host. "Until we meet again, oh noble one. Woosh!" With that, she ran off in her own direction. It was time to get re-acquainted with East Eden.