#multiipl

There isn't a single word he believes he can sway her with, but silence would certainly make her fury grow further. It's best to conjure something even if the words aren't getting through to her. Perhaps she'll at least understand his efforts, once the calm overtook the storm. "…" His mind churns and churns with possible excuses, but what more can he give her outside of the truth? Honest to a fault with his intentions yet that doesn't distract from the fact that he's been lying to her this whole time. Selfish, he supposes, but he doesn't regret his decision.

"Because … I would like to believe that despite my less than human biology, we can still be friends." Again, his voice has lost its confidence, soft, gentle with its wishful thinking and foolish hopes. "You have been a dear friend to me, Miss Reko and while I would not blame you for kicking me out now for being so selfish and lying to you about my identity, I hope that my sincerity is something that is easy for you to believe. Please, I do not wish to hurt you."

His grip on the pan is firm, adequate in hiding the slightly sullen expression he wore. "I've never had the desire to feed from you or any human for that matter. I'm an outcast even among my own kind." The very thought repulsed him, it would haunt him just to take another's life so brutally and without reason.

"It's a coincidence that can't be overlooked. A number of missing people in one place is enough to turn anyone's head, not just the police. We'd be fools to ignore something like that." Naoto doesn't relent in his assessment, listening to her story regardless of his belief that she was spinning the truth somehow. He hadn't completely pieced together what was going on here but he figured that in time, she would slip up or he would stumble upon something that clicked into place. It was only a matter of time before everything aligned, he just had to be patient.

Her insistence would have been admirable if it weren't covering for the countless lives that have undoubtedly been lost within these walls somehow. The feeling that it gives him still roots itself beneath his skin like plant to soil, urging him to remain conscious of its presence. Something was amiss here and his grandfather must have caught wind of that some time ago. Naoto was no stranger to the supernatural, despite the controversy it sparked he knew there must be a reason for his grandfather's decision to give him this case and this odd feeling had to be a part of it. He's seen enough to make baseless guesses, but baseless guesses gave him nothing but luck to show for his efforts and he couldn't accept that.

The moments he shared with Yukiko were often brief but special, he determined. The Amagi Inn was demanding with its popularity and the ever productive Yukiko was no stranger to being a willing participant in its growing success. His own hands were often tied with Detective work, cases landed on his desk more often than not nowadays and the Police Station was usually where he spent most of his time doing less than ideal socializing. They were both dealt with heavy burdens, both willingly managing them with diligent efforts until they found the time to spend with one another. Well, often that time was spent in their group, which Naoto didn't mind but their brief exchanges around the others wasn't what he sought out.

It was moments like these that he appreciated most, where they could both unwind alone to something simple. A movie is what she suggests and he doesn't disagree, his only purpose just to simply spend his time with her. Together they enjoy something he hasn't really seen before but Yukiko seems to know a fair bit about and he listens to her speak about what the movie is about before she turns it on. If he's honest, he isn't all that interested in what it's about. Whatever takes place on the screen is fine (save a few gruesome exceptions) but its her company he's after. Tea and snacks are lovely to complement their movie but he steals glances and idle comments where it counts before the effects of both of their respective jobs seem to take a toll on them.

Was she … smacking herself? Keiji wasn't sure how to react to that beyond raised brows and a curious gaze. What was all of that about? Did he say something that got to her? Or was his persistence starting to make her feel back into a corner? They weren't very pressing questions on the surface, certainly kinder than anything he would ask any other floormaster, yet she almost seemed … flustered. "Whoa there, I never meant to imply you were broken." Dolls could break but Keiji had suspicions about Safalin. None he would air out, but they were at the very least, suspicions. "Maybe you just need a break. Everyone needs a break every now and then, right?"

Not paid? There goes that incentive. He lets the feeling of the mixture soothe his wounds with ease, paying no mind to the feeling that persisted and focusing entirely on the questions he wanted to ask her. His eyes were trained on her reactions and tone of voice, body still languid despite the circumstances, doing his best to dissect everything he could gather from this woman as a means of searching for an upper hand. She's careful not to be too direct with him, smart enough to at least cut herself off before she went too far. Whoops, guess she was still on alert even with little questions.

"I guess that's true," he pretends to feign his ignorance to the truth, allowing her to continue her work in a beat of silence before his questions continued. "But it takes a lot to do all of this by yourself. Taking care of this many people is no joke when you're on your own." Technically she had a partner but Keiji's certain that Rio Ranger isn't a very big help. "Wonder why they didn't make another doll to stick here with you. One that would actually give you a hand with all of these people." How did floormasters come to be? He had too many questions for her to answer. Far too many and not all of them were fitting to ask her, he assumed.

Wow, what a stutter. Did he really startle her that badly? Guess he shouldn't take too much pride in that (but it was hard not to). The wry smirk he often dons appears on cue, chuckling as a response to her fretting. "Easy, talking about a little migraine isn't a crime." He isn't sure what there was to lose by venting her frustrations, unless there was something against being completely honest with the candidates. Keiji liked to assume that he had a better grasp on the dos and don'ts of how this game was allowed to function.

"Do you really think so?" He isn't exactly taking it as seriously as his steady tone may imply, attempting to make a joke of her sarcastic comment. Laundry was a decent distraction but in reality he knew that they were in hot water here. His anxieties about the situations were buried deep beneath his plain, stoic façade and strange sense of humor. Removing his emotions from the situation now came as naturally as he could manage after being force fed the harsh truths over and over and over again in his childhood. The memory is quickly dismissed almost as quickly as it comes.

The years after the war only meant more cleaning up to do as part of her role of Team Avatar, which Toph didn't really mind but occasionally liked to get away on her own to keep it all from getting dull. Free time was hard to come by nowadays but she managed somehow. However, the last voice she expected to hear was someone she thought she left in the past, even after barely having a chance to meet him before, she never forgot a voice. "Yeah I remember you." She turns ever so slightly to face his direction, a brow raised while her neck craned from side to side, pops setting off with each motion.