Oni, a powerful demon in Japanese lore. The single way Oni spoke, his movements, or lack thereof, both gave Tom the impression that this was not a lightly made boast. Tom wasn't exactly scared by Oni, perhaps he should have been, he was more in awe in a way. It felt to him like seeing a tiger from a vehicle, you're impressed by it, you want to learn more about it, you want to watch it. You know that it's dangerous, but you don't feel that you're the one in danger. 

 Tom smiled behind his mask. Oni was clearly Japanese, and had probably lived there. Maybe he was some kind of samurai or ninja hero, either way he wanted to know more. Tom's brain whirred, he had many questions, however he did not know what to ask first. He was expecting one word answers, and he felt comfortable disposing with any social etiquette around Oni. Far from ingratiate him, it would probably be seen as irritating. Better to get to the point thought Tom. The word Oni was still reverberating int the air but Tom spoke anyway. 

 "Why did they invite you?" Tom didn't have to speak loudly, as the mask did not muffle his voice. Each word was spoken with clinical accuracy, to the point were it sounded like he was talking in scientific terms. Tom supposed that an onlooker may have read the comment as rude, however he was sure Oni would understand that he was asking about his metaphorical 'metal club', what made him strong.