A handshake was one of the most ancient human rituals that carved subliminal impressions of the participants into one another's minds. Too forceful and one might be perceived as hostile; too flimsy and one might be perceived as weak and pathetic. To Yutaro, it was all part of the game of human interaction, and he had refined his technique for both business, as well as for more casual encounters. His hand was firm and sturdy, but didn't push beyond the neutral halfway point. His fingers, rather than locking firmly into place, gently wrapped around Ryoki's hand, letting him savor the delightful texture of her skin against his. The shake itself was somewhat gentle, more like an easy coax up and down than a forceful shake, yet strong enough to show commitment to the motion. Ryoki's skin was predictably soft for the most part... but then he felt the tough scratch of a callous brush against his skin. Some would call it an imperfection; Yutaro called it interesting. 

Upon listening further, he heard that she was a musician as well as a voice actor. [i]Friendly, pretty,[/i] and [i]talented,[/i] Yutaro thought, giving her the benefit of the doubt that she was actually good at it. In fact, bewitched as he was, the possibility never crossed his mind that she would be anything but stellar. It explained the callous anyway; it was not a sign of poor health, but a badge of expertise. Yutaro couldn't identify the moment he had been hooked, but he could feel himself being reeled in by her hypnotic gaze. It was almost terrifying how good she was at that! And breaking it with those charmless casual movements only to resume in full force was a display of command that somehow made her deep blue eyes shine even brighter the second time. He had pulled plenty of girls in with his charming gaze before, but even he was at a loss in how to outmaneuver this formidable opponent; clearly she had fought on many more battlefields than he.

His only salvation was the cup of coffee sitting before him. What was on the surface just a natural sip was actually a reprieve in which he could gather his thoughts and get himself back under control. The caffeine was now a trivial stimulant compared to the gorgeous Valykrie sitting next to him, but the warm liquid resting in his core slowed his pulse by a few beats. Then Ryoki dropped her pickup line. It was not unheard of, but was indeed unusual for women to use such tactics. Plus, Ryoki had so many other weapons it seemed almost unfair to use the one edge men had against them. But, even though this was the first girl who ever used a pickup line on [i]him,[/i] Yutaro was not entirely unprepared. "No way," he said, letting a full smile curl across his face for the first time as he let out a small chuckle. "I'm a responsible driver. I [i]have[/i] been charged with stealing a few hearts though." At least her charms had not completely occluded his wit.

He hid his wide grin behind another sip of coffee, then rested his arm on the table so he could lean forward a bit. "So, you're a musician and an actor? Well, with a voice as pretty as yours you [i]must[/i] be a singer then. It's a shame I've missed you up until now. The next time you're playing you'll have to let me know so I can become your biggest fan. However, since we're on the topic of music, there's something important I've got to ask you." Here, his friendly smile contorted into a wry grin. "Ella Fitzgerald. Thumbs up or thumbs down?" Although he expressed the question as an ultimatum, it wasn't exactly a deal breaker. He knew that Fitzgerald was a polarizing artist, even among jazz enthusiasts, but he had to know just how much gold was in this mine. 

[@Delta44]