The Odd Couple [Antonio]

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“G-Good~” The gamble that the girl with the green gaze had engaged in not paying off exactly as she wanted, even though the response that Antonio offered to Miss Crawford was packed with plenty of politeness and certainly expressed a certain degree of approval for her appearance the girl found it lacking everything she had wanted, and as a result felt a sting of disappointment at the cool and commonplace wording he had used to describe her.
Is he a little shy or something? That stoic nature really seeming to confound a young woman who so often wore her heart on her sleeve, even though she tried to hide her dissatisfaction at the meagre offering of praise she couldn’t help but be reminded of all the low key moments of passion that she had shared with the man before her and because of that she silently wondered why he seemed so lacking for fervour in his bearing. It was like, in her opinion, something had sucked the life out of him? Like he was an old man or something, but he didn’t look old, did he? He looked only a few years senior to her. Ten at the most.

“E-Exactly, all that exciting energy and innovation?” The feeling of being flustered by her apparent failure to invigorate her companion only intensifying with the almost passive repetition of her own wording that she was offered in response to the vigour with which she had introduced their first stop, Chloe fumbled a little with her wording as a result and almost wished that all the fervidness of the scene around her could be called to her and injected into the soul before her who she couldn’t help but notice seemed a bit disinterested in where she had taken him, and as a result she began to overcompensate for his lacking enthusiasm by bolstering her own.
“Even though it has a culture that was for so long stuck in archaic measures Japan really seemed to grab onto a sense of zeal and passion toward the end of the twentieth century, and run with it ever since? Like taking the best parts of other places like America, and adding them to their ethos?” Breaking into an almost rambling monolog as she tried to get this near-sullen soul involved in what they were doing, the emerald eyed enchantress showed her educational excellence as she drew upon morsels of information she had found while researching her trip to Japan last year and used them to try and paint a better picture of the place that seemed to uninspiring to her new friend.

“Heheheh, what’s the rush?” It seeming that Antonio was in a hurry to move on to somewhere else but Miss Crawford acting with no such haste, even though she was quickly getting the sense that her companion was not as engaged with this little trip as she was she didn’t want it to become some mad dash around a few tourist spots and then a trip home, but rather an experience they could savour afterward.
“We can’t say we’ve visited this place properly until we go over all the crosswalks, right? They’re the most famous parts of Shibuya!” Because of that acting a little pushy and stubborn as she refused to lead him to the next locale until they’d enjoyed this one a bit more, the brit tried to hide a little of her feelings of failure behind her usual bubbly visage as she wagged her finger at her partner like a mother and then stepped off toward the nearest section of stripes across the road and waited for him with her hands on her hips to catch up.

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Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Ohhhhhh~? Heeheehee, sometimes when you say things like that you sound like an old man~!” Smiling when Antonio seemed to admit that he felt more distaste for their venue than what Miss Crawford had been assuming was disinterest in her tour, the wave of relief that the honey haired heroine felt as a result of this made her a little bit giggly as she realized he was rejecting the way of life more than her own enthusiasm, and she couldn’t help but point out a fact that she had steadily been picking up on since she had met this man.
“Heheheheh, well, I suppose the vibrancy isn’t for everyone~?” The figure with whom she toured Tokyo seeming like the type that some would call an old soul, the bubbly brunette would never realize just how close her joke was to the truth was as she politely accepted his discomfort, and hoped that her little act of teasing didn’t upset him or anything. It was more aimed to break the tension between them than cause offense, after all.

“Ooooh? What were you expecting~?” Approaching the nearest zig-zagging patch of zebra-like stripes that had been painted onto the road as they continued to chat, as the guest of the girl with the green gaze commented on how he had failed to anticipate their endpoint Chloe felt rather intrigued, and could only question his point.
“The day is young, so maybe I can make your dreams come true after all~?” This feeling like the perfect chance to see what he might think of her, and perhaps a window into where he might have most enjoyed visiting with her as well, she was rather keen on finding out what he desired and fulfilling that, and even if it would skew her own plans was happy to oblige him where she could. After all, today was supposed to be fun for both of them.

“N-No, just, I don't know…” That lingering sense of doubt that the delicate damsel carried seeming to pipe up again when Antonio seemed to question the urgency that she had sensed in him, the meekness of Miss Crawford crept back in for a second as she blushed and felt like she had been a bit harsh in her wording, but she recovered quickly when he seemed to show a bit of interest in her silly wishes after all.
“Yes! Come on, let’s make you a true tourist and feel like idiots as these busy people try and rush around us to get along with their lives~?” Thrusting her arm forward and marching on rather childishly as the crossing seemed to welcome the pedestrian and grinning toward the man at her side as she did so, while the emerald eyed enchantress knew that she was acting a bit like a clown right now as she encouraged him to follow her she didn’t care for the observation for the moment, and felt more interested in engaging her companion that bit more even if all she could do was rouse a smirk or a chuckle from him. After all, that was ultimately why she had brought him here, now wasn’t it?

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Heeheehee, a little~” Perhaps Antonio never likely to know how encouraging and warm his chuckle made Miss Crawford feel in that moment, it was so nice for her to feel like he was enjoying what she was saying, and even though that inherent sense of politeness and understanding that she carried intervened quickly, it helped the girl with the green gaze feel as if she was growing a little closer to him as well.
“Though I’m not so used to hanging out with older guys, other than my dad, so maybe it’s just me~?” Shaking her head and smiling as she attempted to hedge her bets a little by admitting the fact that her opinion might have just been tempered by inexperience however, though it was a little humbling for her to admit such a fact given how she had been trying to seem a bit more mature and worldly herself for someone who seemed to ooze those qualities it felt a little bit easier for her to confess now that she felt like she was bonding with her buddy from that time on the bench, and she licked her lips and smiled as she strolled across the street with more of her attention on the man at her side than their venue.

“Heeheehee, you’d rather be riding through a field on horseback or something, right?” Giggling softly as he next admitted the fact that the scene was perhaps a bit lively for his tastes and then tilting her head to the side as she remembered a few of the hobbies that had been mentioned to her upon their first opportunity to meet, Chloe hummed as she noted that her idea of a nice and distracting adventure in the middle of Tokyo might have been a bit of a misfire, but at the very least was glad that her companion was either polite enough or engaged enough that he could tolerate his discomfort.
“I still need to look into places around here you can ride, don’t I~?” Still, the silly idea she raised not entirely seeming like the worst thing in the world either, even though the growing sense of connection that was building between the two seemed to be easing the crush that the bubbly brit had on her dashing accompaniment, that didn’t mean she wasn’t still prone to a flight of fancy or two, especially when it involved frolicking in meadows and the like.

“Ohhhhh, really? That’s… what you want huh~?” The mouth of Miss Crawford gaping a little as Antonio next confessed where he might have liked to have come and for a moment the teen feeling like she might just have been the dumbest girl in the world for not thinking of such a setting herself, she couldn’t help but feel a little humbled by the simplicity of the offering and also a little guilty for not taking him to somewhere as easy going already, but she also knew that she had a great chance to right that wrong soon enough.
“W-Well, if you can put up with a few maids or catgirls, or maid catgirls, I’m sure there’s a place around here somewhere that might suit that taste pretty well~?” Unsure of exactly where they might be able to find somewhere to have a sit down and a drink together but guessing that the delights of the area were sure to offer something that might just about fit the bill, while they might have to make a concession here and there suddenly the sylph found herself excited by the prospect of diving into one of the strangely themed places of refreshment in Tokyo, and couldn’t help but hope her handsome friend would also not feel too untoward them either…

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Heheheheh, you sure seem to know a lot about old people?” Listening quietly as Antonio showed the wisdom of experience or at the very least what the bubbly brunette guessed was that, once he was done Miss Crawford gave a small chuckle and tilted her head to one side, and found herself a little bit impressed by the expertise he showed in this area even if he wasn’t talking about the same group of ‘older people’ that she was.
“Is one of your many jobs working in a care home~?” Just a little bit intrigued as to how a suave man such as this seemed to have come upon such seasoned know how and understanding when it came to the elderly, the emerald eyed enchantress hummed and smiled as she remembered their conversation the other day about how Antonio had kept himself busy by working far too many jobs, and as a result the teen offered a teasing line about that in order to link the two issues together with a smile.

“Heeheeheehee, yeah~ I mean I’ve never been to one but honestly I’ve been tempted to?” The disbelief that her new friend showed at the idea of visiting a mad café making her giggle, while she wasn’t sure if his surprise at the concept came from his old fashioned sensibilities and chivalry or something else, Chloe couldn’t help but confess that she had always been a little fascinated by the idea, for a number of reasons.
“Those girls look so cute and stuff, I mean... I wouldn’t mind dressing up that way once or twice either?” Spotting the girls that tended to work there a few times and always finding herself admiring the clothes they wore and how enthralling their image and manners seemed to be, while she had always felt a bit nervous about going into such a place on her own the girl with the green gaze had always entertained the idea, and also had something of an inkling for finding out how the other half lived as well.

“How can I help you, Master? Is that all you need, Master? Thank you very much, Master!” That latter force a big factor in why she next chose to dash a few steps forward and tug on her skirt with one hand like she was wearing some big frock and apron, a moment later Miss Crawford was doubling forward and bowing toward Antonio as she attempted to look pristine, polite and wholly subservient, all while offering a big pair of innocent eyes to him and perhaps just a hint of a view at the perky delights which were down the front of her dress as well, but she was perhaps a little too unworldly to realise that latter fact.
“Heeheehee~ What do you think? Could I pull it off?” Having far too much fun to really comprehend how her tomfoolery might have impacted those in her environment, the bubbly brit was blissfully ignorant of the strange looks she was getting from the people who passed her by and instead was far more interested in only one person’s opinion, however, even then she was far less invested than she had been with her queries about her appearance earlier. After all, it felt like they had found a much more even tempo now…

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Heeheehee~” Snickering as all too suddenly it seemed that the spirit of the stoic soul at her side had been filled with a familiar sense of bouncy buoyancy, though Miss Crawford was not wholly aware of the fact that Antonio had opted to do an impression of her wonderful self, given how much of it was from his usual demeanour she still found his joke to tickle her rather pink to see.
“Oh you do~? Are they buddies from your other jobs or…?” Wiping a tear from her eye as a result of that unexpected bout of hilarity and then cocking her head to one side as her companion admitted that she had gotten her guess wrong, even though that was a mite disappointing for the damsel of the duo she was more interested in finding out how this young-ish looking fellow was so familiar with the elderly, and given his proclivity toward employment took her second guess in that area again.

“You really think so? Heeheehee!” Over the moon when he seemed to also acknowledge her natural ability to please patrons and perhaps perverts alike with her skills as a subservient servant, though Chloe wasn’t exactly privy to the seedy thoughts that such images seemed to inspire within the apparent beast she had been travelling with she still felt happy in spite of this, or perhaps even because of this really. After all, she was pretty innocent at her core, and one did not wish to taint that with the disappointment of realizing the base desires of her bench buddy.
“Well, nice to know I’ll have something to fall back on if I need to~” Instead elated as she straightened herself up and drew a hand back through that long caramel coloured mane of hers, even though she had been goofing around the simple approval she had been shown lit up the heart of the young heroine, and while the means of the family she came from meant she would be unlikely to really need to debase herself in an establishment, it still seemed a fun idea to try once or twice with the right people.

“So do you wanna find one of those places to check out next?” At the very least seeming to assume from the fidgeting and degree of internalization that her subtle friend showed to her that she might just have piqued his interest with the silly idea she had laid out, the naivety of Miss Crawford meant that she was perfectly happy to accept the idea that perhaps a bit nervous to admit it given how goofy the concept was and as such, opted to poke him in the direction of his dreams. And only half because she was curious too.
“It might be fun to see how the pro’s do it, no~?” Immediately plucking her phone out once more and searching for such options for refreshment and entertainment as a result of this, maybe the breezy beauty might have seemed a bit pushy as she pulled out a multitude of venues for both maids and the slightly more obscure neko-themed establishments which only seemed a short walk away and showed them to Antonio, wondering which of them he would go for. It was crunch time for captain mafia, it seemed…

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Heeheeheehee, I suppose that’s the benefit of doing so many jobs~?” Giggling with pride in her perception as it seemed that Antonio confirmed her guess, after a moment or two Miss Crawford paused as she found something dawning on her about the busy lifestyle of the buddy she had met on the bench, and honestly thought that if her guess was correct she could well understand why the man was such a workaholic.
“I bet you meet all sorts of interesting people, right?” Remembering how he had once told her that his reason for doing so was purely fiscal and perhaps understanding that aspect a bit better having seen his lovely car, all the same it felt like one couldn’t do all they did simply for the sake of material value, and there had to be something more to it than that, even if it was more of a small bonus.

“Oh, heeheehee, I’m only joking… Mostly. I mean, it might be exciting, once or twice?” Smiling and giggling again when it seemed that her companion had taken her silly little idea a little more seriously than she had expected it, while Chloe corrected the idea that she was actually wanting to take up waitressing in some sort of fanciful costume as pure whimsy, when she thought on the idea she couldn’t help but find the notion tickling her that bit more.
“Dress up can be fun? I wonder what other sorts of things do you think might suit me~?” Undoubtedly rebuking the idea of taking up such a job in a professional capacity but at the same time her free spirited and more childish side finding great entertainment in doing such a thing recreationally, had she known the sorts of images that her pedestrian partner was imagining maybe she wouldn’t have pulled on that thread a bit more, but unfortunately she did not, and as such only invited further fantasy about the fine fashions she might find herself in.

“Oh, hmmmmm… That’s a good question really. I’ve never been to one?” Befuddled however when next Antonio seemed to ask her how best he should behave when the two of them reached their next destination because she honestly had no idea, unfortunately for the advice she could give the innocence of Miss Crawford seemed to blind her to the truth of the reasons that people tended to visit such venues, and instead she could only offer input that was pretty naïve really.
“Though the girls tend to seem so cute, and keen, so I’d say most people are just really happy to be doted upon right?” It certainly not an absolute fact everyone who visited a maid café was going there for some lurid purpose of leering at what was on display but the balance of probability likely to lie with such a notion, she remained blissfully ignorant of such vicarious intent and instead remained optimistic and amused by the simple concept, rather than the sketchy intentions that seemed to be behind it…

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals

Fancy us meeting like this~?

“Heeheehee, why yes~ I’m sure if anyone would be able to give out job advice, it would be you Mr ‘Has worked all the jobs there ever was’, no?” Giggling and cocking her head to the side a little ways, Miss Crawford certainly felt an odd sense of flattery when Antonio noted that she was ‘above’ waitressing because more than anything it seemed to hint that he held her in a certain high regard which she liked, but now that they seemed to have developed a nice teasing tempo she still couldn’t help but respond playfully despite how delighted she was.
“Maybe that should be your next one, huh? With all that experience you’d probably make a fine career advisor~?” Wrinkling her nose a little bit as she smiled and running with the idea since it seemed like for better or worse the man before her actually seemed to knowing what he was talking about, even though the tone of the teen remained playful there was a hint of seriousness in the new role she suggested for him, since to her it felt like such a knowledgeable soul would only be able to offer good advice on the matter.

“Heeheeheeheehee, n-no, I appreciate he offer, but what I was mostly goofing around~?” The giggle of the girl with the green gaze next an attempt in part to conceal a sudden nervousness as he mentioned her supposed studies as an archaeologist, Chloe felt a little caught off guard for a moment as she almost didn’t remember the little act of misdirection she had employed to convince him she wasn’t just some little schoolgirl, but ultimately she recovered from it quickly as she admitted her intent had been mostly humourous.
“W-Wow, a model huh? I’m not sure about that… I mean, am I really that pretty?” Not surviving for too long before the pinkness returned to her cheeks however, and in force to boot, the brunette found herself blushing as her buddy praised her looks in an off the cuff fashion which she would take far more to heart than he probably intended, the scarlet faced sylph stood there for a second of shock and disbelief as she questioned it, and honestly was kind of over the moon thanks to the comment as well.

“Hmmmmm, inappropriate? What do you mean?” Confused again when it seemed her companion was worried about how he might comport himself when they got to their next destination, with each step taking them nearer and nearer to the Maid Café that Miss Crawford had selected and her map telling her they were only a matter of storefronts away she couldn’t help but question the anxiety that Antonio showed, though more out of curiosity as to what might bother him than anything else. It really perplexing her, the naiveté of the girl meant that she could not for a single second comprehend why would such a cute place bring out the worst in him?

“Heheheheh, just be the wonderful self you have been around me, and I’m sure you’ll be fine?” Ultimately knowing that while he had at times been a bit distant and stoic but also a perfect gentleman with her, no matter how he thought he might end up behaving the bubbly brit knew that at his core he was kind, courteous and understanding toward her, and mimicking that behaviour was sure to win him friends no matter where he went.
“There’s no worry anyway, I bet those guys would be bending over backwards to look after a h-handsome guy like you~?” After all, she was too innocent to assume his concern came from a bawdier side to his character, and besides, it honestly wouldn’t have seemed his style anyway going off the way he had treated her thus far, now would it…?

@tag | Word Count: ### | Summer Simplicity | Slopey Sandals