Perhaps Zane was not a mastermind of women. While his real knowledge of the opposite gender came close to zero, in his mind he thought he at least understood them a fair amount, which in reality was delusional. Last time he went on a job with Kaiser, he seemed to not notice any of frustrations. It seems like, despite acting his age a bit more recently, Zane still had no real social awareness. This probably dropped even more when he was around girls, and then even more when he was around a pretty girl. So essentially, if one were to balance it on a scale of one to ten, Zane was at about a two around her, one and a half if someone were to be less generous with the ranking.

That being said, Kaiser had agreed to come on another job with him. This involved tailing a knight to report to her superiors that she was actively doing her knight duties. While Zane felt confident in himself, it was most likely that he would end contributing very little to the job at hand, especially considering the knight happened to be a beautiful woman. Apparently she was willing to meet her witnesses in her office, but Zane had asked if Kaiser could meet him in front of the building so that they could both head in together.

Zane wasn't really hard to spot either, wearing his usual red attire that stuck out a lot. Sometimes he wondered if it was tacky, but he usually dismissed it as the fact that he was a pretty odd person himself, and wearing such clothing or not wouldn't really change much.

"Hm, probably should be here in a minute or two." Zane noted, looking up at the sky as he leaned against the wall of the building. He wondered what Kaiser thought of him. She seemed to at least like him enough to let him stick around her, but he wondered if she genuinely thought he was entertaining and likeable, or if she was just using him as a way to get a good guide through Fiore.

Zane knew these thoughts were paranoia, but he still pursue them in his mind for now, perhaps giving himself something to do while waiting for his partner to show up. Hopefully it was soon. After all, even with something fun to think about, waiting was never exactly the greatest game to play.

405/3000

Ah, there was Kaiser. As usual, it seemed she was never really one for too many words a time, so Zane just kinda went with the flow as the two headed up the building together. Making their way to the meeting point, Zane let Kaiser handle the very brief talking before the woman erupted in a burst of speech. To say erupted would be a poor way of describing it though. It seemed like her words all had the potency of an eruption, but instead of a quick burst they were spread out all along, trickling slowly as the two were forced to listen to the lady rant about her job and how good she was and everything. After a while, Zane kind of just filtered the woman out. Sure, she was pretty or whatever, but in his opinion not quite as pretty as Kaiser was. Besides, Kaiser also had the added benefit of not going on an extremely long rant that made Zane want to die everytime she spoke.

In fact, to make the annoyance of their client lessen on Zane's mind, Zane decided to think more about how Kaiser and the woman differed, and how he personally liked and disliked each side. While he wouldn't mind Kaiser talking a little bit more, Zane had to admit that perhaps that made him reconsider that wish just a bit. In a way, Zane had begun to be more appreciative of Kaiser's general demeanor. Zane had basically just tuned out most of the noise, he hadn't realize that the woman had agreed to leaving, and off they all went, Zane lagging behind a bit from having wanted to stay as far away from noticing the woman's rants now.

In fact, Zane and Kaiser were instructed not to get too close to the woman either, most likely related to how she did her duties. It was as though she didn't want to raise suspicion. On second thought, Zane also though that maybe she didn't want to share the spotlight with anyone, even if it was just two random people walking near her. So for now, Kaiser and Zane were meant to watch from a distance, and this gave Zane the opportunity to talk with his partner about what they just witnessed.

"Uhhh, maybe I'm being a bit rude, but does she seem insanely insufferable to you too, Kaiser?" Zane asked, keeping his voiced somewhat hushed in hope that their client didn't end up hearing. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be off in her own little world for the most part anyways.  She was helping settle some local disputes, but all of them seemed extremely small, as though she was doing the least amount of work possible. At one point, Margret seemed to stop to settle an issue about kids playing hide and seek, something which most people wouldn't exactly consider knight work. This was obviously going to be a very long day for Zane and Kaiser.

900/3000

Zane smiled a bit. On their missions so far Kaiser always seemed very silent, so it was nice to hear here say something that was more than half a sentence. Zane wondered if perhaps Kaiser had warmed up to him a bit. Zane was never one to really be friends with people and see them more than once in a blue moon, so it was nice to have someone who he saw on a day to day basis. Smiling at his current situation and being content with things, trouble soon began to brew on the horizon. Letting Margret handle things for a bit, Kaiser quickly noted that things may get messy if they didn't step in to help. Zane agreed.

The fight broke out, with Zane's only real option to use his fists. Considering that he already knew that he was way weaker than Kaiser physically, he had a feeling that he was going to be the most useless person in this fight by a wide margin. He wished he could become stronger for her and become more than just something she had to run around and protect on any dangerous  job they might end up doing.

Zane's punches were only able to stagger one of the backup thugs, but while doing so he noticed one of the men had basically cut right through Kaiser's face. "Kaiser!" he yelled out, as he went to her side while Margret fended off the last of the thugs. Despite Margret's rather egotistical personality, she agreed to let Zane take Kaiser to the hospital and hold off on the mission for now.

Carrying her to the hospital, Zane was able to go through the procedures to get her treatment. "So, are you gonna watch over her for a bit?" Margret asked, Zane nodding. "Yeah, I wanna stay here till I know she's okay."

"Alright then, yeesh. I can't handle sappy things like this, but I'll give you a few hours. Get back before then and maybe I'll still give you your pay." Zane's fists clenched a little bit at her rude words, but he decided to calm himself down. His mind felt insecure right now, and he didn't want to let Margret get to him. He was already getting to himself. He couldn't believe that he let that happen to Kaiser...

He wanted to at least give her someone to wake up to when she came to, though he had to leave for a bit when the doctors fixed up her face to stop the bleeding. Coming back in and sitting in a nearby chair. Zane thought to himself as he waited for Kaiser to regain consciousness. Was she going to be mad at him? If she was, then in Zane's mind he might as well have deserved it.

1369/3000

Zane's eyes perked up as he saw her regain consciousness. Before he could speak however, a scream was heard from Kaiser's lips, bringing Zane back. He had never heard Kaiser be that loud before. Hell, he had never seen her like this at all. As tears flowed down Kaiser's face, Zane's chesty tightened up. He didn't wanna beat himself up over the blame anymore. For this whole time that he had known her, Zane realized that she had never really slipped up anywhere along the way - it seemed like she was always on guard, always putting on some sort of defense. But now the girl in front of him practically had none: this was her at her most vulnerable. It felt weird. Zane felt like he wanted to help her, console her, but he also felt as though he shouldn't. As if he knew that doing so would most likely cause more embarrassment to her.

Indeed, the damage to her face was notable. Zane wasn't one to change his attitude towards her for that purpose, but it wasn't exactly hard to notice. For now, Zane was given instructions from the doctor, to which he noted in his head, making sure to remember. Once the two were allowed to leave, Zane decided to speak up - but once again Kaiser beat him to the punch. Surprised she wanted to go back and do the job so soon after she just got injured, Zane initially thought of protesting. He thought there was no way he would let her do so, before he stopped himself to think. If he stopped her now it would probably make things worse. "It's just over in her office, where she was before." he noted, perhaps being a bit quieter and less full of life than he usually was. He wanted to say something really bad, he just didn't know what to say. He couldn't figure it out, he wasn't sure what he could say without making her feel worse.

As the two got to the building, Zane stopped Kaiser for a second before they went in. "Kaiser, I... just, please be careful, okay?" he asked, not only worrying about her safety but also the chance the knight they were working for would make a snarky comment. While Zane's remark may of seemed pretty small, his face was one of genuine worry, and one look at him could make someone tell that he was very concerned. He hoped Kaiser would take note of his words, and headed into the building with her should she decide to go in as well.

1800/3000

Zane was admittedly a little bummed about how Kaiser didn't really take note of his words. Frowning a bit, he had no choice but to let her go on. He worried about her. She was always a woman of few words from his experience, but he thought that maybe him staying in that hotel room wasn't the best idea. Did it make her feel different towards him? Zane felt trapped. It felt like he wanted to say a million words to help Kaiser, but not a single word would come without the risk of upsetting her even more.  

Initially, Zane worried about how Kaiser would react to their client, given her rather rude demeanor. The worries were brushed aside quick. Zane's eyes widened in shock, almost certain they'd lose their pay after Kaiser's little outburst. It seemed like that wasn't the case however with Margret agreeing to go along, almost as if she was a little intimidated by Kaiser. Zane had never really seen Kaiser that way. Zane knew that she could pretty much beat him up whenever she wanted, so he had been sure not to get on her bad side, something that was also affecting his decision not to say much to her right now.

Seeing a smile on Kaiser's lips directed towards him though, Zane decided to relax a little on that front. The two went on their way, Zane perhaps wondering if he should ask to take over writing the notes. Before he did however, he thought that perhaps it would damage her pride even more. Happily taking the lemonade offered to him by Kaiser later on, Zane decided that he needed a little refreshment if he was going to make it through this night.

Margret had went inside a building for a second, a diner with big windows and nice lighting.. She was helping with settling a little bit of a conflict - it was nothing serious. Both of them were just some middle aged men who Zane assumed weren't really much of fighters. He had no doubt that someone of Margret's rank would be able to handle the two of them with ease in a fight, if one even happened. It was a little later in the evening now, and the sun was starting to set just a little. Their job would still continue on a little bit into the night though, but for now Zane and Kaiser got a chance to just stand around in an empty, quiet street while they watched a woman settle an argument in a window. Zane decided that maybe it was time to say what he felt. After all, even if Kaiser beat him up right after, it would of been better than just having to hold all of his words in.  "Kaiser." he said softly, hoping to get her attention if he hadn't already. His tone was somewhat serious, at least way more serious than he usually was. For other people, this would've only been a little bit serious. But Zane wasn't one to be like that all the time, so perhaps it sounded odd to hear him speak in such a matter.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't of let you get hurt." he said, looking down on the ground. He clearly was pretty ashamed. He wondered if perhaps she would think him worrying so much about this was silly. They had only knew each other for like, a week or so, right? Excluding when they met at the pier in Era. "I didn't know what to say this whole time. I guess I probably still don't know how to word it." He sighed, looking up to Kaiser. He didn't wanna seem too dramatic and weird her out like he had with other people in the past. "I really haven't had a traveling experience like this, and I've enjoyed my time with you. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Just know that you're pretty important to me, even if we've only known each other for a while." Zane didn't even necessarily mean that in a romantic way. He didn't have the time to worry about how she interpreted it either. He wasn't really sure what he felt about her. What were they, anyways? Friends? Traveling partners? All of that didn't mean much to Zane when he said it though. Despite all the circumstances and how short of time they had known each other, Zane felt something he didn't usually feel here.

Zane usually never really got properly acquainted with people. He had met many people on his trip over Fiore, but none of them ever really saw him often or vice versa. It felt like everyone was just some sort of passerby acquaintance. For Zane, Kaiser was the first person he felt like he had actually developed a bond of some sort with in a long while. One might consider that sad: for all Zane knew, Kaiser would consider it sad. But after holding in words for half a day, Zane couldn't really take it anymore. He said what he said, not really caring as to what Kaiser would think of it just yet. He just wanted to speak his mind for a little bit.

2269/3000

Zane's confidence quickly went on a rollercoaster. The blink was where things started at a pretty neutral stance. Then came the loud coughing. Zane began to worry. Did he come on too strong again? Did he freak her out? Standing still and watching as she put her lemonade away, he got a total of one word - likewise. For now, Zane smiled and nodded. "Right, good." before the awkward silence began. And in that awkward silence, Zane had plenty of time to think. Did he come on too strong? Was likewise a good response from her? Did it mean she didn't know what to say? Or maybe she already knew what to say, but didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying it? Zane's mind entered a million different thoughts as he stood there thinking, the awkward silence between the two making things worse in his mind. Thankfully his thoughts were quickly halted by Margret, who had finished up whatever have happened. His mind was given a quick bit of a break, before being somewhat soothed by Kaiser's remark and smirk. Though it was a bit confusing, Zane decided to take her advice and hurry up to go get paid.

And good advice it was. Hurrying to follow the knight, Zane became determined to get this job done so he could just go home already. It was late now, and Margret only had a few more things to do. She helped a young boy get a kitten out of a tree for one - Zane was surprised at how gracefully she handled the feline. It felt very... unlike Margret to be so good with, well, any other living being. After that, it was just some minor patrol. Nothing really noteworthy, but she most likely supposed it would look good in her report. Zane complied, knowing that the day had already been long enough - doing it a bit more was nothing compared to the intense boredom Zane and most likely Kaiser had felt all day having to follow this woman around doing the most mundane tasks possible.

And so for the third time Zane ended up in front of that building. Margret didn't really bother going in, she just had Zane and Kaiser give her the signed report and handed over the reward in exchange. "It's really late... we should be getting back to our hotel, huh?" Zane asked still somewhat awkwardly, the confession from earlier still on his mind a little bit.

Supposing Kaiser even agreed to go with him, the two would end up in the hallway near their rooms. This was probably the last chance for Zane to say anything to Kaiser before the two had to go their separate ways for the night, unless they wanted to share a room, a thought so ridiculous right now that even Zane's sometimes very imaginative mind didn't even bother thinking of. The hotel was pretty much silent, and for the most part their floor never really had any sound near it anyways. It seemed the two's rooms were in a good spot where they wouldn't have to worry about kids crying, or a couple that didn't get along very well, or a couple that got along too well. Peace and quiet. This peace and quiet wasn't something Zane wanted though. He wanted to say something.

"Hey, I know you're not much of a talker, but..." Zane said, putting his hand behind his head as he spoke. "I'm here for you if you need to talk about anything, okay? Honestly, even if you didn't want to talk about anything, I'd still want to help you out however I can." he offered his assistance, hoping it didn't seem like he was taking pity on her or anything. "Besides, after spending an entire day with that lady's nonstop attitude, I would listen to you for hours if it meant getting her voice outta my head at the very least."

Zane decided to move ahead to his door, not yet unlocking it. "And uh, sorry if everything earlier was too dramatic. But... I meant what I said." Blushing softly, he still pondered on what he actually meant. It felt like his mind didn't really understand it yet. Waiting for a second, if she didn't try to stop him or say anything else he'd most likely just head into his room and probably ponder about everything he said today for the rest of the night, until his head grew so tired and passed out at the very least.

Exit

3020/3000