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"True." Arc agreed. "Maybe that's why I still talk like this..." He mused a little, referring to his ever-present accent that had somehow barely faded over the years. Then he smiled mischievously for a moment before continuing, this time concentrating and speaking with more typical Japanese pronunciation. "Instead of like this." He grinned as if proud of himself for actually sounding Japanese for once as he finished off his coffee, though he doubted he would ever sound like that naturally no matter how many years passed by. In his heart he was still very much Canadian.

"I'll need to introduce you to Suzy then. Tiny thing, three legs, but sassy and likes to sit on your shoulders like a scarf once you win her over. Tuna helps." He rambled a little, averting his gaze as she leaned forward, his face going beet-red once again. "There are a few that don't really do as well as the others, like her."

Honestly if his building wasn't so strict with pets he likely would have ended up with an apartment full of cats by now, but he didn't want to give them hope if there was a risk they'd just get kicked back to the street right along with him. Since he could barely take care of himself, he decided giving them no hope was better than fake hope.
"There's a pretty young lil guy too, he's with a small group of them but I think he's a runt so they bully him a bit. He's cute though, and his fur is as pretty and soft as a cloud."

Arc blinked at her blankly for a moment as she mentioned him saying these things to all girls or just her, but then the blush slowly returned as he took a moment to actually think about what he had said.
"Sorry.. I tend to say what comes to mind without considering it might be too blunt..."

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Arc barely bit back a rather un-manly giggle at her reaction to Whisp's nickname for her, covering his mouth with his fist and struggling to remain silent for a moment before he recovered.
"That's really ingenious..." Arc commented as she mentioned wanting to incorporate brail in the design, more so speaking out loud without realizing it as he listened to her. Although she couldn't see it, he was looking at her with an impressed expression. He wasn't smart by any means, but it sounded like a really unique idea, and he was sure it would mean a lot to a lot of people.

He smirked and looked away for a second at her nickname but then leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"Well, I like snow... and frosty mornings in fall. I spent most of my life in Canada, so I suppose that's just the maple syrup in my blood." He mused with a grin. "I love all animals, but I think my favorite are cats. I know most of the stray cats in Tokyo...and I may have given most of them nicknames..." He admitted, pausing and clearing his voice as he suddenly felt embarrassed. "I think it's cool you want to want to make a clothing brand."

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Arc's face once again flushed red as she spoke but he smiled in response this time instead of looking away. Not that she could see. Although he wasn't used to someone this sweet, he was trying hard to adapt. At least she couldn't see how red his face was, so he did have that going for him at least.
"I wouldn't think you're annoying. Honestly you seem more mature than me." He smirked, half joking and half honest. He'd been told he had never matured past seventeen mentally, and frankly he rather agreed. His life was a shitshow and he had no backbone to speak of.

"If you still want me as a friend, then it doesn't change anything." He added before glancing to her dog finally as he relaxed a little, unable to ignore such a cute animal for long. He had always adored animals, and although he gushed slightly more over cats than he did dogs, he still loved them. "What's your lil pup's name? She's adorable~"

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In the end he couldn't win. Maisie outmatched him in persistence, among other things, and he soon found himself backing down as he usually did when facing opposition. He found it hard to think someone could be as kind and sweet as the girl in front of him, and it had him a bit off-balance as he subconsciously feared the sudden drop of an act, followed by the kind of treatment he was more accustomed to. Yet as he finally accepted the money she only smiled at him, no smirk or knife in sight. Faced with such blatant kindness he could only resign himself to whatever fate had in store for him.

Arc's eyes widened a little in shock as she responded to his offer, but not with an answer he would have ever seen coming. Yet considering how she had held the upper-hand in the conversation so far, and how unreasonably adorable she looked as she asked him, refusing wasn't really an option. He had already resolved himself to whatever became of their meeting considering what he owed her, but that didn't mean the idea of her having someone like him as a friend didn't stress him out.

"I'd love to be your friend, but I'm not worth a paperclip, much less more than you've already given. Friendship is Free." He responded, low-key emphasizing the word 'free' in the hopes she would keep her purse closed this time. "Though, as such, I do have to ask why you would offer that to someone that tried to rob you." He added, his tone a mixture of concern and a little exasperation. "You shouldn't be trusting people like me."

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Arc inched back a little as he noticed her tense up for a moment, suddenly worried now that the shock was over she would be pissed. Frankly she had every right to be. He'd even let her smack him if it made her feel better, but he was surprised to find he sensed no anger as she turned toward him, which confused him more than anything. Perhaps it was the people he was around usually, but he wasn't used to other people being so, forgiving. It was another small reminder of just how far from his world Miss Independent, or rather Maisie, really was.

The second reminder came in the form of her casually pulling out more money than you could justify to cover a drink and something nice, and calling it 'not much' to boot. He was equally horrified at the idea of the girl he was apologizing to offering him money, and that he was severely tempted by the amount. He could practically hear Whisp laughing in his mind as he hesitated, torn between what morals he still had and the temptation of easy cash.

"I.. " He paused, unsure of himself and also well aware this was perhaps the first time he ever said no to an offer involving money, even though it was also the first time said money didn't seem to come with a sacrifice/catch. "I want to make it up to you for my actions, taking that kinda puts me even more in your debt." He said finally with an embarrassed chuckle, unable to bring himself to accept it despite how much he wanted to. "Unless you need something I could do for you in return?" He ventured, unsure what a girl like her could even need that he would be able to give, but wanting a way to repay her regardless.

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"If your work was something you enjoyed that much, why would you hate it to begin with?" Arc countered, genuinely curious about the other guy's perspective. Personally he wished he was good at something he actually enjoyed. The idea of doing something you loved as a job seemed like it would be a good thing, to him at least. Though he supposed other people were typically smart enough to have more options than someone like him in the first place.

As he paid, a mischievous look crossed Arc's features as he noticed Kozue turn red, and he struggled with the sudden impulse to tease him.
"Hey, little more work and you'd be a lady killer with that move." He stifled a grin as he spoke, but he wasn't really lying. If he had learned anything from the women he dealt with, it was that a lot liked men with moves, so long as their personality wasn't shit, anyway. Though Arc had a feeling this kid was too nice to be a dickhead.