[center][h2][i][color=a187be]~Meruin Hazy~[/color][/i][/h2]
[sup][@RabidAnubis][/sup][/center]
[i]"-nd furthermore, I'll have you know that pornstars in Japan have[/i] really [i]good commission fees. There's this one pool tha-"[/i]

Heather continued blabbering about the previous details of her occupation, but she knew that she was pretty much talking to herself at this point. Meruin's mind had already wandered into the realm of possibilities and hypothesis. When the girl got like this, she was absolutely impenetrable and it took something drastic for her to snap out of it entirely.

Unfortunately for the boy hitting on Meruin, talking wasn't - wait, what?

Heather metaphysically blinked and did a rapid double-take. This kid, was he really hitting on her? [i]On Meruin?[/i] Maybe he wasn't hitting on her and was just being friendly but . . . Heather had really good instincts for situations like these, and there was no way that opening line was [i]not[/i] a textbook opener for further flirting. She'd stake her life -- er, unlife -- on it!

But still, this kid had weird tastes. Not to say that Meruin wasn't cute, but she was cute in a very [i]peculiar[/i] way, and was something of an acquired taste. 

But none of that mattered! What mattered was that he was hitting on Meruin! HITTING! ON! MERUIN! [i]SQUEEEEEEE~![/i]

There was no [i]way[/i] that Heather was going to pass up what was probably a once in a lifetime chance. 

Heather waited for a few seconds, for a time when Meruin was within an arms length of the boy before shouting and mentally pointing in a direction to the side. [i]"Meruin, the research papers you're looking for are over there!"[/i] Heather called as loudly as possible. Of course, this would get Meruin's interest, and the small mage turned her head in the direction Heather pointed out for her, without stopping her walk.

All according to [i]Keikaku[/i]*,she thought, as things unfolded exactly as she hoped it would.
[sup][sup]translators note: Keikaku means plan[/sup][/sup]

Meruin bumped into the boy. Normally, this should incur nothing but the both of them stopping short and a small stumble, but Meruin was not only an incredibly tiny and light, but her attention was completely devoted elsewhere. The resulting reaction then, was that Meruin stumbled back a few steps only for her legs to get tangled and fall hit the ground.

There, [i]that[/i] would get her attention, thought a smug Heather.

[color=a187be]"Apologies,"[/color] muttered Meruin, getting to her feet. She regarded the boy with analytical eyes, and Heather groaned. She was still in research mode. On the bright side, she was at least [i]looking[/i] at him. Maybe this could still work.

[i]"Meruin, I think he was asking what you were doing here,"[/i] said Heather.

[color=a187be][i]"I see,"[/i][/color] thought Meruin. Why would he ask though? Was there anything strange with what she was doing here? Was he just curious or was it something else.

He was about the same age as her. Judging from the way he carried himself, he was probably someone of high-standing, probably someone from the upper echelons of society, maybe even actual blue-blooded nobility. Even if that were the case, did she have to answer him? What good would do to reply? Then again, when it came to socializing with people, Meruin found that thinking in purely cost-benefit terms was useless given the unpredictable nature of some people. So if there was no harm in answering, then should she answer? But then, would she have to apply that to every situation like this? It seemed tiring. Furthermore-

[i]"Just answer him Meruin for gods' sake!"[/i] yelled Heather, frustrated with having to deal with Meruin's inner monologue and ridiculous tangents.

There was a reason Meruin commissioned her as a spirit, even if she wasn't a particularly impressive spirit. She commissioned Heather on the sole reason that she needed someone to help her with social interactions. If Heather wanted her to respond in a situation like this, then Meruin would.

[color=a187be]". . . I was looking for research material,"[/color] said Meruin after some thought. [color=a187be]"Specifically, books on blood rituals and homonculus."[/color]