Given the choice between the nicest place in the slums or the cheapest place in the 71st Hab, of course you'd regularly find Hitoko at an out of the way table at the cheapest place in the 71st Hab: Chioko's. Ronin or not, Hitoko was a reliable customer - thanks to Chioko's cheap but enjoyable food - who often drew the money of clan samurai to Chioko's when the place really wouldn't see them otherwise.

Thus Hitoko was in her usual place this evening, seeming to be fiddling with something technical in her densai, even as she remained vigilant for an expected visitor.

The visitor soon arrived, dressed plainly in dark brown slacks and a plain white shirt without a tie. Even without obvious markings, the quality of the fabric made his status as a Clan samurai obvious enough, though the vibe was certainly "overworked ji-samurai". He gave Hitoko a shallow bow as he arrived at her table. "Good evening. You must be Hitoko-san."

"Hai, and welcome, samurai-san," Hitoko says, leaning forward and bowing her head almost to the table. It's an interesting combination of respectable formality with zero intention of expending her energy to rise and then bow.

As Hitoko lifts her head, Inasa can see a mildly inquisitive smirk on her face. "Is there a name you prefer to be called in these situations?" Her eyebrow twitches up as the smirk tips firmly into a grin. She seems to believe she's said something humorous. "You'll forgive my assumption that you have a preferred method you'd like to follow."

He didn't take offense. In fact, the very corner of his lip quirks up, the barest hint of amusement. He gestured broadly as he sat down across from her. "I believe Taro is the traditional choice in these situations, ne? Though that says more about tradition than anything."

Hitoko's lips quirk, like she's fighting a frown.

"Yes. Tradition is... Something." There seems some negativity about tradition in her eyes, but it's clearly not to be spoken in polite company. With a slightly forced exhale, the woman relaxes a bit.

"It is... becoming a bit of tradition... that people seek this one out for... special projects. It is... an honor," she says, smirking noticeably at the heavy irony.

"Something, indeed," he agreed. It was apparent he was equally unimpressed with the concept, but moved on without comment. "Of course. Important jobs need effective people doing them."

Hitoko smiles, not so widely as to seem greedy, but with a predatory look in her eye.

"If there's one thing I aim for, Taro-sama, it's being effective. Make sure I'm not wasting anyone's time, including my own. After all, time is a very precious resource, hm?" There's the tiniest flicker of something around the word precious, like the end of a thin, thin thread floating in a faint breeze. But Hitoko seems all business - plus some swagger - and fully as calculating as her reputation would suggest.

"Let's not waste it, then," he agreed. "What are you hoping to gain while here, Hitoko-san? Simple material acquisition is one thing, but people are often more complicated than that."

Hitoko's face twitches faintly at the "while here" phrasing. Eyes downcast, she licks her bottom lip deliberately, then flips her eyes back to Inasa.

"Taro-sama," she says, forcing a smile. "This is my home. I'd like to live here as long as I can, but that's rather expensive to do. So I'm a fan of cash. Stable and secure lodging would be even better, but I don't imagine that's the kind of deal you'd like to make with me." Her smile had petered out, leaving her looking rather grim for the last several words.

"And what about you, Taro-sama?" Hitoko forces a happier tone and a kinder smile. "I have experience with a wide range of special projects - even know more than you'd guess about the spirit realms - so I can entertain almost any kind of contract." With that boast, Hitoko smiles in a really genuine way, clearly reassured by her own confidence in her skills.

"I'm looking for someone to exercise skills on the subtle end of the spectrum."

Hitoko looks at the man thoughtfully, perhaps a little kinder than she had before.

"Well, any skills you're using around here, you need to use them subtly or you don't get to use them very long," she says. Her grins softens, shifts toward a smile that might, on its best day, resemble something warm. "But it sounds like you're hoping for really subtle skills, like where no one knows that you used them. Those are my favorite skills, Taro-sama. I only get into more direct skills--" she says, gently waving toward a sidearm in a shoulder holster, "--for very special projects."

"Well, I am glad to know both of those," he replied with a nod toward the holster. "That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. The latter more of a just in case measure than what I'm directly looking for, but good to know nonetheless."

The ronin smiles confidently and sits up straighter.

"Great. Are you looking for a... special event planner... Or more of a retainer kind of situation? Having a... consultant, on contract, can be very useful. But I am more of a special projects gal at heart." Hitoko's smile seems largely sweet, but with a dash of murderous sprinkled in.

"The former, though there are a couple of events I might be interested in you putting effort toward. Just not a super long term retainer."

Hitoko grins, obviously pleased.

"Well, let's start with one, make sure it's a... healthy relationship, and then we'll go from there."

Leaning forward and putting her chin on one hand, the ronin adds pleasantly, "I'd say I look forward to you recommending me to others, but I suppose that's not, ah, how this business works. You'll just have to take my word that I'm good at what I do."

"I intend to. I look forward to a productive working relationship with you, Hitoko-san." He agreed. He tapped his fingers on the table a couple of times before typing out a monetary offer on his densai and sliding it across to her. He started at 1 koku per job for now. "This is my current proposal. What do you think?" He opened it to negotiation, letting her know he wouldn't get offended with the question.

The ronin coughs to semi-cover a laugh.

"I see Taro-sama is... Budget conscious," she manages to say, more or less recovering herself. "Ahem. As a... cost-conscious individual... You surely recognize the costs to contractors. Research to do the project well, travel costs, ah... various incidentals." She gives a pointed look at the samurai.

"A better reflection of the various expenses would be, say..." Hitoko leans forward, taps several times to express how far deleted the initial offer is, then enters a new number. She looks at it intensely, then, still leaned over the table, rotates her eyes to Inasa. After serious scrutiny, she pushes the densai back toward him. As it rotates and approaches him, he can see there's now a 5 on the screen.

"That seems rather... luxurious for expenses. Many of the Clans manage to do their duties with that over the course of a month," he noted with a raised eyebrow. "That said, I recognize the potential for such events to be... unexpectedly exciting." He edited it, turning around to show a counter-offer of 3 total, adding 1 for hazard pay.

Hitoko grins and then nods as she sees the new number.

"Hai, Taro-sama. Unexpected excitement is something that must be accounted for. But I always do my best to minimize the unexpected. We'll hopefully be able to look back on that as simply a clan's generosity toward the, ah, downtrodden." Her smirk shows clearly she neither considers herself downtrodden nor intends to become so, making the comment land a bit like an awkward joke.

Hmm, he expected her to argue more about that one. Well, then...

"Of course. We do our best to be generous to those less fortunate. Especially generous if that's all that happens." If things were kept on the down-low, there'd be a bonus.