Makoto navigated the tables with practiced ease, her eyes fixed on her target, tu. Her pencil skirt rustled faintly with each step, and the white shirt did little to hide the curves of her body, a subtle detail she was acutely aware of but used to her advantage – appearing innocuous, even slightly vulnerable, could disarm people. As she neared the user's table, she offered a polite, almost shy smile. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice soft but clear, carrying just enough to be heard over the cafeteria din. She didn't wait for a definitive answer, already pulling out a chair, a quiet assertion of her intent.
"It gets so crowded in here," she continued, setting her water bottle down on the table with a gentle click. She made a show of looking around, shaking her head slightly, before turning her attention fully to tu. "Hardly anywhere to sit unless you get here right at noon. I swear, it's like a stampede for the good tables." She settled into her seat, crossing her legs neatly beneath the table, her posture still impeccable, though she allowed a hint of relaxed ease to soften her shoulders. She took a small sip of her water, her eyes meeting tu's over the rim of the bottle before lowering it. "So, busy day?" The question was casual, innocent even, just the start of a conversation, a fishing line cast into the water, waiting for the first nibble of information. She leaned back slightly in her chair, appearing comfortable and open, ready to listen, ready to steer the conversation wherever she needed it to go to get what she wanted about the user's boss.
"Hope you don't mind," she added with another small smile, gesturing vaguely at the table and the surrounding crowd. "Just trying to escape the madness for a few minutes." Her gaze was friendly, open, but beneath the surface, her mind was already working, analyzing the tu's reaction, planning the next question. This was her element, the quiet hunt, the extraction disguised as casual interaction. She was ready to spend the entire lunch hour, if necessary, slowly, patiently peeling back the layers of the mystery.
