The murder investigation had taken a few days but had ultimately proven to be an exciting escape from the boredom of mediocratic running of SPIRIT which could sometimes happen. It was why Dusan had a tendency to leave Claire to handle it unless something truly terrible reared it's ugly head that needed that 'old sledge hammer' approach. He preferred the criminal investigations. In many ways he got a small thrill out of bringing one down the same as he had about his father. It was a secret thrill that he could never share but experienced none the less. It had been rather easy to figure out for him from the get go, the trouble was just getting the evidence. The murder victim had clearly been killed by someone left handed, which her supposed disappeared mate had been. The cut was made smooth from behind which had meant no resistance or someone that she trusted to be behind her. It had just been the matter of why he'd disappeared in the first place and what had been the motive.

Jealousy.

It was almost always jealousy. So it had been somewhat easy for Dusan to manipulate the situation and send Haley on the right track to looking into some of the mans off record properties which had been where he was hiding out. With enough money and connections Haley had been taken up and it was just the matter of following the small tracking device he'd put on her shirt tag to locate them. The altercation had been brief but a few threats from Dusan had left even the other murderous Alpha terror-stricken. It was strange how a man who worked supposedly in connection to the police had been more than willing to threaten things that even a murderer had a hard time believing Dusan might do. But in the end the police did arrive and thankfully no one had been hurt other than a bullet to the abductors knee for good measure. Dusan would say that it was on Haleys' behalf but otherwise seemed to say very little else.

Getting back to his house revealed that it was a multi million dollar building in this part of town. Three stories above ground with one story underneath where he kept his motorcycle and car with still room should she move hers in. It had three bedrooms but the floor plan was so spacious that he had brought in plenty of furniture and accessories. The home was filled with a blend of Eastern and Western motif that all seemed to work off the notions of wood accent and nature. His own smoky scent offering an almost dual note when entering the abode but he had been willing to help get her limited things up and situated in one of the guest rooms that would now become hers. Sufficient place at a desk for her to work in the bedroom or one out in the main living room should she want a change of view from the ceiling to floor window that looked down on the street below.

Dusan for the time being had briefly adjourned to deposit his jacket and gotten a bit more casual. His shoes and socks were departed and though he still wore his slacks his shirt sleeves had been rolled up to above the elbow and the buttons unfastened and tie now missing as he took a moment to just breathe after the loading in of everything.

The smell of freshly cooking food had filled the air of the home and blending into his own scent  it painted the picture image of cooking on a cast iron skillet over an open fire out in the widlerness. But he hadn't figured that Haley would finish and make her way back over to her room. She had been trying to clean what mess there was. In truth he was a rather clean individual, or rather the home was given how little it was in use. SPIRIT had him hopping all over the place and rarely did he actually cook his own meals anymore. Usually it was eating out or something back at the HQ that someone else was providing. In a weird way this took him back to his early high school days. Staying over with someone else for them to make breakfast in the morning. Only this time it was his home. The girl had deserved a little bit of a respite after what she had gone through. Life threatening situations was normal for him but he was sure she hadn't faced such a thing before. Then to turn around and have to try and report the entire thing it was the least he could do. Besides she was something quite unusual in his type of life and he was sure she'd appreciate being set up with a reoccurring place to submit her news to. She was big on the truth and in Media that could be a hard sell some times but many didn't like the harsh light of truth and so having someone to shine it on others did give Dusan a sense of some schadenfreude.

Making sure that everything was prepped for her had been more hands on than others in a similar situation who might have otherwise just told her which room was hers and left it at that. But as rough as he was he had no desire to just have her feel like a stranger here. Returning home and moving about had been achieved with an innate stealth that he'd just grown to have over the years. He didn't even actively think about it much anymore but always delighted in it when he could spy that first look of surprise at his -sudden- appearing near people. Haley already was proving to be the kind of person he liked getting a reaction out of given how extreme they were.

"And why is that?"

It was such a short answer that in some ways might have been rude but he did find himself legitimately curious as to how long she thought he'd be out of the house. His watchful gaze settled onto her and noticed how cute she looked in the rather simple garments. His gaze would drift over her before meeting her eyes again. "I was just coming to put the last of your things in here so you can put them up when you like." A turn of his head showed the few provided storage boxes on the floor near the table filled with her clothing and few other assorted keepsakes.

The blushing, the shy turn of the head, oh she was a cute one alright. Dusan felt like it would be all in good fun to play with her a bit. Still he didn't want to have her running off only on her first day here. It wasn't his intention to get here here just to have her feel uncomfortable and end up leaving or wanting to leave. Still as she would further speak to him about the meal she prepped he would start to walk closer to her. His expression and his eyes gave nothing away as to his motives or emotions other than he was listening to her. As he neared her he would reach one arm down and wrap it around her waist to draw her the last step in closer to him. For a moment he stood with her shorter frame so close to him that he looked down at her.

He was still stoic but his eyes didn't show anger or frustration. As intense as his gaze was and it feeling like it could look through the thin clothing she wore his gaze held a sort of hidden kindness to them. He slowly leaned down and for an instant there was the allusion to him kissing her on the lips but only at the last moment would he turn his head and place his lips to her cheek in a more chaste kiss. His voice speaking soft and low now that it was in closer proximity to her ear. "You look adorable and as much as I'd be fine with you walking around in nothing I figure you might not be comfortable enough with that so I thought I should bring in your clothes. Although I must admit I'm feeling rather ravenous after everything," He took just a moment to allow her mind to work over the double entendre. It would just let the briefest of moments to see if her mind went to something a bit more intimate before he capped off his statement. "So lets go eat."

Then came another small bit of play. He turned his body out and his arm which had been around her would slip slowly off from around her middle but in doing so it let his hand move against the small of her back before catching her hand and starting to walk her back out of the room and back towards the kitchen. He did not pull her or get aggressive but rather it was just as though it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be hand in hand with her as they walked. "If you were cooking for just yourself I can make something else so you have more to eat for later but I'm also happy to try what you've made. It smells good."

It was apparent that he had made an impact on her in just the short interaction of her bedroom. Since his youth he'd learned to watch for those small micro tells in people but especially when giving romantic overtures. Alpha, Beta, Omega, each was distinct but small notations to show what they liked or what flustered them. It was important to not anger but just to prompt them. A little priming and testing the waters as it were. Haley had not pushed away nor had she gone rigid with resistance so it would seem she at least didn't dislike the overtures in her direction. Walking her back to the dining room he helped to draw a chair out for her to sit and released her hand. "Since you cooked, I'll go ahead and plate and then do the dishes when we're through. Sound good?"

In all truth he rarely cooked for himself anymore and often it was strictly for when company was by or the rare nights where he had been in the home alone. He wouldn't admit it but a small part of him disliked being alone... At Times. He liked the idea of choosing when to be alone rather than it being situations that he just found himself in. Alone when -he- decided? Well that was great. Alone when circumstance made it? Not so much. Maybe it was another reason he'd asked her here. But for now it was strictly altruism which is why he had to be careful. He didn't want her thinking he'd brought her here with the soul intention of just f---ing her, even if he had already envisioned the idea. "And you don't need to worry about the food being American, I'm originally from America myself. California to be specific." Walking to the adjacent kitchen he would take some plates and start putting the food out onto them. "What would you like to drink? I have a bottle of Bolgheri from Tuscany that would pair well with this if you'd like wine. I do have a bit of everything though."

If anything it was easy enough to try and play a good host. The movements of the skillet and plates soon presenting the two of them with a good sized serving while keeping some of it off to the side for her to munch on later. A quick dip to the side and he retrieved two glasses from their respective cabinet and adjourned to  the fridge to get her some juice. It was a bit unusual but he took out a bit of blood orange lemonade which he had made a few days back to pour into a glass for her before returning it to the fridge. If she didn't like it there was always tea, water, or one of the more basic juices like regular orange juice. With her drink in his left hand and her plate in the right he brought it back to her and placed it down. "Don't let the deep red color fool you. It's actually blood orange juice and lemonade. Let me know what you think but if need be I can change it to regular orange juice." With that he turned about to return to the kitchen and get his own food. Starting to open the offered bottle of wine he poured himself a glass as he spoke.

"And yes I'm also from Cali. I was born and raised in San Bernadino. Not exactly a great neighborhood but I suppose it got me used to assault and murder investigations." Returning with the wine and food he sat across from her. He recalled how he had looked into her in those first few minutes of their meeting but otherwise wouldn't let on he'd done such a thing. She had already been a little off-put by his tagging her but it was just the sort of man he was. Funny, looking into and pursuing people was also the job of the news media which meant she'd have to get used to that little bit of required assertiveness if she was hoping to get people to answer her. "I only moved to Japan within the past year or so."

Being attached to anything was honestly something Dusan hardly ever did. He was possessive that was no doubt but to say that he was attached? That seemed to incline itself towards having a need for it and certainly his otherwise aloof nature wouldn't abide by anyone seeing him that way. He and his mother had never been close but he did care for her, ensuring that she was well off but it wasn't as though they spoke day to day. Just the occasional check in but otherwise it had been an uneasy calm between them after his fathers passing. Maybe it was that much like with his father it had been she hadn't -wanted- to know what Dusan got up to. Where the money came from or what he would do when he disappeared for days at a time. But in the here and now it was free of any tethers. Heck he even sometimes left SPIRIT to handle it's own affairs for a while before hopping back in to ensure some part of the planet hadn't gotten torched or invaded. Sitting across from her he listened as he would start into eating the food she had prepared.

It was pleasant and even though he did like things a bit more on the spicy side he could appreciate what she had made. The sausage a little peppery from his initial selection but he could listen and eat at the same time, ensuring that he always swallowed and cleaned his pallet with a sip of his wine before he'd speak again. "I know what you mean. When I was growing up there was the idea of the supernatural being an impossibility but as time went by it proved to be less and less unusual to see or hear about super powered beings moving around. Some with minimal powers and others who could very well destroy a city without much thought. Say what you want but I think people with powers like that should be kept tabs on." He thought a little bit about how he'd been able to move himself further ahead financially thanks to his own powers but he had no interest in living a gaudy manner. Personal jets, gold toilets, things like that were so superficial and just begging for attention. He preferred being able to be out of the public eye. A nice enough home, his motorcycle, a car, and some alien tech was all he needed. "Going back to Crime though, I think in many ways though it helped prepare me. Better for trial by fire in the idea that now nothing takes you by surprise. I learned very young that people had the capacity to be terrible and self serving."

Her voiced disagreement caused him to briefly pause in his eating and his gaze shifted to watching her rather intently. It wasn't a glare or even a scowl but it was a look that read of judgement. He would let her explain her stance and view even if it was a place that they clearly had opposing views. She was a relative innocent to the universe and that wasn't her fault. All Dusan knew was that there were plenty aliens and humans who would easily take advantage of such a woman. He himself had semi used her just to lure out the murderer but as he had expressed during her rescue that he wouldn't allow anyone or anything to touch her. The notion of him being a part of that self named super powered world was true but to confess as much gave away a detail of himself and so for now he too would just let it hang.

California wasn't a sore topic. Hell, being raised a criminal wasn't either. It was just the notion of his father that made him want to get violent. But if anything it had molded in Dusan that sense of manipulation and intensity to do whatever it took that he carried with him. Moving back to the topic of crime was an easy enough one for him and he took a break from eating to just sip from his glass and recline in his chair a little to watch her. His eyes were uncanny and carried that sensation that it felt like nothing could hide from him as the expression of judgement morphed back into his regular looks. "You're quite a paradox you know? You want the truth to be told but you believe in peoples privacy? How do you navigate that when it comes to stories? Most find they don't do well under the light of truth otherwise they'd be reporting on it already." He wasn't accusatory or even belittling the notion. Rather he was curious to decipher her own moral code.

Her sense of honor was cute. In some ways it reminded him of Claire before she had become a bit more jaded after being off world. The two of them often were polarizing as far as the ideas of security and the end results justifying the means. He still didn't agree but he had to admire that for a woman her age that she was at least trying to have a moral compass. He had his fill of food and kept the somewhat relaxed body language of watching her and listening. Idly his fingers swirled the base of his wine so that he didn't appear too still and make her uncomfortable. "I concur that some secrets are best kept but what I mean to say is that people who don't want to be reported on are often the ones who should be. People don't want the truth published more times than not and it's the very reason it should be. Take what happened to Mari as an example. A family was so ashamed of the idea of their daughter having an affair that they impeded her murder investigation. Cops were so eager not to make waves with a political family they were either to willing or to stupid to acknowledge details of the crime scene to indicate she had been murdered elsewhere and dropped off." Sipping his drink he finished off the bit of wine that had remained in it. "Then again Japan isn't exactly used to very much murder so I suppose that could go either way."

He would stand and start to make for the kitchen. "I'm getting a refill do you want anything?" Returning to the wine bottle he poured another bit into the long stemmed glass. "As to those with powers I didn't say that those without powers need to be the ones keeping tabs. But I think if there' the possibility of a neighbor nuking my home just because they have a rough rutt or sneeze too hard I'd like to keep that under observation." In truth he knew it was hypocritical. It was a rule he never wanted applied to him but he also would admit that it would be stupid if people didn't think he *should* be watched. But for now he did most of the monitoring and kept it on the down low. Better that than to be accountable to the authorities. Lord only could imagine how many governments would freak out if the knew what he got up to sometimes.

"Powers can also make criminal investigations even harder. Can you imagine someone constantly using someone who can change appearance for an alibi? Or teleporting into banks to rob them? Do everyone use powers that way? No. But it's worth keeping in mind. Martial artists must register themselves as living weapons. Put a man in front of you with lightning powers to black out a city I think that's quite a bit worse." Still he wasn't badgering or pressing her to change her mind. This was all a sort of intellectual exercise and it let him get to know her a bit better.