Ricky's reaction was entirely unexpected. Keene had clearly stated the problem was unsolvable and the result one that wasn't particularly distressing. The man, however, bore the burden of emotions Keene had not even bothered to contemplate. Anger was rarely an appropriate response to anything. Mella constantly employed it, and her work often suffered for it. There was a tinge of sadness, perhaps, and certainly a fair amount of frustration at having been so easily taken advantage of. There was the external focus of Ricky's perceived anger as well. Keene found it difficult to fault the man without knowing anything about his motives. Were the case such that the act of theft was the path most desirable given the alternatives, Keene would applaud the man's flawless execution (he would not, however, find joy in his own inability to catch the thief). Instead, there was no information, which gave Keene little to consider and therefore little to feel about.
After having shown his lack of evidence and shared his piece, Keene watched the gears turn in Ricky's head. The man's brooding frown shifted so quickly, Keene found his eyes mirroring the shift by widening several sizes. For a moment, he thought Ricky might have devised some previously overlooked tactic of sleuthing to find and accost the culprit. The thought was quickly remolded into the realization that Keene's misfortune allowed him the chance at Ricky's generosity. The proposition stood as a choice, though the parameters were questionably dodgy. There was the offer of monetary reimbursement, though Keene was well aware of the social rules regarding philanthropy and currency. It was frowned upon to explicitly ask for such things, and once offered, one never asked for more and almost always insisted the lump sum should be less than initially offered. However the potential for even a minor reparation found Keene already leaning towards the option before the second was explained.
Fish was, originally, what Keene had set out to purchase. However, his business sense was as developed at his biceps: puny and ineffective. Without knowing exactly what sort of fish the man had caught (its quality, size, and average selling price), Keene wasn't sure the second option suited his needs quite as well as the first. However, social conduct also dictated that the option he chose, he stood by. There was to be no evaluation of the specifics of each option. Ricky had clearly stated "spare coin" and "enough to spare" (accent aside). The subjectivity of the proposed donations left far too much room to speculate. Were Ricky like Keene, the idea of spare change was a far larger sum than fish. Food was, in a practical sense, more valuable than money. Ricky, however, was very much not like Keene. He was not, however, so different as to be an exact opposite, which left Keene about where he'd started.
The final addendum struck Keene as strange. Ricky had given him the choice to pick between the two options, but suggested his ideal situation. It seemed contrary to the whole point of making a decision. If Ricky preferred that Keene receive both Mizas and fish, there seemed to be no clear reason for him to allow Keene to decide which he favored over the other. His chuckle, while innocent enough, seemed much more malicious within the context Keene had just created for the turn in their conversation. Keene felt as though he had suddenly become a part of some particularly distasteful social experiment, in which he was the subject of study. Though not competitive by nature, Keene was not fond of being made to look a fool. The smiling, genial man before him had finally shown him more than a simple smile. He had administered a test, one which Keene was uncertain whether a true answer existed. From what he had gathered of the friendly fisherman, Ricky would be content with whatever response (assuming it was anything but refusal). It left three distinct choices: money, fish, or both.
Social law dictated it was rude to ask too much, even when it was offered. Keene, however, found the law to be a bit lacking in terms of practicality. If the option existed in which Keene could gain both, he found the law to be negligible. Based off of his prior knowledge of Ricky's personality (however slight an insight), the man seemed to be overly concerned with Keene's plight to the point where an excessive display of generosity would not have been unwarranted. Perhaps he'd found an anomalism to his previously establish law. If both parties were willing, it seemed silly to adhere strictly to such a statute that would result in a less than ideal outcome.
Through his deliberation, Keene's eyes had focused on a point just shy of Ricky's chin, staring through to some unknown beyond. It didn't take him too long to arrive to his conclusion, though a least a few chimes passed between them in silence before he moved to speak, his eyes refocusing on the face he was speaking to. "It would be rude to turn away your generosity on any front." Nodding, Keene finished with a definitive, "I will take both in exchange for my gratitude." Having not expressed some form of thanks had the potential to lower his chances of gaining the optimal amount from Ricky. Keene wanted to make sure his chances were as good as he could make them, though the thought of smiling never once crossed his mind.
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