First of all - many thanks to the folks who recommended the 5 minute rule to me. It was really a good mental tool. (Keeping the interaction going for 5 minutes minimum before ejecting.) A lot in this post to cover...

The other day I was chatting up a HB9.5. I was very motivated to close her in any way I could, and sort of messed up by trying to set up an F-close before I even knew her name. The conversation was going very well, she was laughing w/ eye contact, etc. She asked me what I was doing "for the rest of the night" and so I thought that I had to jump on it then and there. I asked her when she was getting off work, and wanted to meet her afterward. She said she had work the next day, so she couldn't. I didn't know how to push forward without seeming, well, pushy. Now I realize that her excuse was a shit-test, but she seemed so sweet I wasn't even thinking about that stuff...

This was my first time saying anything remotely sexual to a stranger, so I was just trying to keep cool and didn't want to freak her out because she seemed so nice (weak shit, I know... I wish I had kept trying and got the #-close).

The only kino I managed was hugging her before I left, still not knowing her name... My main goal with the interaction was finally following the 5 minute rule. I kept talking to her well beyond 5 minutes even after she turned my offer down, and I think she was into me but just wished I had the sauce to pass her shit-tests and close her. Did I fail to recalibrate, or was my approach wrong to begin with?

Any advice on conversation escalation? Should I just play it safe with a name -> rapport -> number -> rapport -> invitation for F-close ladder? I know that conversation should be natural, but I get distracted and lose sight of my goal. I just focus on having a nice interaction rather than closing, which makes girls think I'm "fun" and then they never see me again. I don't even really want to F-close that badly, but it is easier for a girl to accept "I want to fuck you" over "I want to know you." Am I wrong?

Anyway, I have an idea for how kino works in a club/bar although I have only been in each once or twice (only 20 years old). What about where there is no loud music to use as an excuse? The other day I was talking to someone in an art gallery (HB7 but skinny...), asked her about a piece I was looking at, and she stepped closer. Once she was sort of close enough for any sort of kino, how can I make that work? Hand on her back while pointing at a specific thing?

tl;dr Shit-test? - "I have work tomorrow, can't be out late tonight." How do I pass this? Tease her for being no fun, i.e. she puts too much focus on work and not enough on play?

Any tips on conversation escalation to a #-close, i.e. leading the conversation there without abruptly asking or asking as I leave the interaction?

Tips for kino during day game as opposed to in a club/bar?

Thanks in advance. I am somewhat pleased with my progress, but wish there were more hot girls around to approach! I will make another post to cover some more general questions I have about common day game situations I encounter.