I like how you alluded into a commander of war. I like Command and Conquer and understand that part very well. You have to know what the other side behind the shroud has to offer as a retaliation. War is life and death with survival tactics. This is not life and death (you survive regardless of what happens), it is talking, so being straightforward with honest intentions should not have a downfall and should be encouraged and thus eliminating the "flirting" that would go on between people.
P.S. Command and Conquer is a true game, if it really does not work out or it seems doubtful you can save the game and try one tactic, if it fails, just load the game file and try a different tactic. Real life is not a game because you can't save it and redo it differently and socializing is not war with other people, one should be friendly and honest while socializing, if you treat socializing like war, that would make you very hostile.
P.P.S. If I say, "I like you and I would like to get to know you more," and the other person retaliates by saying "thank you, but I don't feel the same way," I will be more than happy to move onto somebody else and be very happy not to have wasted my precious time with that person; hence this would make the flirting paradigm insignificant and a complete waste of one's time. If the other person treats that statement likewise, then we can actually get to know each other more by talking about our own life and finding commonalities and that is a "date". From here on out, I've actually been much into the
INTJ and dating thread very much.