He drank the rest of the cup.

"You think this is nothing?" he gave her lopsided smile. "How can...", he stopped himself, obviously thinking of a lot of different things to say all at once. "Doji-san...you may not know it, but you've done a lot."

He held the empty cup out to her.

"Pour me another, take a peek in the bag, grab a skewer and let's enjoy this night. If you can have even a fraction of the satisfaction I do right now, I might even start to think I'm not such a bad guy after all. That's how much that meant to me."

"But-" she shook her head, furrowed her brow. Raising up the glass she looked to him, confused and uncertain. Yet she poured him another cup and settled the bottle again once more.

"I- I don't get it Daigotsu-sama," she admitted, looking down as she glanced to the bag but then focused on the skewer. Collecting one of those up instead. "You speak as if I've done something, Daigotsu-sama, but I've only given my time which is no major thing. Free as it is to explore this Miai and those participating in it," she said, sheepishly.

"How could any of what I've done mean so much to you?"

He thought about what the issue was here. Did she not see her time as valuable? That was a little heartbreaking, he had to admit.

No, he couldn't let it bring him out of his mood. Still, explaining properly would do that regardless.

So he moved as if to turn again, and grimaced. Then pulled his katana irritably out of his obi and rested it against the bench like he should have when he sat down. Then he looked at her, to the point of discomfort, before speaking.

"Because your time is valuable to me. So is your laugh, the way you play with your fingers when you talk, the way your brow furrows when you're about to speak, and the way I can't stop looking at you favorably. All that is very valuable to me, and if I never get to see it again, then this memory will be something I never let go of."

He felt like he was confessing his love, well it was almost that embarrassing.

"So you think it's nothing, but as someone who likes to speak to Doji-san often, I place a high value on your time, and everything I just told you about. A gift isn't just social propriety, sometimes it's sincere appreciation."

He drank the rest of the sake.

"And now, after all that the gift falls short, so please, before I kill us both with the embarrassment..."

He dropped his head slightly. What the hell was he doing...?

"Daigotsu-sama I-" she cut herself off, furrowed her brow as she looked up to him. Glancing away for a moment, the brow still furrowed as she pulled one of her hands into her lap tightly closed. A solid nod to an inner thought she reached and pulled the package into her lap, looking down to it but shaking her head. Looking up to Shokomaru she gained a smile, "Thank you, Daigotsu-sama," she dipped her head.

He grunted and ate his skewer.

After a moment he took another cup from his sleeve for her.

Though it sounded like he was grumbling still.

Blink, and then she shifted her gaze downward. Toward the cup he retrieved for her but took up the skewer laid for her instead. Shifting so that she was facing a little more out, toward the mall. Looking out there and taking a bite, making a little sound at the delivery of the taste, and, "It is nice to have food after a long day," she said, her voice soft and uncertain.

He took in a long breath, like he was going to have a lot to say again, but then chuckled and let it out.

"Yeah, I think you're right", he finished the last piece of fire roasted meat on the skewer and tossed it on the plate. He picked up a napkin, looking thoughtful as he wiped his fingers.

Lifting a leg, he rested his ankle of his knee, then his elbow on the opposite leg and watched the mall move around them as well. He let silence hang a while, eventually sitting up and resting his arms in his kimono again, then looked up past the overhang to the sky and took in a long breath, shutting his eyes for a moment.

Ichika finished up the skewer, in her time. Setting it down gently on the plate when she was finished she glanced at the people walking around. Laying her hands down in her lap, crossed over one another. She looked down to the floor, feet passing by just above her point of view.

"I'm sorry if I said or did something wrong, Daigotsu-sama," she said, fiddling with her index finger.

Hearing her speak he looked over at her, his expression softened slightly.

"I should be saying that to you", he reminded her. "But I think I have an answer." He reached between them and grabbed the bottle, filling both cups. The Spider worked with a slight smile, giving it proper attention.

Using a gentle motion, Shokomaru scooted the cup toward her. "Let's let a drink clear our palette, and we can start over. Deal?"

Glancing over she raised a brow, not quite looking up at him, more at his chest than anything. When the cup scooted over, however, she looked up, furrowed a brow and then relaxed it. With a smile she nodded, "Deal," she said softly.

Taking the cup into her hand she brought it about half height and looked to him for the lead.

He raised his cup now as well, leaned forward a little as he rested on his arm.

"To a night showing improvement." He smiled. "Kampai."

And he lead them in a drink.

Shuffling to be facing a bit more toward him again, as she had before, she raised the cup, "Kampai!" she said, finding that little cheery note and then drinking. When she finished she closed her eyes a moment, scrunched up her nose and then coughed a little.

Shokomaru put his cup down and quickly picked up a napkin, offering it to her. "Are you a sake drinker, Doji-san?" He asked, looking a little concerned.

Looking up with a light smile she shook her head, taking the napkin in hand just in case but she was fine. Still, a little touch on the lip for good measure. "No, not normally," she said with a light chuckle.

"Well, it's still rice", he told her, though with a bit of an sympathetic look. "So even if we getnm drunk we're still praising Inari."

He put his cup down and picked up his second skewer, chopsticks came out of his sleeve and snatched some roasted veggies and he chomped those first.

"By the way, as cleansing our palette was the goal, I'll start again by saying you look lovely tonight, Doji-san. I hope your day was eventful and happy."

With the first Ichika covered her mouth with a sleeve and chuckled. "Mmm!" she agreed with a little nod. Keeping her sleeve there when he went on she dipped her head, "Thank you, Daigotsu-sama," and then laughed, "I'm glad my kimono isn't totally ruined with all the rain I've subjected it to today," another soft giggle.

"Oh, you had a long day running around?" he asked and refilled her cup. "Well, if there's anything you can share the load my shoulders can take quite a bit."

He placed the bottle down next to her, his cup empty. Then he went back to his skewer since the veggies were finished. "But I'm curious about a lot tonight, just to warn you."

He smiled and chewed otori meat.

"Mmm," she said, nodding to the first but when he brought up the second she raised both her brows. "Ooooh?" she asked, a little smile. Breathing out a little, propping up her shoulders a bit more, "What just are you curious about, I wonder, Daigotsu-sama?"

"Well", he started after quickly finishing the skewer as if it had insulted him. "Before I asked you what you hated, and you gave me a great answer."

The chuui wiped his hands again on more napkins and quirked an eyebrow at his still empty cup.

"But I want to know what you do. You've told me your training, I admit, but being a fetching maiden isn't really an occupation, hobby, or anything like that." He sat back a bit, digging into his kimono and finding his lighter and cigarettes. "I guess I'd like to hear what you do when you aren't being courted. Have a favorite murican, maybe? Sing? Dance? Play the shamisen? Knit sweaters?"

He took a lot of stabs at it then lit his smoke and watched her intently.

"O-oh!" she said, her eye flashing wide as she caught a fit of the chuckles. Waving a hand, "I- I guess it never did come up, did it?" she said, settling herself down but bringing the napkin up in front of her lips instead of the sleeve. Glancing to the cigarette for a moment she looked away but turned and looked down instead. Grabbing herself a second skewer as well, munching on a bite with one hand and bringing the napkin up in front of her mouth with the other.

Taking some time to chew she brought the napkin back down, "I write poetry," she said, another small giggle she quickly raised the napkin for. "Well, I normally write a lot of poetry. Say it?" she waved her hand, "I've always loved them since I was a little girl and it was probably the one thing that got my mother and father excited most at my future prospects," she said, glancing down she set her napkin aside somewhere appropriate but then looking around she focused on the sake bottle for a moment and then picked her napkin back up.

"Really.." she glanced back up, but then away without turning her head. "I- I guess I really didn't believe you were thinking on courting me, Daigotsu-sama," she said sheepishly, "to not say that yet," but she shook her head, laughed a little.