"Ren was sad. All of the new sights, sounds and scents excited him, but I could tell he was missing both of you." Hoshi explained. "He kept looking around, as if expecting to be tackled by Ten."

"Ten had a lot of trouble settling at night, he couldn't sleep without Ren nearby at first. Hopefully Ren doesn't lose his edge, if he goes too long without being tackled."

"I sneak up on him sometimes and surprise him with a sudden cuddle." she smiled.

Laughing, "that is excellent, I like that plan."

"He does catch me half the time." she admitted. "And, licks all over my face."

"As it should be," Moriko answered sagely.

"Yes." she agreed. "You know, I kind of want a screamer now, myself."

"Fu is pretty cute," Moriko answered, "he's really quiet, hasn't made a peep since I brought him home. I think he'll settle quite nicely. I think he's a he, anyway. It's not easy to tell with reptiles and, well, I don't exactly know a lot about screamers."

She nodded. "I think I was told you could tell by size, but I don't remember how."

Nodding, "there are usually ways to guess, depending on the reptile, some snakes you can tell by how long their tail is, but none of these ways are ever completely accurate."

"Well, you would know more than I would." she shrugged. "Fu is adorable, regardless."

Moriko was nodding in agreement when she abruptly asked, "have you been up to the Shrine to Mori no Reiou?"

She shook her head. "I have always wanted to see it, but I've never been there."

"I went up there yesterday. It was really nice," she admitted, "the shrine is beautiful, in an austere way."

"I'd really like to see it." she nodded. Maybe we can go in a couple of days?"

“I’m going back tomorrow, there’s some kind of ritual happening? I don’t know if I can just invite you to that, but we can totally go sometime after.”

"A ritual?" That seemed to concern her. "We'll go after, then. But, be careful."

Moriko sniffed, "I'm sure it's nothing. They wouldn't invite outsiders if it was dangerous or anything, right? It's a temple."

"True." she conceded. "I guess I'm just curious about the ritual. Tell me about it afterward?"

“Of course,” Moriko chirped, finishing her drink. Ten heard the sound of empty bowls and glasses and lifted his head hopefully.