Hide very carefully took the statue of Kisada from Eriko, making sure not to drop it. She gave Eriko a quizzical look all the while. “What makes you think I’m blessed by Kisada-no-Kami?”

"I insist, I insist", he poked the plushie she held. When Atena and her discussed proper logistics for the bounty, Shokomaru sighed. This was one of many reasons why he gave everything away. He held his hands out. "Allow this humble one to be your porter, my dear Moshi-san."

Eriko snickered at Hide, "It's not obvious? I'd like to think that you've been pretty persistent for a lot of the miai, hopefully he'll bless you enough that you'll find what you seek with all of that persistence you've been putting it?"

“Well... I have been very persistent, that much is true.” Hide looked at the cheap statue of the Fortune in question, a slight smile crossing her features. “I should ask you, though, if you are willing.”

Eriko lowered the statue at the question. She tilted her head slightly and cast her an uncertain look. "Are you really asking me that?"

“Yes. I don’t want to put you on the spot like that, but... Well, I want to know if this is something you’re okay with.” Hide’s smile faded, replaced with a surprisingly serious expression.

She sighed, "I hope you didn't think me being willing to do a few things with you would make you think that I'm not willing. I'm not trying to pull your leg in the slightest. I guess I wasn't obvious enough?"

“I can be a little, ummm... Thick sometimes?” Hide’s brows rose, a slight grin forming. “Has my persistent bumbling flirting worked?”

"Is that really the case or you're being humble again?" she said as she bumped against her with the body of the otori plush. "I do admit it has been growing on me, I'll tell you that."

The Matsu let out the slightest ‘oof’ as Eriko bumped the large otori plushie against her. “Well, then! Good to know that I have grown on you! Enough that you wish to have joint custody over this oversized bird. It got a name yet?”

Eriko grinned broadly as she gave the bird another hefty lift on her shoulder, "I don't know. I was thinking maybe something along the lines of 'Takara' for treasure. She's quite the bounty if I may say so."

“A fine name for her, I’d say,” Hide said with a firm nod. “You’re much better at naming things than I am. I would have come up with a dumb name like Drumsticks or Dinner.”

Nara pulled the plushie back slightly to protect him from the vicious poking attack, before looking to Atena.

"I can help too! I have an arm spare! I'm certain I could hold more."

"We just ate," she smirked, "that said, I had some otori here and it was very good. It doesn't taste so much like chicken, surprisingly enough, maybe it's all of the fungi here. I don't think Takara would taste all that good when she's made out of stuffing, don't you know."

Hide gave the otori plush a look, but what kind of look was hard to decipher. “Huh, I had otori skewers days ago. Wasn’t too bad. I could have probably gone forever without thinking about how mushrooms could have impacted the flavor.”

Atena smiled. "Thank you both." She offered the two to carry just the big ones. "I should take them to the inn... before Karaoke."

"I don't think we can get away from mushrooms no matter what we eat around here," she smirked.

"However, I think I'm getting a bit tired just holding Takara here. I think I'll get back to drop him off before the fireworks start, maybe catch the show from the rooftops, if I'm lucky," she said with a vague gesture toward the direction of the Wisteria Inn, wherever it was from their area. "You're welcome to come with me if you want, make sure that Takara here gets back safely. Who knows, she might actually become alive and start running off, given how this thing is as big as the real deal."

“Rooftops?” Hide quite liked the sound of that. She flashed Eriko a rather pleased look at the offer, “Eriko-san, it would be my pleasure to accompany you. To assure the safety of Takara, here. Also Kisada-no-Kami needs a place to settle in for the night. Plus, you might need some company up on the rooftops.”

She started moving in that vague direction that Eriko had motioned towards, looking to Eriko to join her.

/exit?

"Just to be clear, you're my company and not my escort, Hide-san," Eriko chuckled and went with Hide's lead back to the Inn.

/exit