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"Mmhm," Aiko agreed over her fifth refill. She blinked slowly and watched Izuna's mouth move. She had no idea what he was talking about. With some effort, she tuned back into it.

He beamed at her. "Allies of the Uchiha benefit from our protection," he enthused. "In exchange for this relationship, we would ask to trade for food."

Boring. Not really needed.

He had such a nice mouth, Aiko thought vaguely. Shame about the things that were coming out of it. She took another sip of sake.

"The amount would rely on what you can comfortably provide, of course." Izuna fidgeted a bit, smile slipping as her attention receded. She watched him tuck a bit of hair behind his ear. Aiko had the brief feeling that she wanted to bite the shell of that ear. "Rice- we need rice. And we don't have enough of our own."

Belatedly, Aiko blinked back to awareness of how uncomfortable the man seemed to be. The room was in a fog of alcohol and a post-fight high. "I see," she lied, trying to get her bearings. She turned the sake cup in her hands. "We have a modest rice surplus."

For no particular reason, don’t ask any questions.

Izuna let out a sigh of relief.

A thought occurred. "Craftsmen," Aiko said.

He tilted his head to the side and waited.

She realized that she had to elaborate. "You have craftsmen," Aiko carefully sounded out. "I want talismans- something to represent my shrine."

Izuna blinked at her, inadvertently batting his lovely eyelashes. "Oh, is that all?" He sounded relieved. "We could do that. I'm certain of it. In fact, I could do it if you had a decent workspace" He cast a look around the room as if he thought he might see a smithy by the tea table.

A door slid open and then shut. Aiko twisted to see Mayumi pad her way elegantly into the shrine. Her sleeves had been tied back and the dust of the road had been washed off of her face.

"I think the bounty hunter will not present a problem," she admitted begrudgingly. "Uchiha, pour for me."

Izuna blinked at Mayumi and then back to Aiko, clearly having an etiquette related mental stoppage before he obeyed. The Inuzuka didn’t seem to notice. She folded to a seated position and gave all of her attention to Aiko.

“Thank you,” she said, because it seemed necessary. Then her attention was back to the man who could apparently make art for her. “What do you require in a workspace?” She narrowed her eyes at him and turned over her hands on her lap. Oh, the silk felt so nice on her skin.

“A firepot, anvil, and a few tools,” he said dismissively. “And a place that isn’t particularly apt to catch alight.”

“Flammable,” Aiko corrected absentmindedly. Izuna cocked his head to the side, but she didn’t notice. “I can do that,” she said to herself. Aiko frowned slightly as she thought about it. “We can cement a preliminary agreement with an exchange of goods, as a show of goodwill,” she bullshitted. And then she realized that was a really good idea- she needed to lock down the Uchiha before someone smarter realized that she’d killed the Daimyo and thought it might be smarter to talk to another village for groceries.

“We have a forge that you can use,” Mayumi said idly, as if she couldn’t possibly be offering for any reason but that they had equipment sitting unused.

‘Yeah, no, if Izuna goes into the Inuzuka compound he isn’t going to come back out,’ Aiko thought with bleak amusement.

Izuna gave her a sideways little look that said he wasn’t quite as dim as they thought he might be. “I think your terms are acceptable,” he said, definitely to Aiko and not Mayumi. “Thank you for your kind offer, Mayumi-san, but it’s more of an exchange between us if our activities stay here.” He crinkled his eyes at her in a smile. “Besides, my Clan Head should know where I am.”

Aiko generously did not comment on how this was a policy that he’d apparently developed quite recently. It also didn’t quite seem in line with his apparent decision to stay here and attempt to influence her interactions with the nobility rather than rush home for orders. Mayumi merely inclined her head and flashed her fangs in a pointed little smile that was somehow quite ladylike.

“As you say, Uchiha-san. As for a workspace, Aiko-sama, I don’t think your recent acolyte will suffer you to do manual labor,” she said lightly.

… “Kakuzu-san?” Aiko checked. Maybe she’d been drinking too much. She wasn’t used to hard liquor.

Mayumi nodded, amusement tugging at her lips. “He was growling about the lack of splendor for your station.” She glanced towards the door. “If I am not mistaken, you will find that he has… suggestions.”

Well. Why the fuck not. This might as well happen. “I’ll listen to him.” Aiko pushed her sake away and wished for a water. “How long do you think we have until the rich people start coming?”

Mayumi barked out a laugh. “I don’t think they’ll keep you waiting long,” she said dryly. “I’m certain that they’ll see poverty as virtue, in this situation.”

Aiko made a face.

It fit her cover, sure, but humility? Vile. Not her style at all.

“They’ll bring gifts,” Izuna said lightly. The bright way he watched her over his cup brought her attention to just how little the alcohol seemed to have affected him even though he’d been matching her cup for cup.