Tsume stared at him a moment, then snorted a laugh and set to work bandaging her arm.

"Of course I could!" Kuromaru announced happily. "I could get--I could get--" His feet padded up and down in place, one nearly slipping off the seat when he took them from the table. "Tsume! What could I get?"

"Gems?" she suggested laughingly. "They'd be expensive, though."

"What's not expensive?"

"Glitter?"

His jaw fell open and his tongue lolled out. "I could get glitter."

She couldn't even blame Asuma for that, because she'd suggested it. She gave him a wry look, anyway.

"And I could get shiny cloth, too. Like--like shiny silver!"

Tsume chuckled. "You'd look great. I bet Ginta could give you tips."

Kuromaru's ear flicked back. "Wellllllll... maybe. But he's kinda funny, you know. He has light feet."

Tsume glanced at her familiar, swore he was trying to press his knees together, and shook her head. "Maybe he needs heavier shoes."

"That's what I told him!" Kuromaru perked up again, and he turned to watch Asuma. "You don't have light feet, do you?" He stretched across the table to try and sniff, but only pulled back, disappointed.

Tsume glanced up as she taped off an end of a bandage, tugging her sleeve back down. His water jutsu hadn't been so bad; she was starting to dry already. She still couldn't get an accurate scent of the man across from them, nothing other than nicotine. Like an itch she couldn't quite reach, it was beginning to tease at her.