[b]Shio[/b]

Shio was unsure of how to proceed with the current discourse and resumed browsing the goods. There was little point in commenting on her own social ineptitude, as she knew that her honest judgment would be in agreement - well aware of her failures as a conversationalist. Even if she was being dishonest, Kasumi was of the Touho family and it was not her place to disagree with her opinion.

She had already excluded Dom as a potential assassin, so her muscles fully relaxed. She had watched his tumble. The movements didn't indicate he was a threat and even a skilled actor would struggle to create such a convincing failure. The new girl was clearly in some kind of companionship with Dom, given their exchange. Despite her inability to participate in conversations, she was surprisingly adept at picking up on details between individuals - which was probably part of her problem, being too detail focused. While she hadn't eliminated Chelle as a potential assassin, the girl's features didn't indicate any form of skill on the subject. With both Kasumi and Kujaku there, she was comfortable with their being minimal threat, but she did keep her hands in a position to quickly strike out, should Chelle prove to be malicious.

Shio had considered purchasing throwing knives in order to augment her abilities. They were weapons she was familiar with, having trained with them for many years with her father, brother, and mother. However, she hadn't brought any along with her, as it was unusual for a trainer to take such a weapon. If she had, it would have drawn attention to her 'uniqueness' as a trainer and maybe given away details about her abilities that she did not want to give away. Still, the familiarity was tempting, and the usefulness was undeniable.

"Throwing knives," she told the shopkeeper, not really communicating it as a question. He pulled out a couple sets that he had. Shio dismissed the first, noticing immediate faults in the weapon. The second set was seemingly good, with no visible balance issues. Plucking one of them off the cloth, she quickly flung it through an apple behind the shopkeeper's head, startling him. Unaware to his bother, she grabbed the other, flinging it through the same apple.

"The balance is incorrect," she told the shopkeeper, not bothering to throw the third knife. Normally she would have reconsidered demonstrating her abilities with the weapon, but there was no other way to test. Few people would allow a customer to take the item to a secure room where she could adequately test the weapon, it was one social convention she was familiar with, and for the most part, understood. Back in Echo such a request may have been entertained by some of the local shopkeeps who were familiar with her family, but in Toran, where her name was unknown it was a waste of breath to even ask.