Asuka was rather pleased that Hanami was able to quell this little debacle without any bloodshed or violence taking place, but she was surely struck odd when the miko introduced the honorable Princess as her.....her pet fox spirit? "Oro?" The ronin blinked her eyes absolutely in perplexity and tilted her head to the side with astonishing bewilderment. [i]I guess it's one way to avoid confrontation with these peaceful villagers, that it is, but...a pet?[/i] Now Asuka was imagining what else would befall, like Hanami maybe tying a leash around the fair Hime-dono, or even a collar with a little chiming bell on the end of it. "Oro?" She shook the obscure mentions from her head though, making sure to play along with this little charade the miko had going, or better yet...just staying quiet, but that didn't seem to help either. As before, she was already catching glances and hearing those telltale whispers again, already causing a slight twinge of apprehension upon the back of her neck. They knew who she was alright, but luckily no one here wanted to confront her like those three men in Kyoto. As the whispers faded and the villagers' eyes went back to tending their own, a sigh of relief escaped Asuka. "They certainly are jumpy about us, that they are." She spoke quietly amongst her group.

True, the band of warriors was indeed an eclectic few, but Asuka couldn't help but sense that something else had befallen these people to make them so...fearful of the warriors. One could only wonder....