Year of the Bun [2] - Mochi Blessing

Talents were a strange thing- and at the end of the day, having a talent for bribery wasn’t exactly supposed to be possible, but Midicus would say that it was just one of many that he had. Shibani wasn’t so sure, could he really get the holy water with just a hundred carats? It probably seemed like such a small amount to Mercy, not even enough for a hard drink at The Rabbit Hole- but the look in Midicus’ eyes told Shibani that he knew what he was doing. If anything, he hoped that the other’s charms were enough to swindle Mercy, that was he could just let Midicus do the hard work instead of having to use energy to get the water from Oleander. 

“So, what’s the plan? Are you just… going to lie about how much it is?” Shibani asked, watching as Midicus started moving some carats around in the bag, making it look much more full than it actually was. “Oh, you’ll see, Shibani. Just don’t say anything about us needing it quickly, or that it’s for Dan, or mochi, or anything like that. If they think we need it immediately, this all kind of falls apart.” The explanation seemed to be enough for Shibani, nodding in response and following behind as Midicus walked into the bunnery. 

It didn’t take long at all to find Mercy, who was definitely in some sort of thought, no doubt that their mind was swirling with the thought of the possible donations to come into the church during the Mochi Moon. However, instead of speaking to grab her attention, Midicus just shook the bag of carats slightly, the sound of currency jingling around quickly causing Mercy to look over to the two buns. Upon seeing who the bag of carats was attached to, a grin appeared on their face, a small one, but with clear intentions if you knew what to look for. "Oh, Midicus! It's lovely to see you- is there something I can help you with, perhaps are you here to make a donation?" Midicus returned the smile, but moved the bag behind him so that the nun would look him in the eyes rather than staring directly at their goal. "Oh, well- I do have a donation to make, have to drop of my favorer's donations before continuing my day with Shibani of course, but I also have something to ask of you before I do." Mercy's eyes seemed to sparkle, she knew that Midicus' favorer was far from poor, and his donations tended towards the large side. 

"Oh, yes- what do you need, Midicus?" As soon as the question was asked, Shibani held up the bottle of spring water, placing it on a nearby table so that everyone in the room could see it. "Me and Shibani would like this water to be consecrated, if you don't mind too much." Mercy looked as if they were going to ask the obvious question, wondering why these two needed holy water. Alas, they didn't get the chance to speak before Midicus went over to the table, bringing the bag of carats out from behind his back. Almost instantly Mercy was at the other side of the table. Despite the enthusiasm, she still paused for a moment. "Well, alright- I am a bit... hesitant about this, can't just give out holy water for no reason-"

Suddenly, there was the small clinking sound of a carat being placed on the table. Midicus sighed. "Well, in that case, I can give you this...as a start." Mercy stared at the singular carat, face turning to an almost nervous frown at the realization of how this would play out. She softly put one hand on the bottle of spring water, and in return, Midicus put down another carat, sliding it over almost like a tease. Another hand was placed on the bottle, and a third carat was slid across the table. It only took up until the seventh carat for Mercy to eventually snap, blessing the water as quickly as she could manage before sliding it over to Midicus and Shibani. She then proceeded to grab the rest of the bag from the red bun, sliding the seven carats on the table into the bag. 

While she was distracted, the two left the bunnery, Shibani holding the holy water and watching Midicus smirk to himself. "That was really impressive, Midicus! How did you think to do something like that?" Shibani asked, only for Midicus to giggle cheerfully. "What can I say? It's a talent based on secrets. And if I told you how I did it, well it wouldn't be much of a secret then, would it?" Shibani smiled. "I guess you're right. Well, let's get back to Dan, I'm sure we have more ingredients to find for the mochi!"