Payment For Trust Rewarded

The hawk showed back up a few days after having been sent away, looking exhausted and mildly distressed. It had had to do a lot of flying lately, and whatever Ashitaka was doing, it was dangerous. Nevertheless, it dutifully delivered the scroll containing the quarter million ryo requested in exchange for the exotic weapon that he'd ordered. Even if the Senju Prince was aware of the favoritism Okane was showing him, he'd still want to pay full price for his sensei's products. Possibly more so, given his desire to express his passion for the material relationship he shared with the man through material means. The Grand Merchant was something approaching a fourth father for him, after all, something which he first indicated by submitting one of his jealously-guarded personal designs and acknowledging that Okane would do a better job of making something of it than he himself did; along with trusting him not to make a mass-produced mockery of the precious weapon.