The shop was thick with a tense anticipatory silence after the customer's request had been laid out before him. Watanuki let it fill his lungs and breathed slowly out, tapping out the tobacco from his kiseru. These sort of requests were the most difficult to respond to and though he had grown more adept at dealing with them, it was never anything pleasant.

His thoughts thus gathered, he looked up to face the calm and determined gentleman that sat before him with his large bodyguard.

"The price for removing the mantle of Winter is not for you to give. I am sorry."