The forest was the only place Hikado felt "home" at now. Through the moisture of the dewdrops in the morning, to the fireflies illuminating it at night, it was his own sanctuary of peaceful times, and his favorite way to forget the past that haunted him so much.

As the possessed gourd wandered through, he began to question why he had even jumped off the mountain in the first place. Although it was a very exciting and joyous 17 seconds of bliss, followed by half a second of unending agony, he never imagined this would be his fate afterwards, instead wishing to go into an afterlife. Sure, awaking as a pumpkin felt amazing at first, as he had a second chance at life with all his old memories intact, but then he frightened everyone he ever met unless they were blind from that point on. It was his personal hell, he imagined.

[color=a7a7a7]"... I wish I hit the lake."[/color] he whispered to himself, as he ever so quietly approached where he slept if it rained while he was exploring. Even if he was a plant, the feeling of rain on his head didn't bring comfort to him, and rather felt like a very inconspicuous death to him, considering his soul was a small flame inside his head.

After a few minutes of a moist mist in the air, a name came to mind in his head. A name of a place, judging by how it sounded, and the place where Hidako occasionally went for shelter in the event of rain, sleet, or snow. Kado Shrine, a place out of reach from humans and youkai, and a grove for animals and plants to frolic in alike. As he approached it however, he saw in the distance as 7 figures surrounded the center of the shrine.

[color=a7a7a7]"...p-people? Here? T-this is unexpected."[/color]

It had been a gravely long time since Hikado actually talked to someone. He usually talked to his closest friend - Kimchi the Deer - when he was around his home, which was a stump a far distance away from Kado Shrine in this forest, and when your only method of socialization is a deer who doesn't speak back... the point is he's desperate for intelligent conversation.

[i][color=a7a7a7]You can do it. Just be natural and don't show any hostility.[/color][/i] Hikado thought, as he approached the other people in the shrine.

[color=a7a7a7]"It's been a long time s-since I've seen people. Why are you all here...?"[/color]