note: she's hanging out by the edge of the armda territory and won't stray too far into ashen land

Hanako lingered by the border, hesitant to set paw over the invisible line. She knew that she wouldn't get in trouble, that Ashen and Armada wolves were allies and as such could come and go as they pleased, but since the other's were off raiding it seemed a little...unwise to be sneaking off like this. Toshiro, her tanuki companion, certainly didn't seem to approve as he stood by her side and yawned loudly, making a show of just how tired he was. The sun was setting and the sky was a blend of blues and oranges, clearly making it far too early to call it a night. Not that it stopped Toshi from sleeping all day, lazy thing that he was. " I just want to look. You can go back to the den if you want, I won't stop you." She offered, gesturing with an exaggerated sweep of her tail. The tanuki glared at her with his beady little eyes but remained by her side, just as she'd expected. With that fuss out of the way Hanako turned her attention back to the border and pulled in a long, steadying breath. The longer she put it off the more daunting it became, like making a mountain out of a molehill.  She began to doubt herself, after all how was she supposed to guard the territory if she didn't remain within it's borders? What if Sirius found out or Azure? No! That was enough of that, thank you very much! Hanako shook her head sharply and then with all of the grace of a buffalo she crossed over till all four of her paws rested on Ashen soil. There, that wasn't so bad. She'd expected to feel something, like a tingle down her spine or a stirring in her stomach but there was nothing. The immediate terrain was about the same as the plains but in the distance she saw how the land shifted and could faintly make out the shapes of tall and white things in the distance. Curiosity nagged at her to go and take a better look but Hanako thought better of it and instead focused on trying to get Toshi to come join her. If she did get into trouble she'd want to drag Toshi down with her too, obviously.

Mojito hadn't yet ventured beyond into the lands of the Armada, the closest he'd gotten had been when he'd bumped into the little cream girl and her purple brother. His stomach fluttered just at the thought. Maybe it was the hope of getting to see her again that drew him towards the scent marker, he hadn't seen her since then, several seasons. If he'd had any sort of self-awareness he might have noticed how often his thoughts turned to a girl he hardly even knew... but the boy was oftentimes too wrapped up in his brooding over his treatment to consider his other emotions.

The boy would not find the small girl at the border today, instead, he'd find a different young woman, older than himself but not by much. He was nearly his full height now and Mojito had had to come to terms with his small size and so he wasn't exactly happy to see how much bigger this stranger was. She did carry the scent of the Armada on her coat, though it was fresh instead of the deeply ingrained way a long time member's scent became. Mojito snorted, tossing his head a bit, a habit he'd learned when his horns had finally fully grown in, a sort of show of his potential power, a sort of wall to help protect himself from the scorn of his cousins. Or maybe he thought it'd distract from the way his ears flopped when he moved his head or the way his pelt curled in a way that a wolf's typically didn't.

"What are you doing?" He barked, a little harshly, especially since he wasn't in any position to actually do, well, anything. He cast skyblue gaze over her, she was pretty... he'd give her that.


"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2020

"Ah! I- " Hanako paused, floundering like a fish on dry land. She hadn't expected that sort of reception and was clearly at a loss at what to do or say. Most people started with  hello and then moved onto small talk and questions, but this Ashen wolf was clearly having none of that as he barged headfirst into throwing her glares and accusations. For a moment she felt a sharp sting of annoyance as she wondered what his problem was, only for the feeling to be smothered by even more confusion. Why was he acting as though she wasn't aloud to be here? She glanced over her shoulder, hoping that Toshiro would offer her some support, but he simply yawned again and gave her a look that read I told you so. So much for him. Knowing she'd have to handle this on her own she looked back to the Ashen boy. Most people would've probably been distracted by his horns but since Hanako was used to seeing all sort of mutations she didn't think much of them. Sure, they looked cool but they couldn't really compare to Azure's combination of giant bear paws, spikes and fangs, now could they? His ears though, she'd never seen a wolf with floppy ears before and whilst it'd probably be rude to say aloud she couldn't help but find them really dang cute! But yes, back to the matter at hand, she had a part to play. "Oh jeeze you scared me." She smiled, a little bashful. "So I just wanted to see if I was brave enough to cross the border. Sirius said I was allowed to, of course, but it still felt a little wrong, you know?" Hanako never fought fire with fire and instead offered an olive branch. She found that keeping calm and friendly was a surprisingly effective method of conciliation. For the most part, angry resolves crumbled before her and by the time she was done they were well on the way to becoming fast friends. "I'm Hanako, a student from the Armada. What about you?"

Mojito felt a flash of embarrassment as the woman seemed taken aback and responded with friendly words, well he certainly felt like a jerk. He shuffled slightly, dropping his head and muttering a sullen. "Sorry." Which he was, especially for spooking her. He nodded slightly as she spoke of the warlord. "Members on either side are allowed to come and go freely." Not that he had yet, no Mojito was the coward too afraid to go looking for the one wolf he really wanted to see.

She introduced herself and Mojito lifted his gaze to look at her again, though he kept his head dropped somewhat, shame still creeping into his face, which was no doubt turning a visible shade of pink. " 'M Mojito Klein, I was born in Ashen so... " He trailed off, then took a deep breath and lifted his head fully to meet the woman's gaze. "I'm sorry for scaring you, I just- not everyone here is as friendly to me as you. But I shouldn't have yelled." He swept his muzzle back towards the pack lands. "You're welcome to come take a look if you want." Mojito offered the woman a soft smile, friendly even if it wasn't particularly wide.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2020

The Ashen wolf was easily disarmed and his anger soon made way for a soft spoken apology. Though he hadn't made the best first impression Hanako didn't hold it against him as her tail waved away his concerns. There was no harm done and she saw no reason to hold it above his head, like he owed her for it. Instead she listened, attentive as he introduced himself with his head still hung low. Arching her neck down a little, Hanako attempted to catch his gaze with a soft and reassuring smile but it was difficult to pull off naturally given their difference in height. Sure, she could have squatted down to his level but that would've have been awfully demeaning and even though they'd only just met Hanako knew with unshakeable certainty that he deserved better. When he finally raised his gaze to look at her Hanako rewarded him with a big and beaming smile, as wide she could manage till her lips hurt. There was no need for him to be all meek and mild around her and if she needed to pull out all the stops to make him feel better then she'd gladly do it. His name was like music to her ears, though the same couldn't be said for the apology that followed soon after. She couldn't help but wonder why he was so soft spoken and submissive, as if there was a need for him to act as though he was walking on thin ice no matter the situation. It was clear that they were cut from different cloth, that this was his go to reaction with people and Hanako's heart ached when he admitted- more or less- that not everyone was so kind to him. Now that just wouldn't do. "Hmm, then they're pretty dumb if you ask me." With a little hmph she turned up her nose, as if openly insulting these meanies she had yet to meet. Only for her to break character and smile once again when she looked back at Mojito. He deserved all the smiles she could give him and more." Only if you show me around, Mo. I mean... if you want."