let's stick together just a little bit longer Softly, Kirko hummed to herself. The noontime sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the careful work she was doing. It's tedious, but maybe that's among the reasons she enjoys it so much. Deft, practiced movements as she separated the stalk of the lotus plants she'd collected the day before. Carefully coaxing them apart, and exposing the fine silk within. They were still fragile in this stage, sticky and wet where moisture was retained by the stem of the lotus itself. Nearly holding her breath as se teases the fibers apart. Working carefully, with the eye of a skilled craftsman. The very act of it reminds her of her mother. A dull ache lived in Kiriko's chest at the very thought of her. The koi had hollowed out an additional area beside her den to use as a workshop, and it was proving quite useful. Easier access, should anyone need to stop by to talk about orders (or anything else.) The living quarters and the working quarters, separate-- even if only by a small amount of bamboo. Time seemed to pass slowly, here. That was a comfort. If time passed slowly, then Kiriko had ample time to work with her silks.

Kuroo spent the majority of his time out in the bay. Working, fishing, crafting, sleeping, eating. Though he would come to the maze to see his siblings and Hanzo, he was not one who admired the bamboo like the others. Rather, he often felt lost and small in comparison to the tall reaching bamboo around him. Their green stalks clacked together in the wind and cast long shadows over the ground. Internally, he understood why Hanzo had chosen the bamboo. It made sense. It was the closest thing to home for him and he would not fault the Kaicho for such a decision.

Yet, Kuroo would still prefer the bay. Out there, it was open and breezy. A comfortable place to live his life. He thought about this as he wandered through the maze. Needing to take a load of fish to the larders, he realized that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere. "Saru, were you paying attention?" He asks the small tamarin riding on top of his head. Her squeaks clue him in that she was indeed not paying attention and the end result was Kuroo sighing, rolling his eyes, and taking a second turn down a different path in hopes it would lead him the right way.

Unfortunately, it didn't, but the delicate hum of another caught his attention. Also unlike most of the wolves of Tojo, Kuroo was rather social. He enjoys conversing with others and having company around. Approaching with near silent steps, the only sound being the gentle thump of dried fish against his sides, he scents and sees that it is Kiriko. Glancing in from the entryway to her workshop, he smiles and wags his tail. "Have some time for a snack?" Kuroo asks as he moves fully into the doorway and slips off the bundle of fish he carries before taking a seat.

Kuroo Shima