Even to the untrained eye it was clear that winter was losing its grip on the land as spring took root. Though the trees hadn't yet sprung into bloom, there were hints of colour everywhere Hanako looked. The grass beneath her paws was green and vibrant, brushing against her shins as she moved along, her tail swishing in slow, content sweeps. Only a few days ago the sky above had been dark and overcast, shadowed by an awful storm that lingered the horizon, but now it seemed as though it had all just been a dream, a dark figment of her imagination. It was now bright and clear out, with not even a single cloud in sight. She pulled in a deep breath and exhaled through parted lips. It was almost strange how the world could change so quickly, reminding Hanako that nothing was ever set in stone.

It got her thinking, did she she want things to remain as they were? On one paw she was pretty happy as it was, carried no real complaints or burdens upon her shoulders. But on the other, it all sort of felt like a lie, that she was just reading through a script when she had such thoughts. Like the words weren't her own, even though they were said in her voice. Her lips pursed in thought as she stopped to admire some budding flowers, a tease of red poking out from behind the leaves. She didn't know much about flowers, their names or whether they had any medicinal use, but she thought they were pretty, is all. A little typical and girly, but what was wrong with that?

Location: Redbud Nook He had to get away from the demoness as often as he could, slip away without notice otherwise she would be close to follow him. It was hard for him to sneak by quietly with his bulky frame and heavy paws but on occasion he found his way around. Exploring the lands was not something quite enjoying to him, but he was never one to slip on information and besides, it passed the time better than the average hunt or wander. He wanted to take in the surroundings and learn what he could to better his mind that his mother turned to mush with her nagging. The two had stayed east recently so he'd rather not go far in case she were to track him down and drag him back to their temporary dens by his ear in thought he was escaping. The dark blades brushed against his ankles, some patches he waded through came close to his knee, but he pushed through the thick brush without fault. His eyes would come across a colorful fae, not too surprised by her unique markings per his own. But he wasn't used to a wolf so close to his size as he felt like a giant next to his mother. Coming from a decent distance behind her, his steps not necessarily quiet but he wouldn't waste any time to make his presence know. "Something interesting up there?" His gaze towards the buds as he squinted trying to spot what she found so interesting, he himself blind to the beauty of the spring buds. Walk "Talk" Think

Hanako was surprised but not alarmed by the stranger's sudden appearance. Turning she set her gale gaze upon the stranger and took a moment to take in his looks. His coat colours were strange enough, but what really caught her attention was his face. His eyes were the darkest black she'd ever seen, lined by red stripes that ran down the length of his snout, like streaks of blood. It was such an accurate comparison that for one startling moment she worried that he'd hurt himself but upon closer inspection she realised that the colour was blended into his fur, that this was what he was meant to be.

She followed his line of sight and her face scrunched a little in confusion. How could he not see it? The promise of colour so close she could almost taste it! The impatient part of her wanted to see it here and now and would have demanded that the trees bloom if they would have listened.

"Not yet." But soon though, she hoped. "You see up there, the buds are starting to show a little colour. I think they'll bloom soon. Maybe in a few days."

But maybe he wasn't a fan of flowers, she didn't imagine that many men were so it was time to approach this encounter from another angle, it seemed.

"I'm Hanako, it's lovely to meet you, Sir." She offered a gracious dip of her head. "What brought you to these parts?"

His legs made him grow closer to her as his midnight eyes stayed on the little bit of color in the buds. He wasn't paying attention to where she stood but he had grown used to sensing the placement of other's by ignoring his own mother's movement around him. He would stop just a few feet from her, still with the squint in eye, "Hmmm" He could see the the start of spring coming around but the beauty of it? Nah. And though it was typical for a man to not see elegance of nature, he was no ordinary man. He just chose to ignore the silly delicacy of such things. "I suppose I see it." It would be more interesting to him when the flowers were actually bloomed, but only for a moment. He wouldn't mind the change in subject, his demonic optics coming to her face and even to meet with her eyes if she could spot the movement of his nearly invisible pupils. "Hanako," his voice would repeat in his booming voice, almost as if to be charming though a little as if it would help him remember later. He probably wouldn't but he would easily remember the markings she bared. "The name's Kefka." His head would swivel to look around at the tree trunks and between as best as he could see. "I travel a lot, I've been to the east a couple times. I'm staying nearby. Probably won't stay around for too long though." He tried to keep his mother out of it, he didn't want to think of her anyway. Though the floral scent of roses could have been faintly flowing off his pelt. "Do you live nearby? Or do you happen to travel often too?" His actions were very collected for his much more evil innards. But he knew if he even thought of hurting the young girl or killing her, first he probably wouldn't be able to control himself. And second his mother would probably kill him. Walk "Talk" Think

im being vague with what hanako is up to atm as the plot is still ongoing

Hanako's tail wagged at that, glad that he could see where she was coming from. Or at the very least he was acting as though he did, she wasn't going to push it either way. Instead he moved closer, his long legs closing the distance in easy, self assured strides. Looks aside, Hanako couldn't help but get the sense that she was missing something, as though the true him was lingering in the corners of her vision, just out of sight and mind. It was such a weird sensation she wondered if it was all in her head, like her mind was trying to spice up this encounter with mystery and intrigue. But then he said her name, his voice loud and reverberating and then Hanako realised, at the very least, that they were cut from two very different cloths.  He was loud and brash, confident in a brazen way whilst Hanako clearly wasn't.

It was hard to tell what he needed from her, what sort of approach would work best with him. So she kept it cool and casual, an easy conversation between two friendly strangers. For that's all it was, surely.

"Kefka." She repeated, just as he had.

He went onto say that he travelled a lot, that even though he was staying in the area for now he wouldn't be here for long. It sounded awfully similar to the life she and her Keepers led, forever transitory, moving from one place to the next with no end goal in sight. Now that she had settled, or at least as much as she could, she couldn't help but miss travelling a little. The open road held so much promise of excitement and adventure but reality rarely-if ever- lived up to her expectations.

"I'm staying in these parts for the moment too." She motioned with a flick of her snout to the south. "Till now I've travelled a lot though, made it to Boreas all by myself." She was a little smug about that, her smile wide and earnest.

A chuckle to her mirrored response repeating his name. It was a bit unnerving to him that she couldn't see past his facade even if inside she could feel something was off about him. His eyes came back to meet her form as she began speaking towards his questions, "Oh, a young pretty girl like you? All by yourself?" A sarcastic smirk as if to say he wasn't serious or making fun of her. Though inside was filled with sickening desire as their interaction continued. One could say a bit of a flirt but in reality his was shaking off his evil urges. "Simply astonishing." He would walk forward without her as if to offer a walk in the swish of his head and tail. He'd stop by a nearby tree trunk to sniff the bark, the scent of the flower buds nearly disgusted him as it resembled to rose scent of his mother. A quick sneeze to rid the strong yet faint smell from his nose. "I was born in Auster, haven't been down that south recently." He wouldn't give her too much of his back story though honestly he wouldn't mind sharing if she asked him questions. He felt there was nothing to hide unlike his mother. He knew they were on the run from his father but he actually was unsure what the reasoning was behind the avoidance. "Do you come from Auster or somewhere else?" His face would turn again to meet hers, interested in her response or actions. He heard of wolves that came from other continents as his mother did, and he was always interested in learning the ways of other wolves and cultures. Walk "Talk" Think

Kefka's compliment fell on deaf ears. It wasn't that Hanako was offended or anything like that, rather she'd heard this tune one too many times before and by then it had well and truly gotten old. Without sounding overly vain the best way she could describe it would be to compare it to a fact that you already knew was true, stating it over and over again didn't change anything. The fact remained the same and so did she. Regardless of how she felt Hanako knew how to put on a show, each and every time without fail-as was ingrained into her mind- she'd get all coy and gracious, like she didn't want to accept it was too polite to say no. Following that script, Hanako dipped her head and titled her ears back, a touch shy and flustered.

"Yep." She affirmed, not wanting to leave him hanging.

When Kefka began to walk she followed, listening intently as he explained how he'd come to this place. She'd never heard of Auster before but she doubted that he'd heard of half of the places she'd passed through, so she thought little of it. At least until it occurred to her that she might one day visit this mysterious place, that with her Keepers temporarily out of the picture she could go pretty much wherever she wanted to. Within reason of course, she wasn't totally free after all.

"Came from somewhere else, so far away my legs hurt a little just thinking about it." She admitted with a laugh, moving closer so they could walk side by side, shoulders almost touching. "What's it like? Auster, I mean."

He continued to walk on as she came close beside him on the mostly meaningless endeavor. Her scent he took in slowly but deeply, not trying to be obvious or weird of his backwards intentions. It was hard to resist to a point he wanted to push her down and run away. Nearly the mind of a young pup that was almost never a way he felt or showed. Damn he hated his mother, because if it weren't for her he'd... "Maybe you can tell me more someday." He chuckled, a bit of a joke to meet up with her again but he wasn't opposed to doing so. He felt it important to learn more beyond the waters and continents. Any new ways of living he was interested in learning. He had to stop and think for a moment. He was only a pup when Agria stole him from his family and his home. His eyes closed in thought as he tried to rush up ideas. "It was very different there, the seasons were backwards, I remember it being hot and humid as I played with my brother in our first two seasons." He paused, his face clearly disturbed by the thought of his brother or his childhood. His ears still tipped up but facing behind him. It wasn't something he tried to pull up from the depths but it was almost like it came out naturally. He had a lot of resentment towards his mother for stealing this from him. But whatever he was feeling, it was definitely showing that disturbance through his expressions. Walk "Talk" Think

"Maybe." She was quick to agree, after all as strange as he was she wasn't opposed to meeting him again some day.

When he stopped walking Hanako kept on for a step or two before she realised she'd left him behind. With a graceful swish of her tail she turned, ears tipping forward in interest as she described Auster and it's seasons. She'd passed through warm climates before but as always had never stayed for long, in a way she was glad she hadn't as even with her pale fur it had been difficult to keep cool during the day. Not to mention the time she sunburned her nose, she'd never felt pain like that since and hoped that she never would. It had been beyond awful, and in typical dramatic fashion she'd moaned and cried as though she was dying, like her days on this earth were soon coming to a dreadful end.

Stuck in her reverie at first she didn't notice how Kefka's mood took a nose dive, like he was venturing into dark and untamed territory. But when she finally did her head titled a little to the side as her brows drew together in a concerned frown. By no means did she intend to pry but she couldn't help but wonder what thoughts bothered him so.

"It sounds interesting, maybe I'll see it for myself one day. Do you know about any interesting places here in Boreas though?" She figured he might since he was a loner and they tended to roam all about the place.

His midnight eyes came to look at her again as their expressions mirrored each other, a squinted frown. He would shake his large body to rid himself of the stinging memories he forced to push behind him in the reign of his mother. He was glad for the slight change in the topic, asking about Boreas instead. He'd think quickly but knowing it all had to be in preference, "That depends on what you like." His once sour face turned back into his more common joking one, this time his grin a little less exaggerative. "I've trained a lot in the battle field, it's a good place to learn the means of fighting." He was pretty sure she was at least more uninterested in a fighting skill than he was but he saw no fault in always training your defense. Especially from the likes of him. If she would go to walk on from their pause he wouldn't hesitate to follow her, standing here in once place was rather boring though he wouldn't mind either way. "Gods, the soulless forest is a nightmare. My mother gets us lost anytime she feels confident to travel through." He would ignore that fact he mentioned his mother, not even realizing he had. "I prefer forests like the red forest or mile-high woods." He had to think another second, he couldn't pick out any one place or terrain in particular. "Or the mountains like fenrir's maw or locus obscuro." All these place mostly dark and sometimes scary especially for those who don't like to travel or explore. An eye turned to the young girl realizing he had been lost in his own thoughts, luckily not on the thoughts of her. "Don't suppose you'd have any recommendations for me." The continuous joker went on. Walk "Talk" Think

He did have a point, how was he supposed to know what she liked? Though when he mentioned the battlefield Hanako was quick to shake her head. Maybe she ought to try but the idea of it just seemed off putting to her, and rather unnecessary since  she'd always been surrounded by warriors who were far more capable than she could ever dream of being.

"I think I'll skip the battlefield, save myself the embarrassment of getting my ass whooped." She giggled at that thought, thinking that it'd never happen to her.

To Hanako's relief Kefka began walking once again and soon caught up with her. He went onto speak about a soulless forest and Hanako was struck with a blazing sense of intrigue, after all with a name like that how could she not be curious? It sounded awfully spooky and whilst she wasn't brave she never really had anything to fear either. Being coddled as she was had really skewed her perspective of things, danger always seemed like such an abstract concept to her, like it wasn't something she needed to concern herself with. Yet anyway.

She couldn't help but linger on the fact that he mentioned his mother, as though he was thinking of her without even meaning to. She idly found herself wondering how her parents were doing, all safe and cared for in the positions the Keepers had so generously provided them. Did they even think of her? It was hard for Hanako to do the same, since she could barely remember their faces but she'd be a liar if she claimed that she didn't think of them from time to time. But anyway....

"Hmm I like forests, but after a while they all sort of blend together. Hard to tell where one starts and the other ends." They were just a blur of greens and browns, places she passed through but never lingered. "Mountains are okay too but a hassle to climb. Hmm, the beaches around here are really nice. To the west there's a beach with black sand, it's really beautiful! Especially when the sun sets."

Her politeness and ways to continue their conversation was alluring to him. Most would cower to him, run away, or even just have a common awkwardness towards a stranger. But she seemed to be just fine on her own. Was it her young age? Or her upbringing? He may never know. He felt it nice to continue to know her or any other wolves he considered to have a likeness to. But there was that itch he was holding in the back of his head that told him to cut them off. "That sounds familiar to me," the thought of the ebony beach buried deep. "I must have been there when I was young." And he had. Agria once lived in the cavern that made an exit to the black shores, before she joined the empire alongside Kaine and soon birthed Kefka and Meph. But she knew she couldn't stay there long after Kaine sensed her abandonment. And since then they stayed on the move, never really having a place called home and Kefka never really feeling what he would call safe on the run from the titan. Through his paw steps he looked up at the mostly brown and green branches, his temptations seeming easily sub-sided as their time together extended. "I wouldn't want to keep you for too long." A sly grin as his eyes came down to look at her again, "You wouldn't want to keep me for long either." A joke if that, a secret behind it. But he felt he acted good enough to keep his demon at bay and it seemed like he never knew how much he could control it. Because the only reason he was holding back was because he had a dictator waiting at home for him. It wasn't because he didn't want to let go on the girl, because he certainly did. But he felt the consequences that came after were something beyond his thoughts even. Why was he so worried about his mother? He couldn't even give an answer. Walk "Talk" Think

Hanako watched, fascinated, as Kefka seemed lost in thought. There was so much about him that didn't add up, such mystery and allure that even with the hint of strangeness she just wanted to know more. Even if it was dangerous. She could tell that he wanted to leave, that he probably had places to be and that their meeting had run it's course. She was a touch sad, but not enough for her to cling to his pelt and beg him to stay. Besides, she supposed that she also had places to go, things to do. Her life was a little more busy than it used to be, she had to take care to remember that or she might get into trouble.

"Mmm,"she agreed with a dip of her head. "It was lovely talking with you, Kefka. Till we meet next time?" Hanako offered him a sweet smile, followed by a polite dip of her head. A formal show she'd put on more times that she could count.

Stepping into the forest, Hanako wondered where Kefka would go next. Would he seek out the beaches she had mentioned or did he have his own path to follow?

Hanako exits unless stopped

He wouldn't do much other than a nod in agreement. For the sake of her own he would start to turn and walk towards the west from where he came. His mother was probably anxious as it was just from his short time away from her. He knew he'd hear a lot when he got back and would probably be smacked around for it. Oh well, he wouldn't suffer over her harsh reactions. He wasn't a tiny child anymore. He'd only pause a moment to look up at the buds one last time. Perhaps he'd see her again when they bloomed and notice the beauty even if it were just for a moment. But no, he didn't want to take the chance of his demon escaping next time. She seemed a little naive for a beast such as himself, and knowing that this encounter was successful there was more of a chance of him letting go the next time they met. -Exit Kefka- Walk "Talk" Think