Plague's ears perked with attention when Venom began to speak and he listened attentively to everything that was shared. His emerald gaze strayed for a moment to Toxicity and her children at the congratulations when it was given, smiling softly and giving a small nod of agreement. Despite his own personal turmoil that had stood in the way of him celebrating properly at the ceremony that Toxicity had held for him, he was still happy to see their family growing again. The mention of the raid soured his expression and pulled his gaze back to Venom again. The whole affair hadn't sat well with him from the beginning, not in any small part to his own failure. However, when his sister moved on to promotions and he heard his name called his brows lifted with a slight surprise and he stood at her beckoning, taking a step toward her. A slight grin tugged at his lips at the new title he was given and he gave Venom a thankful dip of his head before returning to his seated position. He still had his sights set higher, but it was a big step in the right direction and as he sat back on his haunches he had a slightly more proud air about him. He listened as the pups were given their promotion to apprentice and then looked at his sister with a slight curious tilt of his head when she brought up moving on to a more personal topic. When she declared that the orange splattered man at her side would be her mate he wasn't entirely surprised. Though he hadn't gotten the chance to get to know Hattori personally, he had seen all the work the man had put into the pack and how closely the two had been working together. As long as Venom was happy with the decision then he would he happy for her. He smiled softly at the announcement and made a personal note to know Hattori better since he would be a part of their lives more permanently moving forward. When Hattori mentioned a practice spar he looked to the Shogun with interest again and as soon as the meeting was officially concluded he stood to approach him and express his interest. He would never turn down the chance to get more experience with that form of fighting and there was also a small part of him that wanted a bit of redemption. Or, better yet, more preparation for the real redemption that could only really be gained from fighting with Fireside again. Talk

Siren seated herself nearby and, much to his surprise, Dalila did as well. Why did she even leave the island? Nothing could be done about it at the moment, so he pushed the girl from his thoughts and turned back to Venom as she began to speak. She handed out ranks, giving him the rank of Kage. It was a slight surprise to the two toned brute, but it was what they had bargained for. She was upholding her end, giving him a rank and keeping Siren housed. He would hold up his end as well. No reaction was given other than his gaze meeting that of his sister before the barest of nods took place. He would accept the rank that she offered and he would do it justice. Though a general foul tempered beast, Chimera was rather prideful. Venom went on to announce that the spotted wolf beside her would be her mate. Chimera didn't care about that. The personal lives of his siblings didn't matter to him one bit. Just Siren. The horned brute did go on to speak of the Fireside raid and the dire boy's nose wrinkled, pulling his lips up in distaste. He had some nice facial scars to show because of that raid, but damn had he given some too. He was always ready to give more, but a practice raid was different than an actual raid. He would have to play nice. No real biting with his new, fancy teeth. Once the meeting was over, he would approach Venom and express interest in the raid as a backup. If he was needed, he would go. If they wished to have others attend, then he would be on standby. "Speech"

Hattori had granted him his rank in private, but he heard his name now in Venom’s speech. Quiet, unassuming, the Ademre inclined his head and held it for a moment. A silent motion of respect and appreciation. A wordless communication to uphold his rank. The subtle grin his paw shifted in the earth was a promise that he would not uphold it for long. He was aiming for Daimyo, and he would reach for it soon.

Many more ranks were handed out that day, and their Empress declared her intentions for Hattori before all to see. His paw shifted in quiet congratulations, and then his attention snapped back to Hattori at the mention of a raid. He had not had the chance to join in the last one. He had kept an eye on the more vulnerable members of the pack. He would put himself forward and further his chance to prove himself. He must prove, after all, to Hattori and his warriors, that he could fight.


"Speech"

Toxicity took stock of her pups and geared her attention towards the meeting. She was congratulated on her pups in front of the pack and she found her eyes glued to the pups rather than any prying eyes around her. She didn't look back up until well after Venom commanded everyone else's attention. She handed out promotions and then moved onto more personal matters. While Tox could have guessed long ago with how fallible the Klein women seemed to be to any servant which fell under their power- even resulting in dog pups. Not to mention how glued they were to each other- Hattori often smelling heavily of it. Still, she knew Hattori was not a man of faith and would not accept him as a brother, in-law or otherwise.

It was foolish, really. In the span of- what- two seasons she had met this man as a servant and now he was not only her mate but co-alpha. Toxicity was always suspicious of him and perhaps this was a power grab. If he knew of Sirius and Deathbelle's past relations, who's to say he didn't aim for that same aspect specifically to groom Venom into a relationship with him? But that would be giving him a lot of credit. She leveled her gaze at each of them, her expression entirely neutral. Before Hattori spoke up, Toxicity quietly ushered her pups away from the meeting- she cared not for what he had to say. Besides, it was almost prayer time.