Spring had arrived in a hasty fashion that rightfully confused her. Having washed ashore not long ago during such a turbulent time for these lands, Celeste was more than curious what had happened. Why had that dreadful disease spread? Fortunately, it had not spread to her, but the weakening crystals on her companion were finally beginning to fall off. The cat appeared spunkier than usual as he crouched in the tall grass and hunted for mice. Pleased with her exemption from the sickness, Celeste began to grow lonely. The few wolves she had met had been loners, minus the first one. Just the thought of him brought flashbacks of her past in rolling waves. She had been meant for something important, but that evaded her every time pictures of her family and home clouded her mind. A wistful sigh leaves her lips as she trots through the widening plains. Her horned crown is held high as she pauses and looks to the sky. Off in the distance, rolling clouds of thunder and grey threaten rain. Hoping it wouldn't reach her any time soon, the dainty wolf turns her gaze downward to spy the lazy river that split the grass. Maybe she could find something interesting there. Turning her monochrome body toward the water, her paws hesitate as she feels sand between her toes. Leaning down to look at her horned reflection on the glassy surface, she admires her looks. "You think there's any fish here?" She asks in her native tongue toward her companion. Aquamarine eyes dance on the reflective surface as she glances toward the midnight-coated cat. Knowing he didn't speak a lick of Japanese, Celeste wonders more to herself. He was off in the grass still, hunting his mice and far out of earshot anyway. Sighing wistfully, Celeste sits and taps a small paw at the edge of the water to watch the image of her face ripple and distort.

Kuroki squinted against the sun, wondering if it had always been this bright. Sure, it was nice to see the long night come to an end but sheesh the sun had taken its sweet time coming back around. Where had it even gone? And why had it driven everyone to madness and ooze in its absence? Either way, using its return as a free excuse to wander a little further afield, Kuroki soon came across the Dancefloor of the Gods. Pretentiously named if you asked him, but not wholly inaccurate he supposed. By the river, the soft lilt of his Sire's native tongue met his ears, more than enough to get his attention as he strutted closer. Cocky and self-assured, in a himbo-chad kind of way. Wasn't everyday he met a koi, the very least one he wasn't related to. "Probably" He told her in a lazy drawl. "Though if you keep flickin' around you'll scare 'em off."

Due to her plopping her paw on the surface of the water, she had been distracted when the strutting himbo walked up to her. His lilting Japanese broke her concentration and made her ears flick up. Gasping quietly, Celeste stood quickly and spun around to face the stranger. Nearly tripping into the water due to her surprise, she eyed the tall, dark, and handsome male with an uneasy stare. "Maybe I want to scare them off," she retorts with a flick of her nose toward the air. When her aquamarine eyes cast back toward him, she notices that he appears familiar, but his scent says she hasn't met him before. Narrowing her gaze, Celeste looks him over once more. For her own memory and perhaps to admire his looks as well. The way he stood appeared as if he were full of himself, but the lazy drawl steered her in a different direction. "I hope I didn't scare any off for you," Celeste says sarcastically as she repositions herself away from the water's edge to sit back down on the sandy shore.

Moving to stand beside her, Kuroki dipped his paw in the water and sloshed it about. Effectively ruining everyone's chances of catching anything from these waters for quite some time. The fish scattered in a panic, fins flapping as they fled downstream away from the looming canine shadows. His dark eyes shone with mirth as he watched the movement, before turning back to the loner once more. She got up to move away but Kuroki remained where he was, his posture casual and slouched as he flopped down by the water's edge. Completely at home at the point where land met water. "Nah. Eat enough fish at home. And freshwater ones taste so...bleh. I think the salt gives 'em better flavour. Seasoning without the effort." He cracked a wide yawn, all sabres and thoughtless tongue. "So if you're not here for the fish then what? Here to brood? Act all deep, like someone is gonna write a poem 'bout ya?"

When he approached to stand beside her and swish his own paw in the water, her heart might have fluttered. Denying it, she knew it was better to keep her distance for now. Even if he could speak her language, how could she trust him? The cluster of fish squirming in the water before darting away made her giggle quietly under her breath. At least he wasn't a sour puss about her scaring them off. Watching him plop down into a lounging position, her tail twitched at her side. How could he be so relaxed? A sigh leaves her lips as she forces her gaze to move away from his large form. Oh, he was nice on the eyes. One ear did turn to listen to his lazy drawl about saltwater fish tasting better than freshwater fish. That she couldn't deny. Saltwater fish did indeed taste better and were usually larger. But someone her size would take what she could get. He yawned wide and her aquamarine eyes caught sight of his large sabers. Hm, those look nice. Her thoughts trail off as she squints at him. Brooding? Wanting someone to write a poem about her? Did he think he was funny? Scoffing loud enough for him to hear, Celeste began drawing a pattern in the sand. "Why? You going to write the poem?" Her tone is teasing as she glances up at him from beneath her lashes. "If so, I wouldn't mind if you did," the girl's shoulders shrug lightly as she smirks. Or would one call that flirting?

Kuroki let out an undignified snort. Him write her a poem? Raising a paw, he itched at the underside of his chin, the dark of his eyes narrowing in playful thought. Why not? It wouldn't be any good but that was mostly the point, he excelled at doing things badly on purpose. "Lez see.." Offering her one last glance, he sat up all pompous with puffed up shoulders. Not his finest work but nothing a bit of showmanship couldn't fix. "A girl by the stream.. He began, words prolonged and his accent on point, like he was a wise old man with a cane and snow white beard. "not as pretty as she thinks " He added in a clever side glance for good measure. "and she smells bad too." Kuroki let the words trail off and flow downstream, as though he'd gone and said something truly profound. Deeper than deep, a poem for the ages.

She pretended at first to not notice his lazy features as he scratched at his chin. Would he really cater to her whims? It seems it would be so as her gaze lifts from her drawing in the sand to meet his gaze. Interested, the petite girl listens closely but goes back to drawing with one singular claw. Carving out a picture of two wolves, both drastic in size compared to each other, sitting side by side, she almost smiled. When the poem's meaning is registered a moment later, her paw lands flat in the middle of her drawing and erases it. Lifting her face up to give him a look with narrowed eyes, she can't help but laugh. "Perhaps the best poem I've ever heard," Celeste chimes as she shakes her head. Standing up from her spot, she walks back toward him until she's mere inches away. "Do I really smell that bad?" Her nose scrunches up as she looks back at herself. Having spent ample time grooming away the salty seawater, she is only slightly offended by the poem.

Rolling to lay flat, Oki let out a long, huffy breath, like coming up with his little poem really had knocked the wind out of his sails. As she walked close, he had to tip his head back to see her better, to actually get a view of her that wasn't all stubby leg and underbelly. Had he any manners he would have sat up right to talk, if not stood, but instead he doubled down. He'd never liked putting on airs and graces, wasn't gonna start now just cause he was hanging out with a pretty girl. Raising a paw, he wafted it in front of the pale of nose. "Yeah. Don't open your mouth so much when you talk. Pee-ew " He bared his teeth in a grin as he laid his head back down, he was being a shithead and he knew it.

Her face turns toward the boy as he rolls over to lay on his back. When he curls his face to peer up from her on the shore, something hiccups inside of her. While his eyes were as dark as a cloudy night sky with no moon, she couldn't help but blink her own a few times. Why did she feel like throwing up? Something tensed in her stomach and it felt as if her heart was squeezing itself. Even if he was making fun of her, she wasn't sure how to feel. Could she really be getting up into sorts just because he was handsome? There wasn't any way he could possibly be making fun of her in a serious way, either, right? She didn't smell that bad, did she? Trying to shake off the feminine urge to huff in his face, instead, she sat down with a slightly furrowed brow. Back home, from what she could remember, no boy had ever given her the time of day before. This interaction was new, so very new. Confused at her own innards, Celeste brought herself back to reality. While her heart skipped a moment as he shot a shitheaded grin in her direction, she knew exactly what she needed to do next. Plopping her own petite legs out on the sand beside him so that she too was laying down, she reached her blackened nose closer to sniff at his shoulder. "You don't smell much like cherry blossoms either," she retorts with her own sassy grin.