Squinting against the light of the sun, Hattori breathed in a lungful of crisp ocean air. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen daylight, let alone felt the warmth of it against his fur. The events of the past few weeks were a blur in his mind, hazy and unfocused, as though not entirely real. But beyond all the questions and what ifs that roiled in the back of his mind, he knew with unshaken clarity who he was. What he was and who he wasn't.

With his talons digging into the ancient stone for purchase, the silver of his gaze lingered on the sound, as the fresh and salt water collided beneath the surface, merging into one. Things would change from here on out, of that Hattori was certain.

"speech"

While she enjoyed lounging around the Hallows to spend time with Avantika on her off time, Audra grew bored quickly. Having spent so much time alone, it was hard to adjust to being in one place for too long. As well, there was so much more of Boreas she hadn't seen yet. Before settling down, she wanted to explore and see all that she could. So, she headed north as spring began to envelop the land. Rising high above her, sleeted mountainsides dared to threaten if she took one wrong step. Sure-footed, Audra made her way over the icy tundra toward the valley below. Outcroppings of trees braced her from the wintry wind as she admired the view from above. Turning her chin so that her one good eye could see all that there was, something managed to catch her interest. An awfully familiar-looking fellow. Why was it that every time she went out exploring, he showed up too? Curious, but still aware of her precarious surroundings, Audra made her way over to Hattori. A mix of emotions flooded her as he had not yet seen what had become of her eye. Hesitating, she focused on her paws gripping the smooth stone beneath her as she drew closer. "Have you come to explore the north as well?" Her chiming soft voice reaches out over the breeze toward the man. "This place is pretty during the spring, isn't it?" A small smile envelops her lips as she turns to face the canyon around them.

Hattori offered Audra a side glance as she approached, her steps hesitant and slow as though she feared the stones would slip beneath her paws. He had not seen her in quite some time and yet remembered her well enough, as her face skirted around the gaps in his memory. It was hard to outright describe it, but it was as though a void of darkness resided where weeks of thoughts and actions should be. As though he'd simply ceased to exist for a time, before returning to his senses as mostly himself. Mostly. For a moment he wondered whether she'd been affected by the sickness, only for the pale of his gaze to narrow in on her black eye.

His son's eyes were just as dark so the colour itself was not of concern, rather it was how lifeless it was. A sightless sheen, as though the very colour had been drained from the eye, till it was a mere husk of what it used to be before.

"What happened to your eye?" Hattori asked, rather than addressing her attempts at small talk. Did it matter why he was here? Hattori didn't really think so, he simply was.

Audra was not surprised by Hattori's lack of formalities. She had surmised from the moment they met that he was not the type for small talk. But she would try anyway because she was meek and timid. Being in his company was intimidating, no matter how many times they would meet. His question sounds harsh in the dry air surrounding them and she looks out to the canyon below. Standing on the precipice of continuing her days and a dark tomorrow, her chest tightens. "I was selfish," Audra's words are quiet through gritted teeth. "I wanted to cure the sickness and instead, I was punished," her chin curls toward her chest as her one good eye wells with tears. No, it wouldn't do to cry in front of the Shogun. He wouldn't tolerate such weakness. Sucking in a deep breath, her lips pull tight as she gives her head a soft shake. "I'm not sure how much turmoil you endured during the plague, or whatever it was, but it surely was not the best time of my life," the small wolf turns her head away from the beautiful scenery below to look at him with her one honey-gold eye. Audra's dead eye would stare unblinkingly out into the distance as if yearning for a new life.

She was punished for waiting to cure the sickness? That did not sound like a selfish endeavour and yet from the sounds of it her attempt at striking a deal had gone south, rotting her eye from within till it was dark and lifeless. Hattori noticed the swell of emotions, how her breaths became a little shuddery as though she was teetering closer to tears. It was true he was not one for showing weakness, but in this instance he supposed her response was reasonable enough, she'd lost the vision in one eye. That was an upsetting change if he'd ever known of one.

"It has been quite unpleasant, yes." And he was putting it lightly. "But the worst appears to be over."

There was no doubt in Audra that Hattori was speaking lightly. The worst was indeed over, but some were still dealing with the repercussions. If the sickness had affected the rest of Boreas as it had her, he must have suffered some consequences. While she knew nothing of his personal life, she was glad he came out alright. "Did the rest of your pack come out okay afterward?" Audra asked curiously, guessing that he might not indulge her question. "I recently joined the Hallows, officially this time, and not many appeared to be terribly affected," she adds on with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Maybe offering her own bits of information would help.

Hattori shifted his weight between his front paws, not fidgeting, simply adjusting like a crouching cat about to strike. A cold wind blew in from the north, ruffling the contrast of his coat as his tail flicked a little between his legs. It was colder here than he would have liked, nothing like the warm shores of Ashen. Like home.

But what was it like there? The Shogun sighed, his brows pinching as the little whisker dots of his muzzle twitched.

"I have been away for some time, but I imagine they are well." He would have to see for himself, soon enough he hoped.  Moving on. "Send the Hallows leadership my greeting. I admit I do not know much about their people, personally or otherwise." Though he supposed the same couldn't be said for Ashen as a whole, he knew some degree of communication went on between the two packs, despite the distance.

His admission of being away from his lands came as a surprise to her. Both ears flicked forward as her head tilted up to glance at him. Maybe Hattori's sickness had gone deeper than he was willing to admit to her. Of course, she would not push as something personal as that was none of her business. What did not surprise her was his lack of knowledge of the Hallows. A pack from the southern lands of Auster surely would not be as known to someone from farther north. Nodding carefully, she smiled. "Next time I come across Artorias, I will pass the greeting on," Audra speaks quietly as her paws itch to move on. "It was nice crossing paths again. Perhaps, next time, we will meet when our homes are not healing from turmoil," she steps toward him a moment before looking back out to the ocean. Feeling the breeze flutter along her cheeks makes her heart long for the salty air of Auster. "There is much more for me to see before I must go back," Audra winks with her one good eye before turning away from the Shogun. There is no doubt in her mind that surely they would see each other again. Picking her way back down the rocky slope, she turns once to look back at him over her shoulder. "Good things are coming," she whispers before disappearing through the brush. -exit-