The heat outside the bamboo was near unbearable, blazing and unrelenting, and yet easily held at bay by the canopy above. Hattori counted his blessings for finding this place, though his first encounter with the maze had been concerning at the very least, he'd long since shed those turbulent feelings. Knew this was where he wanted to be, what suited him and his people the best. But aside from admiring his life choices, there was work to be done. In the thick of summer heading out to get supplies when it was at its hottest was a difficult task indeed. The pack was supplied with several small streams that wove through the bamboo forest, constant, soft flowing and checked often. Just in case.

Hattori dipped his paw into the stream, pale brows furrowing as he noted it was shallower than it had been the last time he'd checked. He was unsure of its source, perhaps a spring hidden deep, out of sight and mind, but perhaps it would be time to follow the stream back just to make sure it wouldn't run dry anytime soon.

But what of food? The Bay was filled to the brim with fish and the traps he'd set up outside the bamboo had caught a deer or two, so they weren't starving by any sense of the word. But as Tojo grew and matured it would need all the more resources, perhaps it was time to think about going further afield. Something to consider at the very least.

Here, another chance. Hanzo Hattori was quite wrong if he assumed just because she was female and he was male... She did not require his attention. Not entirely. All she wished was to get to know him platonically. Things could go from there as they wished. While Sayuri did enjoy the attention, she liked it from both genders equally and had come to grow out of pointless interactions. Yes, it would be easier if Hanzo Hattori fell all over her, but did she really want that? No. It would tell her he only valued her for one thing. She wished to be valued for many things. "Good sir" she greeted him per usual, coming up from behind to his side "anything I can help with?" If he was going to get straight to the point and blunt all the time, she might as well mimic him. Though there was no changing the lyrical hymn of her voice. It was light, not brutish, and musical. He seemed to be in thought, and she fell silent. The last thing she wanted from a budding friendship (perhaps) was to get on another's nerves. Sayuri stood there, wondering and waiting. If he didn't want to talk to her, he would clearly make it known. speech here

Turning, Hattori flicked the water off his paw as he considered his next words. For the most part following the stream would be simple enough, a leisurely walk in the shade of the bamboo, but what if he needed help at the root of the problem? More paws to help wouldn't be amiss, and even then he saw no reason to dismiss Sayuri when she was trying to make herself useful.

"Come with me, I want to check the stream's source." He told her, voice deep and gravelly, the nature of their native tongue suited the timbre of his voice perfectly. Like the common language did him a disservice.

Stepping along the side of the flowing water he heard the soft fall of her steps as she moved to join him. She was light on her feet, as expected, and seemed to move with care. Like a dance routine she knew by heart.

"I was told you ventured north to Boreas some time ago. Where did you go?" As to how he knew such things, well just say he had eyes and ears about. Kept his companions busy.

She gave a slight nod, falling in step with Hattori Hanzo. There was little else needing to be said when he requested her presence to check on things. She fell silent, keeping a sharp but subtle watch on the Maze as they went. What would they find? She was not sure what the man expected, and she was still too new to really know the location inside and out. Surprise flickered across her pool depths, tinted with a sharp blood-red fleck, at his admission he had been watching. Of course. He was their leader, and he would want to know where they had gone. "Armada's Marketplace" Sayuri replied easily, seeing no reason to keep it from the man "I sought a blacksmith to make pieces" Ruga had been kind enough, she supposed. She didn't tell them anything, having hidden her scent by rolling in a patch of strong-smelling foliage "vagabonds had told the location of the place to me." It had been neutral yet claimed ground, a strange feeling to the koi woman. The Maze was strictly off-limits to anyone not from Tojo-Kai. It would always be as such. "The piece is at mine den if you wish to inspect it later." She added to Hanzo Hattori, wondering if he was curious about the skill of the Armada wolves. speech here

She'd gone all the way to the Armada? And they now had a marketplace? He thought on it for a moment, trying to imagine it in his mind and came up blank after a moment or so of picturing their territory. How flat it was, a seemingly endless field of waving grass. The fact she'd sought out outsider's help to craft weaponry brought a slight frown to his features, they were independent and didn't need outside trade to get by. Didn't need to rely on anyone else. But he supposed he harboured no ill will towards Sirius and his kin, even if he knew they were unfavourably biased in his general direction.

"As a general rule, we do not seek out others for trade here. We are independent. Rely on our own." He shot her a knowing look, long and lingering, before he blinked the steel away. This was the closest he'd get to scolding her, in the grand scheme of things it was not such a big deal. But he didn't want her to repeat this mistake, even if she'd done it out of ignorance know she should know better. "But tell me, how do they fare? They do not have a marketplace as far as I knew, have things changed?"

He pressed on, his steps not faltering as he pushed through the foliage, the trickling of water filling his ears.

Sayuri was... sneakier than Tojo-kai generally allowed. She wished to judge their crafting and skills and make note of it. Any pack would have been acceptable, yet she had gone to Armada due to the vagabond's advice. While she had been aware of the ban on trading with others, she had done it to gauge the strength and perhaps step into their territory. See what they had done for themselves. The trade was something less compared to the knowledge she had gained. She wished to do more, be more, for Tojo-Kai. Perhaps she was too ambitious and helpful at times. She generally struggled with words, but she tried her best to convey them to Hanzo Hattori at the moment. Though she gave him a nod, acknowledging she would not make the mistake again. Even if her scouting had been for other purposes, the armor was a ruse... She didn't know how the man would react to her sneaking about for information. "They burst" she replied to his inquiry "many members North, even if I was not allowed outside the market." Unaware Armada had gone north from their location, she continued her report. "They have walls of stone built into the mountain pass to prevent wide opening. Wide area, expansive, in middle. South is the Marketplace, inside the mountain itself. Stalls, storage... Many items and things are for sale. They lacked some security in the Market itself, about three wolves perhaps... Including the blacksmith." speech here

Hattori couldn't say he was overly surprised by the information offered to him. The Armada had always been one Boreas' larger packs, busy and bustling with the Fatalis family at the very centre. But to hear they'd moved north? That was the only way to interpret Sayuri's words, suggesting they'd moved from the south to the north, a move he hadn't seen coming. Pursing his lips in thought, he ventured on, listening to the slow trickle of water as it guided the way.

Hattori was not a fool and he could easily sense what she was alluding to, pointing out their numbers and defences, practically nudging the Kaicho to put this information to use. There may come a time when such an action was necessary, but for now he simply stowed it away with a nod. Taking it all in and shelving it, just in case.

"Word travels. Even if you covered your scent it is not hard to presume you originated from the 'koi wolf pack.'" As some would no doubt refer to Tojo as. "Be mindful of your actions. If you find yourself in trouble I may not cover for you." Which was true enough for all Tojo wolves, their actions outside the bamboo were their own.

"Did you learn of anything of the other packs you passed?"

She was quite aware of her markings being 'koi' despite not being from Hanzo Hattori's bloodline. She nodded again, feeling as if he was scolding her or just the brutish way he spoke put her off. Either way, she moved on from personal feelings. "I do not expect you to go out on a limb for me" Sayuri told him gently and clearly enough "my actions are mine own. Tojo-kai need not suffer for it" She never introduced herself as a wolf of Tojo-kai anyway "Armada has been said in the wind a-many times, so I decided to seek them out. See if they were a threat." They were not, from what she could tell.

They did not appear to be raiding anyone anytime soon, nor aware of Tojo-kai's existence at all. "I had a run-in with wolves from Habari" Sayuri reported "a slave and a woman calling herself Klein" A pregnant woman, different than Voodoo though "the Klein did not speak much of her own personally, yet the slave assisted in driving off a predator" She also heard of packs falling "Fireside is gone. I hear whispers more are to follow." Weakened borders, loss of members... Alphas that flee from duty. She was suddenly glad that Hanzo Hattori stuck around with Tojo-kai.

"I did not learn directly, yet I did scout borders - from mine own side" she added to him.

"Speech"

Hattori saw no reason not to take her word for it. Thus far Sayuri had proved that she was capable, wasn't the sort who required pestering or babying. Could be left to her own devices for the most part, an aspect Hattori appreciated far more than he'd ever say aloud. Content on leaving that topic for now, her listened to her following words, took in her report with aloof interest as they continued to move, winding and meandering as the stream did so. Getting wider as they approached the source but still too shallow for his liking.

Habari. He knew of that pack well enough and the name Klein bought a slight frown to his features. He didn't think of the Empire often, had enough on his mind as it was but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder.... The fact that Fireside was no more was certainly news to Hattori, enough to make him pause and thoughtfully tip his head in consideration. Last he knew the pack had been strong, a force to be reckoned with, so how had it fallen apart so quickly? With just a whimper that didn't carry on the wind. And more were to follow? What was happening over in Boreas? Surely nothing so terrible, or the influence would have reached Auster too.

Coming to a stop, Hattori soon found the cause of the shallow stream. At some point or another the rocks surrounding the spring had collapsed, folding in on one another and making it difficult for water to flow so freely. Something that could be fixed, thankfully.

"I see. Keen observations." He noted, as he hooked a claw beneath one of the rocks and aimed to roll it out of the way. Start with the smaller rocks and move onto the larger ones. "Here, pull that rock in the opposite direction. This needs clearing."

And a good thing he had a second set of paws to help.

"Fireside was on unfriendly terms with the Empire. I assume they are happy to see them gone."

"Empire?"

She had only heard of Habari and a few other packs. What did an empire have to do with it? Was there an imperial coven here as well? Something she had long ignored, to be frank. She was a common woman, not one of 'pure' blood. Sayuri moved closer to Hattori, rummaging with the rocks as instructed. She began to clear the rocks, allowing the blockage to loosen. "Forgive my ignorance, I have not heard of an empire here." Boreas, the north. Auster, the south. Was the empire directly in the middle?

"Is it" Sayuri hadn't missed Hattori's subtle acknowledgment of the surname "associated with the Klein blood?" She had never heard of the family before coming to Boreas and Auster. It seemed they sprouted like weeds, breeding like hares! "ahhh..." she murmured, digging free some rocky crevices. The stream seemed to appreciate the effort and flowed a bit more naturally "I am but a common woman. No blood of emperors course through my veins, to knowledge." She frowned, wondering if Hattori would look down on her due to it.

"Speech"

Hattori nodded. Whether it was truly an empire these days was debatable, as from what he'd seen it was not truly united as it should be, or as the name implied. There were too many differing opinions and ways of life tugging in different directions, but he supposed none of it matter to him any more. Not when he was so far removed from it all, content to do his own thing in peace and quiet.

She went onto claim she was of common blood, which seemed unlikely to Hattori, making him furrow his brows a little as he worked. Markings like that were not for the common folk, so either she was a bastard child of some clan leader who had gone awry, or she wasn't entirely telling the truth. Not that he intended to say as much, it didn't ultimately matter here in Tojo where they were starting afresh. Doing things the right way the first time.

"That is fine." He said, rather offhandedly. "Lineage isn't enough to warrant a wolf's value." That was one of his many issues with the Klein name in general, they wore it like a badge of honour. "You do well here and that is enough."

Sayuri did not know her parents. She had been given away at a young age, unaware of any 'legacy' that she had been born with. The geisha house she had been dumped into taught her, raised her... Her mentors had been her 'parents' in a sense. She resisted telling the Kaicho this because she had already said her piece. This is all she knew, and bringing up old memories would not reveal her parents' lineage. She had been too young. Far too young.

"I am pleased to hear" she spoke clearly, sounding it out in her mind before announcing "many place stock in blood... Though it is oft filthy" Incest and assault bred for bad blood, in her humble opinion. To keep the blood pure, they interbred or sought unwilling 'suitable' partners at times "it is duty and loyalty that brings true value."

Upon a time, a man saying she did well would make her swoon. No longer. While the Kaicho was a handsome man he was far too withdrawn. He did not let himself have 'fun'. Not like the fun she had with Kuroo. "Is that all?" the woman asked him "if one has need of more work to do, I am doing nothing else." She offered what was needed. A healthy body to do the workload.

"Speech"