Firesides borders were faint, barely a whiff in her nose as she stepped over the invisible line. The other times she'd visited she'd see cows and livestock grazing in the distance, feel the life of this place and its country hustle and bustle. And yet now there was nothing, no one responded to her soft wooooo of greeting and the snow that blanketed the floor made this place seem all the more desolate. Like they'd all packed up and gone somewhere else. But where? She glanced about, looking for tracks in the snow, trails or any sort of clue that would tell her what happened here. If nothing else, she supposed Sirius would be curious to learn about what happened here. One less rival to deal with. The snow was shallower here as she tread along, a slight respite from the harsh northern weather the Armada had settled into. To be honest she hated it up there, had never imagined herself settling where water froze for months at a time, but she'd had little choice in the matter. And her sulking hadn't gotten her very far, had only earned her promises of recompense that hadn't been fulfilled just yet. A shiver ran down her spine as she approached the abandoned barn, she peered around the doorway and found herself calling out for an old friend. Perhaps in the hope he'd dryly respond. "Tyrian? You in there?"

Sparrow had been skulking around and trying her best to move some of her favorite plants- a task better suited to Modesty than herself. She had made her way to the barn where things were a little toastier- ever loath of the cold. She had caught herself up in a little snooze such that her tracks had been erased by the snow. As she found herself in the morning (Was it morning? Sparrow was never one for consistent sleep schedules.) just lying about, wondering about the future, the snow crunched outside. Sparrow scuttled to her feet, "Tyrian?" she called just as the other voice did, though it went further to ask if he was in. Her stomach pitted as she heard that voice, and her mouth went dry. The duo-toned masked face that peered in from the doorway caused her blood to run cold as if ice water had been splashed directly to her skin, "Oh-" was all she managed for a beat. "You." was the only other thing she could say as her mind ran numb. Was this panic? She swore she'd never felt it before.

Hanako waited, her tail falling limp as the silence settled in. Emptiness all around, except for the creaking of the old rafters- and the crunch of approaching paws in the snow. She turned, ears flicking as her eyes snapped wide. So wide they strained the muscles in her face, made her eyes sting as she yearned to blink away the sight in front of her. Sparrow. What was she doing here? I mean-she guessed it made more sense for Sparrow to be here than vice versa but... She'd been looking for Tyrian, made a point of steering well clear from the pirate lest old feelings wriggle their way to the surface. But here she was, staring like she had any right to look at her like that. After all she'd said and done. "You!" Hanako stomped her paw all petulant and fuming, steam rising from her nose like she was a fire breathing koi dragon. Nothing to do with the cold, nope, not at all. "How dare you!" She screeched, banshee like as she made to grab the nearest object in sight. Which just so happened to be the rotting remains of a rake, minus the metal... So just a long stick, really. Wielding it like a bat, Hanako made to swing at the pirate-only for its long length to work against her as it instead knocked against the barn door and rattled in her mouth. Enough to hurt, enough that she dropped it with a yelp. Maybe words would have to suffice. "You said such horrible things! Lies! Made everyone look down on me!"

Sparrow stood in shock, but no where near as animatedly as Hanako. She stood, maw gaping and eyes bulging in a way that truly did make her look like an overly-ornate carp. Hanako screeched back, much more convicting than Sparrow's 'you' had been. "How dare I, Helen? How dare I?" she guffawed back, using the wrong name for any amount of petty cut she could get.

Hanako grabbed a weapon and swung, rattling her own noggin in a way that would have been truly hilarious in any other context. It did help to break Sparrow from the shock, and her cheeks puffed out as she held back a laugh. She was still trying to be serious, after all.

Hana continued to yell- she was quite good at it and Sparrow began to imagine that maybe her tiny body was mostly lungs. "Me? Lies?" She feigned shock. "Why Helen, I never mentioned your name once, so I wonder how people correlated the acts back to you? Hmm?" She scoffed, one side of her upper lip peeling back as she did. "Maybe someone in your high-class pack looks down on you, because last time I checked, I was practically worshiping you for it! You were gonna be the Lust! How's all that order and power working for you if they look down on you anyways?"

Helen? HELEN? Like she was some graying bitch, wrinkly around the eyes and a saggy belly after having one litter too many. HELEN???????? If Sparrow look to cut then she sliced deep, making her ego bleed profusely as she blew out her cheeks in unbridled rage. What was it with hot people and being able to push her buttons just so? It was maddening. She pressed her lips into a pale thin line, doing her best to ignore the name slight even though she was clearly failing. All puffed up like a cornered cat, tail stiff and pointy at the end. Ready to scratch, except she didn't want to get dirty or fuss her fur out of place. Sparrow clearly still had a way with words, snark poured from her lips and Hanako still did not want to be told no. Not now and not ever. "Don't play stupid! You mocked me right outside my borders, for the whole world to hear! And how many wolves who look like me roam around, huh? It was OBVIOUS!" Cause of course it was, everything should be about her. She couldn't say she was thrilled about the turns her life had taken as of late, northern life didn't suit her at all but...Well she couldn't admit that, could she? "If you ever really liked me you wouldn't have done all that. Made me feel so awful about myself!" She snapped, too eager to turn it back onto Sparrow. To weaponise her own selfishness. She stomped in close, having to glower up at the dire who seemed so much taller than before. She wouldn't have headbutted her...if she could reach. "Did it make you feel good, huh? Stomping on my feelings when I was already hurting!"

Watching Hanako puff up like an over baked souffle was almost enough to send Sparrow reeling with laughter, but she contained it- barely. As Hanako's rage was obvious, so was Sparrow's cruel enjoyment. The woman huffed and puffed about how many women looked like her and Sparrow thought for a minute, "I'll have you know, I've met- and perhaps even slept with- at least several who look much like you. It's really not terribly uncommon. And then there's the other guy with the horns and his bamboo pack-" Sparrow trailed off. She'd made her point.

Hanako tried to turn it around with the "if you ever liked me" and Sparrow's laugh came out sharp and forced. "Maybe I never did," she proclaimed boldly. It was a lie, of course, but she wasn't going to let Hanako back in. She wasn't going to be hurt again. "Maybe if you ever loved me, you couldn't ghost me like the fireflies in the long night."

Hanako stomped up all confident and Sparrow craned her neck down. Sparrow was trying to keep arguing, keep fighting, but she could smell Sparrow. It was familiar and terrible to remember. "I- you-" she stammered, tucking her chin to meet Hanako's eyes as best she could. Wait fuck, looking in her eyes was worse. Sparrow looked away quickly as she tossed her head up and blinked away the stinging in her eyes. "I don't know why you expect me to be a good person, Hana." Fuck fuck fuck, this was going south fast. Don't deal with emotions. Make her mad, make her leave. "Is Azure a good person? Is that why you-" her voice cracked and she swallowed a few times. She looked at the ceiling, the loft, anywhere but Hanako. " Is that why you up and left? Because Azure is so good and powerful. Is he a loving father? Is it everything you dreamed that I could never give you?"

What? Lies and slander. If there was anyone half as pretty as Hanako then she'd never met 'em, not even caught a whiff. Maybe there were more kois roaming around these parts, but Hanako was quick to shoo away her claim as lies. Just another jab that was supposed to slip between her ribs, hit her where it hurt. Well tough! Hanako didn't want to believe it, refused to. "I knew it!" She yelled as she raised an accusatory paw, her voice loud enough for the whole Range to hear. Or at least if there'd be anyone around to listen in. "You always said the right things...but they were just things. Pirates. You- you just want what you don't have, then what?" She wasn't even sure what she was reaching for, what she even wanted. An apology wouldn't be enough, she held grudges. It was simply in her nature and...if Sparrow was looking for someone good then it wasn't to be found around these parts. Not with her. She puffed out a breath again, ears flicking back as though to pin against her skull, but only to swerve forward as Sparrow spoke again. Words she probably shouldn't listen to or take heed. And yet like a shark Hanako sensed weakness, the way she couldn't look at down at her properly, like the self-proclaimed king wanted to take a step back. "I don't know what you expected of me either." She huffed, intent on pushing back. In getting something out of this, no matter how trite. And then she had to go and bring up Azure, cause of course. He wasn't all of those things. Barely half and yet she still stayed, had no reason to leave, really. "I didn't do anything wrong. Stop trying to make me the villain and you the victim." When in doubt ignore, side step like she was doing the Rumba. Instead, she reached forward with her lingering paw, aiming to jab her in the stomach. To drive her words home.

Sparrow huffed right back at Hanako. She needed to be gone. She needed to leave. She let one person in maybe ever and this was how it ended. She grit her teeth as Hanako fumbled and accused her of saying this or that. "I never said anything right. I'm not some diplomat like you, not everything I say has some planned out meaning, Hanako."

Sparrow finally mustered the courage to turn her gaze down at Hanako, tears and all. "I wanted you before you were ever his. I wanted you before you were someone else's bitch." She spoke through clenched teeth, looking, searching for any spark of old Hanako she could find. The Hanako that loved adventures and easy words. The Hanako that wasn't Helen of the koi.

Hanako said she didn't know what was expected of her, that she wasn't the bad guy and Sparrow scoffed, "Ghosting me when I made the only serious proposition in my entire life? Making me think maybe you were hurt then coming up to Azure like you didn't already know what happened?" Sparrow shook her head to try to clear her tears, "All I ever expected from you was an answer and you ran away instead. You couldn't even turn me down yourself! Instead I find out by Azure talking about impregnating y-"

Hanako's paw made contact with Sparrow and her words cut off entirely. All of her feelings burst out of her in a roaring snarl that shook her whole body. Hanako may have sensed weakness, but it was for another Hanako of a different time. Sparrow, without thinking, sized Hana's foreleg in her jaws, firm, but not enough to hurt- like how one would handle a disobedient pup. She pushed forward suddenly, two steps, enough to tumble Hanako and pin her beneath Sparrow. Sparrow now met their gazes evenly as she let go of Hanako's leg.

"What. Do you want. What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say? What is it, Hanako? Tell me! Tell me what it is and I'll do it just-" Sparrow's voice caught because it always did when talking to Hanako any time since their separation. "I want it to stop. I'm tired. It sucks and I'm just... SO done with it." She squeezed her eyes shut, "Please. What am I supposed to do-" Sparrow clicked her jaw shut before finishing.

"Without you?"

What was it with dires and pushing her around? She flinched back as a snarl erupted from Sparrows throat, teeth flashing as she made to grab for her. Hanako was quick, but not fast enough to slip out of the way as she felt teeth lock around her extended limb. On instinct a yelp squealed from her lips, overdramatic really since Sparrow didn't really bite down at all, but warranted all the same in Hanako's not so humble opinion. She tumbled back, legs kicking in the air as she struggled-and failed- to maintain some sense of dignity, to right herself so she could look up at her attacker. Sort of, if you could even call Sparrow that. But if nothing else it was enough to snap Hanako out of her...tantrum? Fit? It was a tried and tested method Azure had used a couple of times and it seemed as though Sparrow was equally fast to catch on. Maybe. She didn't look grounded at all, or even remotely certain of herself or what she wanted to say. It was like the Pirate king was lost at sea, with no wind beneath her sails. Just aimless. What did Hanako want? A lot of things, many she didn't deserve. "I don't know." She admitted, her voice soft and quiet as she pushed herself up onto her side. Legs splayed, forced to think, to be somewhat reasonable for the first time in quite a while. Too long, probably. Nothing could make this right, it was all too much and too late. "But what does it matter anyway, what I want? It has nothing to do with you, right?"

Sparrow couldn’t say she wasn’t one for violence, she’d even grown up fighting with her own family members rough enough to leave scars. She did like to think, however, that she wasn’t volatile, and honestly, she wasn’t often. She hadn’t pushed towards Hanako, invaded her space, or thumped her on the chest. Sparrow wasn’t even sure if she felt ashamed for lashing out or proud that she hadn’t done more harm.

She stood there now, over her ex-lover, her heart bleeding all over again with each and every beat. Her eyes glued to the woman she once loved, every detail glaring back too mind-numbingly bright in the darkness of the barn. Her head hung low, almost too low for their personal space. A part of her wanted to bridge that gap between them, pull Hanako close to her and then bury herself in the smaller woman. The much bigger part of her knew she couldn’t anymore. She let out a shaky breath. She knew she shouldn’t and that they were in no way on good terms and she didn’t particularly want a war with the Armada, and yet her body heated, screamed for her to get closer. So she didn’t move an inch, didn’t give herself the momentum.

“I don’t know,” Hanako said as she shifted and Sparrow’s breath caught. She warred with herself, wanting just one more moment, just one more night, just one more that she had and one more that she deserved. She was a selfish pirate, after all, and they were allowed to have their desires. Titles aside, Hanako was still her lust.

With heavy, aching legs that only wanted to bend down, Sparrow pushed herself roughly onto her side beside Hanako and rolled onto her back to stare at the loft above. She didn’t look at anything in particular as Hanako continued. She said what she wanted had nothing to do with Sparrow. ”If you had just told me, not vanished or got grounded… If I hadn’t fought Azure just for you to tell me you loved him even though he had just come back… I don’t know… I’ve BEEN with others. I never expected you to not be with others, I just-“ Sparrow pressed her paws into her eyes, roughly dragging them down her face. ”I don’t know! I hated how he said you belonged to him, how you were gonna give him kids, how you were grounded and all that it felt so… bad. And maybe my parties got a little too out of hand and maybe I said things I shouldn’t have.”

Sparrow huffed and chanced a look at Hanako, just a little, ”It felt like you were kidnapped, but then that you LIKED it and it just didn’t feel like the you I knew. And maybe I never even really knew you, and maybe you never really knew me. And I looked everywhere to try to find someone like you, someone to make me feel that way, someone who looked like you or acted like you and it wasn’t ever even close.” Sparrow realized she was rambling and saying more than she meant to, but fuck it. ”And you’re off, happily married, kids, I’d guess. And I’m just… still here.”

Sparrow groaned and hauled herself onto her stomach, burying her face in her paws, ”Maybe neither of us are good people…”

Hanako bit back the urge to shuffle back, to force more space between herself and the pirate king. It's what she should have done really, but she found herself quiet and still, brows furrowed as she looked at her extended front paws. Neither of them were looking at one another, gazes averted yet ears perked. Listening, taking it in, even though the better part of Hanako knew she shouldn't. That she should've left earlier when she had the chance, could still rise to her paws and just...go. Pretend this never happened. In hindsight, it had all been so messy, a disaster of Hanako's own making. And yet somehow she'd managed to twist herself into both the victim and the prize on offer, loved the attention but hated how the aftermath made her feel. Guilty, like she ought to have done better, be better. For what it was worth, she hadn't wanted it to end up like this, hurt in all directions no matter where she looked. But how else could it have gone? Even now she felt the urge to play both sides, to be the centre of attention as she liked it and yet...it was a bad idea. Terrible. Sparrow knew it, they both did. At least Sparrow sort of acknowledged she'd been in the wrong, a shame Hanako was struggling to do the same. Fighting against her very nature, swimming against the current with tired limbs. Wanting to give in and just be swept away by the moment, to forget and not think. "It was just...easier to be nice with you, I think." She finally admitted, almost resigned. "I just..." What? She didn't want to choose? Didn't have the resolve? Her inaction was a form of choice though, in doing nothing and allowing Azure to take the lead she'd said her piece. Might as well have shouted it at the top of her lungs. "I don't know." Seemed to be her mantra these days. "I thought you were fine. You beat Manae, you have your pack." What more could she want? Hanako. She wanted her. It had all been easier to manage thinking it had worked out well enough. But now? Hanako sighed through her nose and looked over at the pirate through her lashes.

“It was just easier to be nice with you,” Hanako said, and Sparrow sighed, finding herself rolling to her side to face Hana as if it was the most natural thing in the world. ”It was easy to be nice with you too,” she said back in a long sigh, her cheek resting against the barn floor as she peered through the dust at the smaller woman. Hana said she didn’t know, and Sparrow guessed she didn’t know either, in a way. Except she knew exactly. “I thought you were fine. You beat Manae,” Hanako began, causing Sparrow to pause. ”Who?” she asked a beat before it clicked in her mind, ”Oh, her. Hmm.” “You have your pack.” That much was true. They thought the same thing next, she assumed as Hanako sighed and looked at her through her eyelashes. Oh fuck. If Sparrow was mad hot earlier, it had only served now to melt her now as she looked at the koi. Her, peering through her eyelashes at Sparrow, a soft sigh on her lips. Her lips. Sparrow knew what she wanted. She had always wanted it, after all. She leaned in, slowly, Hana’s scent always too warm and too inviting to resist. Like the moon chased the sun, so did Sparrow chase Hanako. As a bee to a flower, Sparrow to Hanako. And other things like that. She knew it was technically wrong, wasn’t it? To want Hanako in the way she wanted. Who was it wrong for, exactly? She could scarcely think of anyone in her family that took just one mate. Why should she? Why should Hanako? Could Azure force her to? Did his love really mean more? Did his claim mean anything if she and Hanako wanted something more? Did Hanako want something more? Sparrow pulled still closer, Hanako’s eyes like a guiding light in the night. She could almost feel her breath, though it was likely her imagination. Hanako would pull back any second, and she’d have her answer. That’s what Sparrow wanted, right? A firm answer from Hanako’s own maw. Her maw. Sparrow sighed, rolling a little more from her side to her chest, bringing Hanako within range. She was a pirate, right? Her whole life was to live selfishly. To steal. What was a kiss between girls? A stolen kiss, a poached heart. She was never one to deny herself. ”You know what I mean,” she rumbled. ”You know, really, what I want.” At this one moment, she desperately hoped neither of them were good people. None of this was good, at least by some standard, and yet her heart wanted what her heart wanted. Hanako was her Lust after all. Sparrow moved slowly, giving all the chance in the world to be rejected. Maybe part of her wanted to be rejected, to get her answer. She moved, eyes fluttering between Hanako’s eyes and her lips. It could be brief. Who would have to know? There were miles and days between here and either of their packs. Their scents would co stale and they’d have plenty of time to stave off each other’s scents. Was she doing this? She was doing this. With a breath, Sparrow inclined her head to kiss Hanako softly, maybe softer in intent than any kiss she had ever given before. Her heart ached and her limbs trampled, but she knew what she wanted, and she was the Pirate King trying to steal it. One, two, as many kisses as Hanako would let her, she had decided. If that number was zero, then it was zero. If it was a billion then… Well, Sparrow would happily give her life for that cause.

Hanako should have seen it coming really, the way Sparrow inched closer, lips pursed in something that clearly wasn't thought. Not too much anyway, like she was chasing an impulse. Doing it just because she wanted to, not because she should. And what a mess she'd made of things, Hanako could feel it going from bad to worse, tumbling down hill as her paws itched to slam the brakes. "You shouldn't." She said, her voice barely a whisper. But it was the truth, Sparrow herself had listed off the reasons earlier. Underlined them one by one till it was all undeniable, thumping in Hanako's mind as she shook her head. Slowly, eyes closed as though her resolve would crumble if she looked. Even for a second. Had Hanako gained a heart? A sense of loyalty? Sort of but also...eh? If Sparrow truly wanted her she wouldn't have said all those things long ago, would have done everything in her power to keep Hanako in her grasp. To not let go and pussy out. It wasn't very kingly of her, now that Hanako thought of it, a sneer in her mind if not her features. Weren't pirates and kings supposed to seize control, damn the consequences and do as they please? It was easier to cling onto a sense of vindictive selfishness than to address the elephant in the barn. Far, far easier than get all emotional, to even consider that she'd made a mistake. Newsflash, Hanako wasn't a good person. Maybe never had been. She pushed herself to her paws, brows furrowed and lips curled. Mean, poking the bear like she was so good at doing. "If you really wanted me you wouldn't have lost. You cared enough about making a pack that you were able to follow through with Manae, but not for me?" She scoffed, tossing her head. "And then what, you spent all this time moping?"

"You shouldn't." The words were soft but struck as if someone has thrown ice water on her bare spine. The silence- true silence where no sounds process in the brain, despite what the eardrums say, unable to focus past the sound of her breaking heart. She didn't have her anger as a mask, she didn't have alcohol as her cover. Hanako's rejection hurt more than Manea's knife as it sliced through her flesh. This wound cut deeper. It burned so hot it was cold and, as if her brain turned over this feeling, chewed on it thoughtfully before deciding it was a bad morsel, spit it out and Sparrow went numb.

Hanako could have left it at that. She could have used that opportunity to end it. She could have left Sparrow on the floor, she would t have followed. But she didn't. She prodded, dug deeper, spoke lies. Had she forgotten, or did she just tell herself that to feel better? Just like that, although she did not recall doing so, Sparrow found herself on her feet. Surely if she could feel, she'd have been reeling, but it all just felt like a child throwing a tantrum for attention now.

If she wanted attention, but was too proper to do it herself, fine.

"I won against Azure," she said, her voice too tired to hold any edge. "Maybe you couldn't see from your hiding spot, where you could have come out and cleared things up, but you didn't."

Sparrow felt her claws tensing, unseathing into the ground, "No, you went home with the real loser, but you didn't really care about the outcome? You like the rush. You liked the thrill. You liked ... The attention."

Somewhere, the back of Sparrow's mind tried to break through. It told her this was a bad idea, but she had locked that part of herself behind bars when she tried to kiss Hanako. No, this was a great idea.

Sparrow kicked forward, simply seeking to overcome Hanako and seize her by her scruff rather than actually hurt her, "Well you have my full attention now."


Sparrow vs Hanako for Force Claim
Round 1/?
Age: Over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced pirate hat
Companion 1: Harlequin Macaw, Female - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Capuchin monkey, Male - Battle
*Companion 3: Mushroom mutated housecat - Battle - Boosted
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Bone spurs - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight

And the winner is...

FAIL	Hanako's flee attempt has failed. She now has 3 days to respond to the fight or risk defaulting.

Hanako's ears flicked back, grimace fully setting in at Sparrows words. Maybe she misremembered some stuff, blurred the lines a little here and there, but the point remained as intended. Mean and pointed like a barb. She knew Sparrow and Azure weren't alike at all, expected the pirate to just cut her losses and leave. It was what she'd been poking at, mocking her for, so when the King rushed into motion all Hanako could do was let out a startled little oh. As quiet and as soft as a mouse, unable to defend herself. In any way that counted, really. What was it that Mortis had once told her? Watch her neck? Tuck her chin and be on the lookout for an attempted scruff grab? Well it was too late for that now, wasn't it? Certainly when she felt teeth grab her from above, whip quick as Sparrow seized the floof of her scruff and held on. Proving a point no doubt. But Hanako wasn't in a smart or entirely rational. She should have called it quits and surrendered, there was no way of wiggling out of this but she found herself struggling all the same, kicking out with her hind limbs and tugging herself away, making herself bleed out of spite and stubbornness. It stung and she winched, yelping as she wriggled even more. Why wouldn't she just let go? "You're hurting me." She hissed through clenched teeth, tears pricking at her eyes. Cause she'd lost? Cause she had a sinking feeling what would happen next? Hanako forfeits the fight!

And the winner is...

SPARROW

Hanako has forfeited the fight and Sparrows force claim is successful.

To say Sparrow was done was an understatement. Her logical, back part of her mind, stuffed deep down in its depths as it was, couldn’t find any good reasoning to this. It knew what she was doing was bad. It knew it came with consequences. The front part of her brain was fried, having gone through every emotion it could muster and now running on fumes.

Somewhere above, the sky, like her mood darkened, and a few wet, fat drops of rain struck the sturdy roof of the barn as loud as the locusts landing in the summer. Anything outside felt eons away from this moment, where Sparrow stood over the woman she once loved, her scruff in her maw and not even in the romantic way.

Hanako struggled in her maw and said that Sparrow was hurting her, ”Then stop struggling,” she grumbled out against Hanako’s fur. She motioned at Friar and then to a rough-spun rope that must have been used for livestock at some point. He gave her one moment of hesitation, one second to reconsider, and when she didn’t, he bared his teeth gleefully at her and scampered off to get the rope- this would be a great act in the ballad he was working on.

As the raindrops fell with more frequency, more vigor, the barn’s space filled with noise and humidity, making the atmosphere so woefully thick and stuffy it was hard to breathe properly. Friar returned with the rope and set to hog tying Hana as Sparrow hauled the woman across her own back. At this point, it was becoming hard to find a spot in the barn that wasn’t leaking and the concrete ground began to run rivulets of dust-colored water down into the old stalls and out through whatever holes in the walls it could find.

It took a while, but eventually the woman was secured. Friar hung on to a loose end of rope and looked towards Sparrow for instruction “Save a bit in case we need it for the maw,” she mumbled to Friar, but it was really meant as a warning to Hana. ”And weed the place up as best as you can.”

The weed had been oven of the things she came for, but it was known for its strong smell and she trusted Friar to sweep the floors and burn it and whatever else to cover whatever scents may linger after the rain. Usually she’d wait out the weather, but it provided cover for now and offered to wash away her tracks. Sure, Hanako would be pissed about being tied up and wet, but she seemed to be a glutton for punishment today and at this point Sparrow was happy to let her have her way.

Ears pinned, Sparrow left, taking the same path she always did back to her pack, for to deviate would be to admit something amiss. Friar stayed behind with Pongolo and Beef Sandwich as they effectively partied it up and trashed the place appropriately until the whole thing stunk of herbs and mud and Beef Sandwich’s weird skin oils. By the time they were done, the time of day had noticeably changed in lightness, but the sky still poured one out for its fallen woman. Though they were somewhat loath to venture in the rain, they needed to leave and join Sparrow before something worse happened- whatever that may be.

-Exit Sparrow and co-