as propriety demands

Kiyo had slept in until shortly past noon, groggily rising to her paws and trying to get her bearings. She’d recalled the events of the previous night; discovering her apparent daughter-in-law who was pregnant, and her son who was the father, making her a grandmother. She was still trying to wrap her mind around all of it, stewing over a cup of robust black tea prepared by Aoi. She’d combed through her long fur for the first time in several weeks, taking a few hours to work out all the knots and tangles until her pelt was smooth and shiny as ever.

After it was done, Kiyo had decided to go for a nice walk. Aoi stayed behind, but Yui went with her as always, her little shadow. The pair walked through the snow covered forest, the skeletal white trees practically glowing in the pale light of the setting sun. As she walked, she would have almost missed Hikaru if it weren’t for the splotches of orange and black on his back to make him stand out in the snow. She paused, blinking as if to be sure that she was really seeing him before a gentle smile fell onto her lips. The former Iga matriarch adjusted her path, heading directly to him. “Hikaru, is that you, my dear?” she called fondly.