the words we shall say

Inu Island

Considerable time had passed since Hattori's return to Ashen, and though he was glad to reclaim his mind as his own he felt... dissatisfied, misplaced. Like a part of him wasn't sure he should have returned at all. Serving Venom had been-was- an honour, his time here was well spent. But it no longer felt enough, like standing in her shadow was a disservice to the Hattori name, like he could be more. Should be more. And that frustrated him, because why now? What had his sickness shaken loose in his mind? Was he a different man now without even knowing it? Even during quiet moments where he stared out at the expansive ocean, watching the waves toss back and forth, it was hard to say. A question he simply couldn't find the answer to.

Old vs new. Us vs them. Hattori found himself latching onto the old ways of his people, finding fault in everything that wasn't of his own culture. He had come to Boreas in an attempt to escape his past, to make something new of himself, and yet it crept up on him all the same. And instead of turning a blind eye as he once would have he felt no such urge anymore.

He and Venom needed to talk, even if she did not like what he had to say he hoped she would listen. Tipping his head back, he called for his wife. Perhaps this conversation had been a long time coming, a storm looming on the horizon as it churned up the waves.