konnichiwa! dad of son who i... live with

Ethyria. That explained the desert sand then. He wasn't sure why she had left Ashen and didn't care enough to ask, her choices were her own and she seemed content with the ones she had made. At the very least she had a better head on her shoulders than his eldest son did, seemed to know what she was doing and had no regrets about it. He simply nodded at this, wondering if he was supposed to ask about Kuroki and how he was doing. Surely if something was wrong with him, she would have started with it. But due to her brief mention he had to assume he was about the same as always, the black sheep who never took anything serious.

Her question was a valid one, though Hattori was somewhat frustrated to find he didn't have all the answers for her. Or any, really. He was just as in the dark as she was, if not more so, all secluded and safe within his bamboo fortress.

"The climate to the west of here is very much the same. Territories nearby the Hallucination Caves all seem to be effected, to some degree."  Fortunately its influence had not spread this far east, but he wasn't counting on the fact that things might change. Not after what he'd seen during the Long Night.

Hattori did not often give handouts, but he could give her this advice for free.

"Whatever is happening, I suggest you be mindful. The threat builds slowly, creeps up whilst you least suspect it."