Kefka's words did little to phase him, Az took them as the last attempts of a sore loser trying to regain the pride he'd lost. He was not stupid, his intended punishment had been delivered and if the vile man had thought him lesser for not using his teeth then more power to him - Az's teeth were better suited towards winning the fight, and it could have been much more dangerous for the yearling to attempt to wriggle his head between the man's legs mid-battle. He did not reply, he only watched silently still displaying his bloodied teeth as Kefka slunk away.

Only once he was sure it was over did Az force his gaze away and back towards his friend. The rage in his eyes softened into something more apologetic, and when she finally decided to step towards him he did not move to meet her. Her gaze lingered upon his muzzle and he turned it away from her, his tongue slipping out to swipe the evidence away. "I- are you alright?" Azure gave a non-commital grunt in reply. He began to shrug, though the movement pained him. Instead he concealed it as just a shifting of weight. His clouded leopard however recognized it instantly, shuffling towards him and from behind his field of view prodding her paw into the space behind his shoulder blade. Az spun on her - careful not to jostle Hanako as she leaned against him - snapping his teeth in front of Lilith's face and driving her away. "Stupid cat." He grumbled.

He allowed silence to hang in the air, not knowing what to say to offer comfort or apology or to even know what she needed from him to make it okay. He eyed her sidelong, still tensed. "Are you alright?" Az offered after a moment. There was no way for him to know what her train of thought may be, though he'd always assumed she'd run from him should she see him in battle. He swallowed, and then slowly bowed his head. It ducked low beneath his shoulders, battle-torn ears pulling back to his skull. In a rare moment of appeasement and submission, he shifted to lick upon her chin if she allowed it. "Please, don't be mad at me." Az murmured.

Hanako watched the clouded leopard, somewhat confused by how coldly Azure received her. It was clear the cat meant no harm but he was having none of it and shooed her right off, with sharp words and even sharper teeth. Not that she thought he would but she found herself hoping he'd never treat her that way, shoving aside her concern when she only meant well. Perhaps he was just worked up from his fight, his blood rushing through his veins as the tension lingered in his muscles. She knew sometimes she got a bit jittery after catching a big haul, like standing still was a chore in and of itself. She nodded at his question, rubbing the fluff of her neck against him as she did so.

"I just went out for a morning walk and- well I'm all right. There wasn't much else that needed said in that regard, he'd seen the worst of it. She only hoped he'd believe her.

And then he went and did something strange, dipping to lick the underside of her muzzle. Without hesitation she allowed it, the thought of denying him was a sheer impossibility as she tilted her head up a little to slip her head beneath his chin. Though she hadn't cared to watch she truly did appreciate the lengths he'd gone to keep her out of harms way, the fact that he thought she might be mad was...A little upsetting to be honest.

"I'm not mad, far from it. I was- I am a bit squeamish I guess, I'm not big or tough like you." She gave his chin a quick lick as well, just to even the board. "But I'm really glad you found me. Really really glad."

Aside from her initial tension Az noticed no further signs of her discomfort, and had no reason to distrust her when Hana assured him she wasn't angry. He straightened and managed a smile as her tongue found his chin. Squeamish was something he could understand, even if he could not empathize with her. "Big and tough, hmm?" His head shook, his amusement clear. "Well, I did warn you not to watch." Az lifted a paw to boop playfully at her nose, but caught himself before the contact was made. Blood still lingered upon his toes and he never wanted to see the liquid crimson upon the brilliant white of her fur. His lips pursed and curved into a frown. "I'll walk you home, I'm uh, on an errand. Can't linger here long." The promise he'd made to Venom was not one he'd turn back from, though after witnessing the almost-trauma he did not want to leave her side. He sure as hell wasn't going to just turn around and head north again before he saw her safe back in the Armada - and maybe to a healer for good measure. "Did you know him?" The prince's thoughts turned to the beginning of the confrontation, and Kefka's teasing words. "He said something was wrong." For all Az knew the man might have just been referring to how she'd had no interest in sleeping with him, though it didn't hurt to check. Some men found offense when refused by a woman and declared her broken, simply to avoid accepting that the fault lie within them instead. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Hmm, Hanako supposed that was true. But despite the sheer disgust she'd felt at the time it was easy to brush that all side when her Azure was by her side, all kind and sweet as he was meant to be. He raised a paw to boop her nose but Hanako leaned away, her nose wrinkling as her sight narrowed in on the blood and gunk that clung to his toes and paw pads. Yet another cause of ew. Azure seemed to catch onto her line of thought as he abandoned the notion and instead suggested that he ought to escort her home. Usually she would have shooed his concerns aside, given that she was more than capable of trotting off on her own and he likely had better things to do but...well, given the circumstances she couldn't deny him this. Nor did she really want to.

Falling into step beside him, their sides brushing, Hanako took a moment to consider his words.

"I met him once before I joined the Armada. But I wouldn't say I know him, he seemed mostly okay then. Maybe a bit weird but..." But not nearly as weird or as creepy as he'd been today. Apparently a line had been crossed, or this was his true nature all along. Gross. And then her lips twisted in confusion as she struggled to recall what had happened before it all got nasty and complicated. "Oh yeah! I was just in a bit of a weird mood, I think I slept funny. He kept trying to make it into a big deal and I was just kinda done with him." It was almost funny that one of the few times her patient ran thin it was with a guy who wouldn't take no for an answer. Well maybe not funny, a little scary more like.

Az considered her words carefully as they walked on, comforted by the feel of her fur against his. Having her there beside him was an easy reminder that she was safe and unharmed, and would remain that way under his protection. "I'm glad. Then you won't have any issue sending for me if you see him again. I meant what I'd said." Az was choosing his words carefully, he did not want Hana to fear his wrath but needed her to see the severity in the situation. "Begs the question, where was your bird?" He turned his head to the skies with a frown. The only reason he'd bought the damn thing was to keep Hana safe while her position had her roaming Boreas. Briefly he considered dispatching it and getting her something more reliable, though he couldn't entertain the thought long knowing how much his friend adored the magpie. Hana assured him that nothing was wrong and Azure believed her without a second thought, easily placing the blame upon the asshole that couldn't take no for an answer. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if I wasn't here. I don't think you're quite capable of defending yourself when you're 'done' with someone." His verbalized concerns were casual enough that he didn't feel like he was accusing her, though he eyed her sidelong to gauge her response. It was a rule in the Armada that every wolf had to learn self-defense regardless of their rank, and while he'd heard Mortis had begun to teach her Az doubted his overly-friendly brother's capabilities. Did he need to consider taking away the job from Mort? From where Az stood, Hana was no closer to being able to defend herself. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."