It had taken them roughly 4 days to go from the stones to what Hattori referred to as the shrine. Shrines certainly weren’t a new concept to him, after all they had plenty of them at Iga. But, he couldn’t say he’d ever seen a shrine that glowed. The pool was iridescent, throwing light against the white bark of the trees that surrounded it like it was painting on a canvas. Truly it was enchanting and there did feel something...holy about it. As much of a hot mess as he was, he still knew when to be respectful even if his cousin didn’t quite agree.

Hattori had spent most of the journey filling him in on Ashen and instructing him on how to behave when they finally met the Empress, Venom. The man had vehemently denied that he had a relationship with his apparent co-leader, that they had a simple subordinate-superior role. But Raijin wasn’t stupid, not only had he known Hattori his entire life, but he had been trained to see past and see the truth in anyone. Sometimes even if one didn’t know the truth themselves, and the truth was plain on his cousin’s face. He liked this woman. He’d smirked to himself, baby’s first crush.

He did as he was told when they arrived, hanging back a little and waiting for him to initiate the call. It was peculiar to him to be on the joining end of one of these initiations. He’d conducted many himself, but having grown up in the Iga clan he’d never been subjected to the scrutiny he gave out. I didn’t quite make him uncomfortable, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

Talking, Talking in Italics means he's speaking Japanese

Hattori side eyed his cousin, wondering whether this was a good idea, it was practically an open invite for Raijin to stick his nose in his business and knowing him he'd take full advantage of that. Regardless, given all that he'd gone through it seemed only right to give the man somewhere to stay and despite Hattori's feelings towards Raijin he knew he would be of use to Ashen. After all, shinobi like him were hard to come by. Tipping his head skywards, the Shogun called out for his Empress. Sure, he could have pulled his cousin into the fold himself but considering they were related it would come across as a biased decision. Hattori may have earned the Empress' favour and climbed the ranks quickly but he knew full well where he stood, this was her pack and her Empire. He word was final and if she denied Raijin entry then Hattori would not go out of his way to argue to the contrary.

He lowered his muzzle then, his steely gaze stuck firm on the pale koi beside him. He said nothing but his line of thought was quite obvious:behave.

Hattori knew what shape she was in, and having him call so close to the farthest border from her palace. He was lucky she was very nearly healed. The limp in her step was hardly noticeable and she had refused to let the splint be put back on her. Venom was also terribly aware of exactly how long the Shogun had been gone. Though she’d put on a grumpy face about it, inside she could feel the excitement building at being reunited again. She was only slowed slightly, and the men wouldn’t be forced to wait for very long.

Venom had been alerted to Hattori’s return before the call, Poison the giant squirrel helped with that, so she wasn’t surprised at the man beside Hattori. Her sunset gaze gave him a quick glance, he was a few inches shorter than she was, but outweighed her considerably. His impressive fangs were a quick reminder of the ruling class of the Armada, and he seemed well muscled under his pale ash and blood spattered fur. With a quick nod of greeting her attention was quickly diverted to Hattori.

Everytime he spent extended amounts of time from her, Venom counted the seconds until his return. Not solely because of how important he had become to the Empire, but how important he had become to her. ”Welcome back, Shogun.” She greeted with a classic Klein smirk, in part to hide the nervous energy that bubbled beneath her fur. She couldn’t hide the forked tongue that slipped from her lips with curiosity as she glanced back at the second koi man. ”What have you brought me?”

The Empress was quick to join them, a large and admittedly quite beautiful woman. He gave his cousin a sideways look of approval, he seemed to have gotten himself quite the catch. She seemed every bit as infatuated with him as Hattori was (unknowingly) with her, her sunset gaze only straying to him very briefly before returning to the former Iga heir. It was almost like he wasn’t even standing there. Others likely wouldn’t have noticed, it seemed his willfully ignorant relative certainly didn’t, but every change in posture and every lilt of a voice told Raijin something different, something that he could piece into a puzzle until he completed the profile of the wolf in front of him.

Raijin extended a foreleg and bent low in a deep bow, as was a customary greeting where they were from for someone of such high standing. ”Empress,” he greeted, his voice deep and smooth as honey. The man was in his diplomat mode, a startling contrast to his normal demeanor. He didn’t need the woman seeing that side of him quite yet, after all, first impressions were important. Plus, he needed to be a good wingman for his cousin. Rising once again he waited for Hattori to introduce him, knowing it to be proper etiquette. He’d be able to schmooze as he pleased soon.

Talking, Talking in Italics means he's speaking Japanese

Perhaps Hattori should have been more mindful of Venom's condition, but he'd seen her move around enough to trust that she was on the mend. Almost back to normal but not quite. Still, he eyed her nonetheless, noting how she was putting more weight on her hind leg, that even though she was a bit stiff she didn't seem to be burdened with much, if any pain or discomfort. He side eyed his cousin once more and it was a true struggle not to sigh.

Raijin knew Hattori well but the same could be said for the other way around. Hattori knew that look in his eye, he'd seen it far more times than he cared to count. But even if he didn't care for this aspect of his cousin's personality deep down he supposed that it was somewhat reassuring that some things never changed. In unison with his cousin, Hattori also dropped low to a deep bow, gaze downcast as his ears tipped forward to listen to her words. Shogun or not, all Ashen wolves bent the knee to their Empress. In his eyes and culture it wasn't seen as a demeaning act, the sort that brought shame, rather quite the opposite. To know ones place and act accordingly did a great deal for a man's reputation, such was the lesson that had been drilled into all Iga wolves from an early age.

"Empress, this is my cousin, Raijin." Hattori explained, keeping it short and simple. "He wishes to join Ashen."

Venom could only assume the man that was brought before her had similar training to Hattori. His demeanor and low bow certainly pointed in that direction. The show of reverence wasn’t lost on the Empress, and she tried not to bask in their show of respect as she was greeted. ”You may stand easy,” Venom released them softly as her brilliant eyes returned to Hattori’s sharp features as he explained himself and the wolf beside him. When their meeting first played out Venom welcomed his wolves into Ashen for respite, and this one would be no different.

She brought her gaze from the dark pelted shinobi to Raijin’s handsome features. ”Welcome to Ashen, Raijin.” She offered him politely, her eyes taking him in a second time. As per the contract she had with Hattori she was obligated to take him in, but there wasn’t much likelihood she would deny him anyway. ”You will be embraced in our ranks,” Venom continued, ”Though, I am curious where your talents lie.”

Per usual, his cousin was clipped and to the point. Just what the woman in front of him saw in him he wasn’t sure, though he could admit his cousin was a good looking man. Hattori was just a bit stuffy for his liking, but after years of trying Raijin had given up on trying to get the dark man to live a little more on the edge.

The Empress began speaking, her peculiar forked tongue flickering out from between her lips like a snake and he found it intriguing. Never had he seen something like it, but he supposed that these were new lands and he was bound to see something new much more often. The Genji man’s brows rose in subtle surprise as he was immediately accepted, but he allowed a pleased grin to slip onto his lips. Another bow bent his bulky frame low before rising once more. “Thank you for your generosity, Empress. It is very much appreciated,” he began. “I was raised to be a diplomat, so I am well versed in the art of pleasantries and negotiations. Should you find need of a messenger or the like, please look no further than my humble self. I am also an adept fighter, I’ve even managed to land my dear cousin on his rear a few times in the past,” he said with a wink and a glance at the dark man. “While diplomacy and fighting are my specialties I consider myself a jack of all trades. No job is too far from my reach, even those considered more unpleasant. I am at your disposal, your grace.” How was that for behaving himself.

Talking, Talking in Italics means he's speaking Japanese

Hattori straightened his posture. He recalled his agreement and knew that it was highly unlikely that the Empress would deny him, but he felt it was only right to run it by her nonetheless. By no means did he intend to flush out the Kleins only to fill it with his own kin, but at the very least the Shogun knew his followers worth, that they were earn their keep and help Ashen grow strong. Regardless, Venom was quick to offer him sanctuary and in turn Raijin went onto explain the skills he carried that were now at her disposal. Whilst his delivery was far fluffier then it needed to be he was speaking the truth, whatever task Venom put before him it would be done. Of that Hattori was mostly certain.

Remaining silent, Hattori then looked to his Empress once more, wondering what she thought of this whole affair.

Venom was usually a rather serious wolf, but being next to Hattori made her look like the court jester. She found endless amusement in teasing and joking with him, and when she was lucky he’d return the favor. Though his humor was dry and she didn’t often get a chuckle it was a reward in itself. Raijin seemed much easier to coax a grin out of, perhaps with him around Hattori might be convinced to loosen up a bit more.

The shinobi was much more outspoken than Hattori had ever been, charming may have been the correct word to describe him. He spoke his talents and those observations were made even more obvious, he was taught how to speak and use his words for diplomacy. Already he was proving himself an asset in his opposite skill sets to Hattori.

She wore a slight smirk, but her overall assessment was positive. Even without their agreement Venom knew Raijin would be an asset to Ashen. ”Perfect.” She told him approvingly. ”For now I’ll let you settle into a soldier’s rank. Once you’ve become more familiar and better show your skills we will reassess. I hope to see you rise just as quickly as your cousin.”

The woman seemed pleased with his introduction, certainly a good sign for him. He wasn’t sure how long they would be in Ashen now that Hattori knew about the events that had gone on back in Iga, but he was along for the ride however long it was. If his cousin had deemed this a good enough place to seek refuge, even with him being as picky as he was, then certainly there was promise enough there for him. Either way he would pull his weight and some more, because despite Raijin’s sometimes willy nilly nature, he was a hard worker and did feel a sense of responsibility. Plus, it didn’t hurt that he was praised for doing things well. His ego could always use a little preening.

She told him he’d be placed in a soldier’s role and he was careful to keep the quick flicker of disappointment from his features. It was perfectly fair he reminded himself. She was letting him in solely on the good word of the Shogun but he would need to prove himself to her as well. No matter, if Hattori, in all his dark and dreary wonder, could rise quickly in the ranks, he could do it twice as fast. He was nothing if not efficient. ”I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, Empress. I aim to please,” he said with a rakish smirk, glancing over to Hattori. It didn’t seem there was much else to be said, but he certainly couldn’t dismiss himself from her presence. After all, he was just a lowly soldier...for now.

Talking, Talking in Italics means he's speaking Japanese

It was done. Dipping his head yet again in a show of gratitude, Hattori went onto to excuse himself. During his absence his scent had no doubt faded from the borders and now seemed like as good as any time to refresh them. Is his cousin had half a mind he'd follow suit, use this as an opportunity to familiarise himself with the lay of the land, learn the ins and outs of the Ashen territory. As things were their territory was still a little on the small side but that wasn't anything a few raids for resources couldn't fix. But that would have to be something he'd discuss with his Empress, at a later date when a certain nosey cousin wasn't present.

Hattori out