Hanako was having just one of those days, you know? At some point she must have fallen asleep or passed out, then gotten back onto her paws and kept on walking on autopilot cause by the time she mostly came to her senses she was far from Auster. Far from that awful glowing beach but not quite far enough from him. Just the thought of his gaze made her stomach churn and head throb...though maybe that was just her natural state of being now. Roughed up and ravaged, a sorry mess on four paws. She slugged along, stinking in more ways that one, as she made her way to the riverside and had a well needed drink. Eyes closed, in fear of seeing her own-no doubt hideous- reflection. The water was cool against her tongue, a reminder that winter was well on its way.

Hanako already missed the sunshine and warmth, the feeling of home. But when she thought of that the Armada no longer sprung to mind; it had all the things she liked but but the concepts had been twisted and deformed. But that was a bridge she'd cross when she got there, for now she needed to-

She stepped as though to turn, only for her paw to slip on the muddy, unstable bank. Had she been at her best she would have easily had the mind and reflexes to dart into action, to leap back up onto firm land, but as things stood even as time seemed to slow to a crawl she just sort of stood there. Let it happen. Not even a peep passed her lips as she landed head first into the murky waters. She twisted beneath the surface, water rushing into her nostrils, as she felt the current tug her away, further disorienting her as she struggled to tell which way was up or down.

Who could say no to some good old seafood? It was a pleasant day, not quite warm, but not exactly cold, either. There was a soft breeze to ruffle her coat, and the occasional patch of sunlight to lie in. the only thing her day was missing, was some tasty lunch - an issue that would be resolving itself shortly. She had heard that the fishing in these parts was to die for.

Figuratively for some, literally, apparently, for others. The sound of something plopping into the water caught her ears. Hoping for some jumping salmon, she trotted forward and found… not exactly the type of fishing she was after.

The wolf that went down, didn’t immediately come up again. Not to mention, her white and gold tones had been gorgeous an absolute waste to let her simply… fade away into the quiet of death.

Picking up speed, the fighter peeled down the shore, reaching the point Hanako had vanished, and searched the water for a moment, and - there. Her claws unsheathed and dug in for grip. She hooked her back paw around some debris on the shore and dove her forward half into the water. Reaching, blindly searching for, and smacking her face against fur before she was able to get an actual grip. Digging her teeth into folds of fur, she put her back into it, and heaved.

Hanako could hold her breath for a decent amount of time but even she had her limits. Her lungs were starting to burn as she struggled beneath the water, had she been in a better state she would have likely been able to right herself but as things stood she was exhausted, right deep down into her very bones. Would it be so bad if she just closed her eyes for a little bit? Not too long. And then something, or rather someone was grabbing at her from the world above. Hanako's eyes snapped open and she tipped back to see a dark muzzle plunging through the water. Foolishly, hopefully, she thought it was Morits- someone who knew and cared for her despite all the missteps she'd made. How slowly but surely she was pushing everyone away, even if only by accident.

She winched as the muzzle smacked her neck, only for it to return a moment later as teeth grabbed a hold of scruff of her fur. With an impressive show of strength Hanako was hauled out of the water, winded and wheezing as she flopped down onto the muddy bank. Her once white coat was marred with mud, smudged and smeared but not nearly enough to hide the fact she's had a rough time of it in the past few days.  Dropping her muzzle to the dirt, Hanako hauled in a long breath as she squeezed her eyes shut, only to slowly peek through her lashes to blurrily see the wolf that stood over her. Her saviour. Even as exhausted as she was she knew she ought to show some gratitude.

It was not a wolf she recognised, blue and black like a distant galaxy. Pretty, really really really really pretty.

"I- thank you" She wheezed, her voice but a drowned whisper.

With a ‘plop’ the woman came free of the water. Keetie, bent over as she was, almost staggered into the water herself. It was a struggle to righten herself, and finish dragging the girl onto dry land. Her paws and chest muddying in the process. She looked down at her coat in dismay, before back to the half-drowned girl again. She was prepared to use cpr - a perfectly good excuse to put her lips to that delicate, soft mouth. There was no need, the woman gasped for air quite happily on her own. Alas.

When she was able to, the white wolf with her koi-like spots looked across at her, and Keetie saw a hint of awe in her eyes. She was accustomed to looking for it. “It was nothing, really” she said with a play of modesty, before reaching forward and brushing her paw briskly down the side of Hanako’s coat. “You’re alright now, you’re alright. How about we get ourselves cleaned up, and you can tell me why you decided to take a swim?” she suggested, her intense blue-orange gaze gentle.

"Speech"

Hanako took a long moment to just breathe, to savour the feeling of air and not water filling her lungs. What a wreck she must have been, shuddering as she laid there, colder than she'd realised.  The white of her coat was thinned by the water, making the myriad of bruises and bumps that marred her pale skin stand out stark and clear. Painful little reminders of the mistake she'd made. She'd known from the start that Azure wasn't a wolf to push but she'd gone and done it anyway, cause she was stupid and selfish. She sniffed, not sure if her nose was just wet or snotty. Maybe both. The stranger was too kind and made to soothe her with gentle words and a gentler touch, down her back with reassuring little pats thrown in for good measure.

More than anything Hanako wanted to close her eyes and just rest a little, but even exhausted as she was she knew that was a bad idea. Her memory from the past few days was still hazy at best, non existent at worst. If she went back to sleep now who knew when she'd wake up next? Not that she thought the stranger would let anything bad happen to her but... She sighed, winching a little as she did so.

"I just wanted to have a drink. Lost my footing." And then through her exhaustion she managed a weak smile. "Believe it or not...usually I'm a great swimmer."

As the white wolf lay on the shore, breaths shuddering her chest, Keetie raised a paw and gently gave her a pat on the back. She really was a pretty thing, and the Aracari found herself delicately tracing a pattern of orange down her back. An outstretched claw moving in lithe, expert ways down her coat.

The girl made a sound that could have been a stifled sob, or perhaps a shuddering breath. She gave the stranger a kiss between her shoulder blades, and continued to make soothing motions down her back with a paw, giving her time to recover. “Must have found some treacherous footing. Do you swim like a fish? Your coat reminds me a little of those little white-orange fish that dart around little ponds. Your just as beautiful as they are, too” she mused gently.

"Speech"