Even in the dead of winter the desert did not suit Hattori well. He felt far out of his element, even more of a stranger in a foreign land but found himself persisting all the same. As though he had any other option. He'd heard whispers of a fighting colosseum, an ancient structure that had stood against the tests of time and come out stronger and more imposing for it. But was it worth seeking out? Some things were better left alone and he had duties to attend back in Ashen, a Shogun's work was never done.

And yet a certain long limbed wolf had managed to persuade him, to venture out into the unknown just because they could.

There was no snow here, it managed to settle on the edges of the desert but not here. Not where the sun reigned supreme even now. The building itself wasn't hard to spot once they got close, it dwarfed the surrounding dunes, making them look tiny and insignificant like molehills.

Hattori tipped his head back and stared up, the pale of his eyes reflecting the ancient stone. An archway lay ahead, open and inviting, an offer many seemed to take. The Shogun looked to the sand then and eyed the criss-crossing tracks that meandered about the place. Unlike many of the other places he'd explored with Jynn this one did not seem to be abandoned.

"Speech"

Jynn was down on her belly exhausted. A strange brown wolf with a pale face was directly in front of her, defending her. He snarled, teeth clenched as his upper body curved defensively toward a large gray wolf with golden eyes. She resisted the urge to sneeze at the sand that seemed to hang in the air within the giant colosseum walls that stretched up farther than her eyes could see.

———————

Jynn startled awake. After the journey from east to west she'd needed a quick nap but after the strange dream she was wondering if she should've just opted to see how long she could stay awake. Jynn got to her feet, eyeing the curved stone arch she'd been resting under before bolting off in search of Hattori. Something about these human-esque ruins was creeping her out. "Hey, Hattori, sorry for the wait. What do you make of this place?"

Though Hattori was as punctual as they came, he was willing enough to look past Jynn's tardiness. For the most part she'd been a fine travelling companion and he didn't care enough to kick up a stink now. Eager to get out of the sun, Hattori moved into the monument's shadow as he carefully made a point of stepping around the tracks in the sand. His ears tipped forward as he caught the sound of cheering and uproar, it sounded as though a fight had just started. Perhaps it would be worth their while to go and watch.

He gave Jynn a pointed side look.

"I was told creatures from all across Boreas and Auster come here to fight. It sounds as though one has just started."

Stepping through the archway, there was a long corridor that branched out into the open air section of the colosseum. Stairs took off in two different directions, leading to the seating areas that surrounded the fighting ring. The steps grew steeper as they rose higher up, forming vast seating areas that overlooked all angles of the colosseum. No matter where you sat there was a good seat available, many were filled with all manners of creatures, hooting and hollering as they watched the fight commence below.

Hattori turned his focus to the ring and what sort of show was about to be put on.

Jynn blinked in surprise at the sound of cheering. What in the heck. Hattori looked to her and she gazed back, confusion clear on her face. Hattori explained that competitors from all over the continents came to fight here. She was surprised, she'd never heard of such a thing but she followed swiftly after Hattori as he stepped through the archway and into a long corridor. As they neared the ring the cheering grew louder and louder. Jynn gazed about in surprise, her mouth falling open at the wide variety of creatures gathered to watch the match. "Whoa, this is crazy. I've never seen such a diverse group in one place that wasn't fighting amongst itself."

A leopard and a monitor lizard slashed and clawed at one another, earning blood thirsty cheers from the crowd as wounds were inflicted. They pulled no punches, fighting to maim as Hattori watched them with an aloof, almost disinterested expression. The kicked up sand, making it a little hard to see what was going on as they took the fight to the ground, rolling and tussling as the smell of blood filled the air. Enough for Hattori to catch it from where he stood. His gaze wandered skywards, to the highest rungs of the colosseum, draped with bloodstained cloth. As though to celebrate violence in its truest form.

Hattori was not against fighting nor killing, but this seemed to be just for the sake of it. Little to gain but the roaring entertainment of the crowd.

"Would you fight here?" He asked, wondering what she made of it. Awe aside.

Jynn watched as the leopard battled against the large lizard. She found herself instinctively cheering for the leopard. She had a jaguar companion and could relate more to the feline than she could the lizard. She didn't reply immediately when Hattori asked if she'd fight here. Jynn had to think on it for a moment but it was hard for her to form a definitive answer. "I honestly don't know. I like to spar and I don't mind if the spars get a bit rough but this seems particularly brutal." She wasn't sure if it was the way competitors were expected to fight here or if it was just this pair of participants in particular. "What about you?"

It was a bloody mess and regardless of who won, the victor was going to walk away wounded and sore. Maybe even maimed. But he supposed that was the point of all of this, to satisfy the crowd and give them a taste of violence. It was not for everyone, and though Jynn couldn't say for certain he understood where she was coming from and what her general feelings were.

Hattori shot a sharp glance at a wolf who was making a racket, getting all worked up as though he wanted to jump into the ring and join in. Perhaps he would be the next to fight, he looked capable enough. It was getting harder to hold a conversation as the battle reached its climax, the crowd growing ever more rowdy and restless. Their cheers echoing off the ancient walls.

"No. Those who fight here have something to prove, I do not." And it was as simple as that, in his eyes.

Jynn's large ears flicked back, nearly pinning to her skull as the noise and ruckus around her reached a fever pitch. That would be the other thing that would be hard for her. She'd fought in all kinds of conditions, on all kinds of terrain, but never with a bunch of screaming strangers yelling at or even for her. That would prove a difficult distraction to overcome. Jynn felt she'd seen enough, as the leopard flipped the monitor lizard on its back and delivered a brutal blow to its belly. A particularly loud wolf started working his way down to the ring, no doubt seeking to challenge the new victor. Jynn got to her feet and turned to leave. "I think I'm ready to move on."