Raijin was incredibly close to Ashen, he could even smell the pack scent markers on the wind, but he wasn’t ready to venture there just yet. His travels had exhausted him and he knew he was dirty, so a trip to the Hot Springs were just what the doctor ordered. The koi diplomat made a bee-line for the warm waters, hardly hesitating before jumping into a particularly deep pool. His head disappeared below the surface for a moment before reappearing, a rumble of pleasure echoing up his throat. He paddled over to a submerged ledge and laid on it, feeling the sweat and grime from his journey practically melting off.

"Genji Raijin"

Everything hurt. She wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with her, whether it was the fruity stuff Otis had massaged into her fur or that other potion from the weirdo in the cloak, but Sedna was miserable.

At least, she hoped, if her aches were just in her muscles, then maybe the warmth of the hot springs would bring her some relief. When she arrived, another had beaten her to the pools. For a moment she considered leaving and coming back later, but the thought of dragging her aching body all the way back to the Armada was more than she could bare to think on right now, and the man didn’t seem aggressive. At least not right now. So she joined him, moving stiffly as she approached.

The monochrome woman slipped into the water on the other side of the pool and sunk down until only her nose, eyes and ears remained above the water, staring at the stranger, eyes narrowed in a slightly judging squint. Like some sort of furry crocodile wannabe.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Raijin wasn’t alone in his bathing for long, his golden gaze rising to see the form of a delightfully curvaceous, monochromatic woman approaching. From her scent, she seemed to be from Ashen’s allied pack, the Armada. She looked at him with suspicion and, suddenly, he realized he smelled nothing like Ashen, of which he was technically still a member of. He’d been gone for so long that their scent markers no longer clung to his pelt, so he was certainly a more dangerous stranger in her eyes.

He watched, the corners of his lips tilting upwards in amusement, as she slid into the water, encasing herself until everything was covered except for the top of her head. She did, in fact, look like a crocodile. “If you keep looking at me like that, I fear I might be in danger of being eaten,” he mused, his tone of voice playful and relaxed.

"Genji Raijin"

Sedna allowed her eyelids to slip half-closed as the warmth soaked through her coat and skin and eased the deep ache in her bones some. When the man spoke an ear flicked forward, noting the thick, but familiar accent. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, the corners of her eyes creasing ever so slightly, showing her mirth. The silver woman rose from the water, just a fraction, freeing her lips from beneath the waters surface. “Yer sayin’ yer wouldn’t enjoy it?” There was a teasing tilt to her head as she settled herself more comfortably in the warm water. Maybe company wasn’t so bad after all.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

The man watched her gaze crinkle in amusement at his words, his nubbed tail giving a wiggle of pleasure beneath the warm spring water. Despite her initial appearance, he suspected she had a sense of humor by her reaction. He much preferred someone with a sense of humor, but poking those who didn’t could be its own reward. It was one of his favorite past times with his cousin Hattori.

When she spoke, he noted an accent of her own. It was one he hadn’t heard before, though it wasn’t hard to understand. He wondered, briefly, where she was from. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I’ve been known to give a little nibble or two myself,” he replied with a wink, a rakish grin settling on his lips, though with the scar on his face that caused a small cleft, it was charmingly lopsided. My name is Genji Raijin, though feel free to call me Raijin, Mr. Incredibly Handsome, Hotstuff, or anything else you think of,” he introduced.

"Genji Raijin"

A brow arched at the mention of a nibble, she doubted there was much little about it looking at those teeth he had, but she’d be lying if she tried to tell herself she wasn’t intrigued. It seemed her only interest to anyone within the Armada was as a healer, and she very much missed the more personable closeness of her home, where she had actually felt seen.

The water obscured a lot and he had been here before she had arrived, her paws itched to get a better measure of him.

She moved to get a little closer as he started his introduction, the distraction pulling a wide grin to her face. As she was about to laugh, her paw slipped on a slimy stone, pitching her face forward and into the water, blowing bubbles with her exhalation of sound. Well, that was terribly embarrassing, but there wasn’t much she could do but laugh it off, pulling her head back out of the warm water and shaking for comic effect. “Yer could’a warned me yer were gonna make me fall for yer!” She shot with mock indignation, unable to shake the self-depreciating smirk from her face. She settled herself once again, closer to his side of the pool, but still leaving about a tail length between them. “I’m Sedna, or as the Armada like ter call me, healer come quickly!” The last was added in a higher pitched voice, tinged ever so slightly with bitterness.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

He watched a smile like the sunrise begin to grow on her face as he introduced himself, a pleased tingle shooting through his body. He loved to make others smile, especially when there had previously been a frown. Perhaps it was his general disposition to make sure others amused or happy, likely gained from a life of diplomacy where it had been his job to indulge the pleasures of their guests to get what they wanted. If he left an interaction without getting at least one smile (discounting his cousin), he felt he hadn’t done his job right. Hell, he even cracked jokes when fighting someone.

He felt himself falter though when she suddenly fell into the pool. He sat, stunned for a moment, golden gaze blinking in surprise. When she didn’t come back up immediately, he began to worry, but before long she surfaced, shaking water from her fur with a self-deprecating joke of making her fall for him. This earned a hearty, baritone laugh from him, his strong, barrelled chest expanding and contracting in quivers in genuine amusement. She was quick witted, too, how perfect!

He watched with pleasure as she inched closer to him, still leaving a respectable distance between them, though he wouldn’t have minded if she’d snuggled closer. She introduced herself as Sedna, her own jokey calling-card indicating herself as a healer which he snuggled into a little file in his brain along with her name. “A healer you say? Does that mean you can fix my heart after you break it?” he teased.

"Genji Raijin"

It wasn’t every day she met someone that felt like home, carefree with a quick tongue but seemingly no want to covet, or possess. A weight she hadn’t realised she was carrying was slowly lifting from her shoulders, her eyes flashing merrily at his counter to her own remark. “I’m not careless, ‘s not a collection if yer go around breakin’ ‘em.” A pale brow arched with the statement, a silent challenge for him to counter her logic. “Though me ma’s an’ their boyfriends always did tell me it’s far better fer everyone if yer share.” It certainly seemed the wolves that lived here tended more towards the monogamous lifestyle, she wondered whether Mr Incredibly Handsome felt the same. Silently, she thought it would be a terrible shame if he did. Something so pretty should be shared.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed