While Kuroo had not been a part of the official raid upon their lands, he had stayed behind to assist Rheum and Fuji in collecting healing supplies. With the young girls' due diligence, they had plenty stocked and ready to go in case someone were to be fatally injured. After all that had been said and done, Kuroo made his way to the bay to ensure the larder was stocked with enough food. All of Tojo's fighters would surely be starved by the time they returned from defending their turf. In a way, Kuroo was proud of his family, but also wavering on how essential he really was to Tojo.

He sat upon the beach, his toes flexing in the wet sand, and stared apprehensively at the horizon. Sunset was approaching and casting an array of oranges and reds across the waters. Sparkling and shifting, he could tell winter was coming. The brisk autumn breeze, while still slightly warm and balmy, was colder than usual. It never snowed this far south and Kuroo was thankful for it. Either way, he sat there, wondering if maybe the Kaicho would promote him someday. Maybe he should ask...

Kuroo Shima

Hattori could not say he had performed his best, but like all clans they worked together and managed the situation as a pack should. Things were being dealt with, territory borders re-established, remarked whilst his companions spread out the Bamboo and Oaks to ensure no stragglers had managed to hide away where they were not welcome. Leaving Hattori to attend to the Bay. He did not mind and in fact found himself appreciating the sea air as it filled his lungs, soothed away the niggling annoyances that lingered in his mind. It was then he spotted Kuroo and Hattori swiftly decided that this area was clear, that a fisherman with senses as sharp as his didn't miss much at all.

The Kaicho approached the dappled fisher wolf. In a way, the Bay was his territory more than it was Hattori's. Near everything they had set up here was looked after by him, from the floating bamboo bridges, to the nets, to the storage facilities and the equipment for salting and drying excess fish. He ran this place nearly as tightly as Hattori organised Tojo-kai itself, it was easy to recognise it as Hattori took a moment to look at the world around him.

"Is there anything you need help with?"

Kuroo was enjoying the tumbling breeze as it slid in off the ocean. The scent of ocean salt always seemed to settle his nerves. There was nothing quite like an Auster sunset fading away over the horizon. Content to spend the evening alone, he was surprised when his Kaicho approached. Turning to watch the man draw close, Kuroo offered him a friendly smile.

“Fortunately our fighters are adept so there wasn’t much to fret over here,” the piebald man nods as he looks back out at the water. “The only help I seek is a conversation with you,” there is humor as always but also a hint of seriousness. While Kuroo wasn’t stoic or stern like his brother or the Kaicho himself, he did know when to take things seriously.

“I have been thinking that it is possibly time I ask for another promotion. I am ready to take on more now that the bay doesn’t need much help,” his pale pink eyes scan around for a moment before landing back on the Kaicho. “There is much that you have to take care of and perhaps you need someone else to help alleviate those stressors,” Kuroo offers a shrug then because he knows his feelings won’t be hurt if Hattori tells him no.

Kuroo Shima

Hattori rumbled in acknowledgement, seeing the fisher wolf's humour for what it was. His request was not unreasonable either, nor did Hattori think he was pushing his luck, reaching for what did not belong in his jaws. The Kaicho was quiet for a moment, not because he needed to think deeply about this, but rather the feeling of this place was pleasant and near demanded he take another moment to draw it all in. To enjoy the moment, the familiarity of family and clan.

"That is reasonable, and are deserving. What do you have in mind?" Hattori would always listen to his clan mates, might not always agree and abide, but his ears were always open.

Kuroo’s tail gives a gentle wag across the sand as Hattori agrees to his proposition. Withholding the bigger emotions he felt and resisting the urge to embrace the Kaicho, he clears his throat and sits up straighter instead. Letting silence fall over them for a few moments, Kuroo really considered where he saw his future. Not that he hadn’t been thinking about it for awhile, but he wanted the Kaicho to know that he took all of this very seriously.

“Do you need someone to run interference with others? A diplomat of sorts? Or perhaps someone who can help with the bigger pack stuff? I can care for the social aspects,” he threw the idea out there as he looked back at Hattori. Would he agree? Or was Tojo-Kai reclusive enough that they didn’t need someone of such stature?

Kuroo Shima

They weren't in dire need of diplomatic help, if something needed fixing Hattori would be willing enough to head out into the wide world and sort it out himself. Rather, he saw a better place for Kuroo's skills than a glorified messenger boy. He was quiet for a moment longer, wondering why the fisherwolf did not think he was helpful, it was his efforts alone that kept the majority of Tojo's bellies full and their pantries stocked.

" If you wish to roam the outside world, then scout the shorelines, lead our whale hunts. Your skills would be wasted as Tojo's mouthpiece."

Kuroo understood the Kaicho's momentary silence. His request was... not typical of himself. Rather, Kuroo was a fisher, a seaman, one with the water. It was rare that anyone ever saw him travel far from the bay's shoreline. Really, his offer to be a diplomat was more to help ease the burden on Hattori's shoulders than to build his own strengths. So after the seconds that passed and Hattori did speak once more, Kuroo nodded in understanding. "I don't need to tell you that you're right," there is humor as he smiles at the Kaicho, a sense of relief washing over him. "I will see about gathering the others for a whale hunt soon. If you ever need help with anything else, you know where to find me," Kuroo nods then, curt and respectful, before glancing out toward the water.

Kuroo Shima