let's stick together just a little bit longer It seemed that winter was on the horizon. Kiriko sighed to herself at the very thought of it, making her way down to the bay. It was warm and shallow here, but it wasn't like they'd be immune to cold. There would likely only be a few more lotuses to harvest, and then she'd need to wait until spring for more. The woman moved soundlessly down to the water's edge, dipping a paw into the tepid water. At least she had today, the weather relatively clear at her back, and a warm, friendly sun to work beneath. Maybe she could even begin to process the silks today, with this much light. Perhaps, it was a nice thought. Carefully, Kiriko fished one of the delicate plants from the water before her. It's with practiced, skillful movements that she manages to grab the plant and move it to the beach behind her, still intact. The entire thing would be cut down later, but until processing, Kiriko needed it to stay as it grew. One lotus, then the next, the creature moves methodically. A comfortable way to spend the afternoon.

There was plenty of plant growth here, both above and below water. He knew the pack's healers frequented this place often, but he was somewhat surprised to see Kiriko out in the open. From what he had observed, the woman seemed to shy away from wandering too far from the safety of the bamboo. And that was fine, he had no outright issue with it and yet seeing her out here gently plucking the lilies made him wonder if she'd had a change in interest, perhaps had gotten a little more bold despite how she still clearly held her cards so close to her chest.

He wasn't the sort to pry, never would be, but he had always suspected there was something...off about her. Though try as he might, he simply couldn't put his paw on it. It wasn't a matter of distrusting her-not entirely anyway, or else she would not be here- but rather of curiosity. Her story was familiar, so familiar in fact a wolf from Nihon wouldn't think to question it at first glance, but were threats from Nihon truly so close on her trail? Was the danger in her mind as real as she seemed to believe it to be? And surely then, who was she to garner such...persistence? She was of nobility for sure, but would a rival clan truly go to so much effort to seek her out, so far away from home?

"What are lotuses used for?" He asked, as he finally approached. Standing at a conversational distance. She could continue to gather and work, he would not stop her.

let's stick together just a little bit longer Off is probably quite correct. Head on a swivel, always looking over her shoulder. Paranoid, even though she's doing her best to hide it. Doing her best to temper it. Doing her best to appear that she's not constantly worried, but sometimes the mask slips. Kiriko says precious little about herself, about where she came from. No details. Not for anyone, not yet. Kiriko isn't necessarily settling in well, but maybe it's better than anyone could have expected. It's better than she expected, at least. There are little pieces of home here, the pieces that are perhaps the best. Maybe that's helped steady the transition. Maybe, or maybe Kiriko is coping in any way she can. Desperately trying to cope. Maybe that's why she's busied herself with the lotus silks, too. Maybe it's a coping mechanism. She works carefully, setting the delicate flowers on the bank. Hattori arrived, asking a question that seemed reasonable enough. "The stalks have fibers inside, from which I'm going to weave silk." She looked to the kaicho as she spoke, before turning her attention back to harvesting the plants themselves. Methodically she works, taking only the ones that have flowered and begun to show signs of wilting. "It is softer and stronger than what's grown by silkworms, and the plants don't eat quite as much." There is humor playing within her tone, soft as it is.

Hattori made a noise of understanding, low and deep in his throat. He wasn't much of a crafter himself, he could maintain his weaponry and armour, make simple repairs to things that needed fixing around Tojo, but aside from basic craftsmanship he knew little. He supposed that's why clans and packs came to be, some would fill in the gaps others could not.

There was a softness to Kiriko, edges that were worn out of necessity rather than habit. In a sense he wondered who she was, truly was, as he had gotten a feel for everyone else who called Tojo home. But this one? It was hard to say, even harder for Hattori to work out why he kept wondering so when in reality for the most part he left others to their own devices. It wasn't quite suspicion, as that implied a level of mistrust- and Hattori would never let anyone like that within the Bamboo- but more like a twinge, a thought that lingered longer than it had any right to.

"Where did you learn to weave?" He asked instead.

Kiriko had learned much during her time in court. From the time she was a little girl, it had been her job to learn how to make repairs, craft gently, and speak only when directly spoken to. With a light touch, a quick mind, and deft movements, her talents had been recognized early on. It was these talents that had saved her from her mother's profession, something for which she was grateful. Making repairs, healing the wounded, and producing beautiful garments for those of high station. It was a modest life, but she'd been treated well for it. Life could have been a lot harder. Hattori's question makes her heart squeeze. She doesn't set down her work, not yet. It's not long before she's satisfied with her culling of the patch, carefully looking over the remaining flowers. Those that she left were still in full bloom, or well on their way there. Kiriko began to gently place them in the basket she'd brought down, preparing them for the walk back home. It felt safer to work among the bamboo, with some cover to shield her from... well, everything. Without Hattori, the beach felt exposed. But then, his question made her feel a bit the same way. "I was trained under the masters, within court." it's more than she would usually reveal, but she trusts Hattori. It is a gesture, letting him in on something she's kept close to her chest. She and her brother had been educated and treated relatively well, despite the rule of the tyrant emperor. With a pang, Kiriko thought of him as well. For a moment, she looks to meet Hattori's gaze. Trying to gage his reaction. Looking, but trying to really see. "Speech"

"You served at court?" He did not sound overly surprised, he'd noticed some of her mannerisms, many of them would have fit in perfectly amongst that sort of setting. And if nothing else she had the looks for it, a breeding that wouldn't look out of place amongst the higher rungs of society.

Though the Hattori name carried great weight, its reputation and the means of which his kin went about gaining power and prestige were hardly encouraged. Many had died to raise up the Iga clan and many of those did not deserve their fate. Which was all to say, that despite their obvious nobility the Hattori name was not one you'd find within the Imperial court. It hadn't bothered Hanzo much back in Nihon and he did not lose sleep over it now.

Having a daughter at court was an honour for many, a way of getting their family's foot in the door, so to say. He looked upon her crafts a moment more, coming up with his own assumptions with little prompting on Kiriko's end.

"I assume you disliked it."

He didn't sound surprised, and Kiriko knew why. She looked as if she belonged among them, and she acted in much the same way. The manners hadn't been taught, as much as they had been trained. Her training had been careful, purposeful, though it was equal parts enlightening and demoralizing. She was somewhere between ornament and machine, that much had never been obscured from her. "As an artisan at first, but when the need came for medics, I volunteered." The words were soft, and she carefully lifts the basket to her shoulders. His assumption is both correct and incorrect. Kiriko paused for a long moment, considering. Thinking it through for a long moment before providing him with an answer. "It was as comfortable as it was lonesome." It was perhaps equal parts like and dislike. She could not speak for what would have happened to her, had her parentage been different. She'd been hidden in plain sight, which was an alienating experience. Never letting anyone in too close had been important to her safety. Not letting anyone in, making sure no one knew.... her heart ached on its own. Within court, friends (and those pretending to be your friends) were everything. Without them? Well, Kiriko's experience summed that up pretty well. But still, she couldn't complain. She wouldn't complain. Had the circumstances been different, had she simply been the daughter of a common man and a common whore? Things could have been so much worse. Kiriko wouldn't risk sounding ungrateful, even now. "Speech"

Again, that wasn't at all surprising to hear. For the bustling heart of the empire, it was not hard to imagine it being such an isolating place, where everyone was out for themselves, chasing their agendas with little interest in how their actions may affect others. It was not a life Hattori would have wished to lead, there was a peace to be found here in Tojo, a quietness that reminded him of the quiet after a battle long fought. The feeling of it finally being over.

"Sometimes I wonder how it has changed, back there." Hattori mused aloud, allowing himself to briefly feel sentimental. A show of weakness perhaps? "And then I think that though the names and faces change, nothing else really does." Nihon was a land that was stuck in its ways, the old ways. Stubborn, certain that it's way was always the right way. That there was no future to be found in the rotting ruins of the concrete jungles, that those who did not look or act a certain way were a lot cause.

Hattori turned to her then, his silver eyes shined like he knew too much. More than he should.

"But even if it did change, you would never go back.." He surmised. Something had happened, she was constantly dancing around that fact.

She hadn't supposed that the finally over feeling had settled in, not yet. The nightmares would likely be with her always, though it wasn't every night anymore. Though Kiriko had begun to relax, she still looked over her shoulder near constantly. Things had gotten easier here, hidden away among the bamboo. They were easier, but they would never be easy. She was a healer, she dealt in these types of ailments. Kiriko knew the advice she'd give herself, and the way she'd treat a patient in her condition. Knowing all the right things doesn't make it easier, not for her. Not yet. Hattori's words bring a far away look to Kiriko's eye. She can see it, the way things were in the last few, normal days. Mostly normal days. Sure, everyone knew something was coming, but the specifics were clouded right until the moment. Nothing, and then everything all at once. If you'd asked Kiriko, she could picture the last normal day before her world came tumbling down. She could retrace her steps, tell you who she'd spoken to. Feel the worn stone paths beneath her paws, the ones that would be stained in blood mere hours later. All of it was strangely crystalized in her memory, where she supposed it would always be. "The same characters, different actors." She speaks softly, only a bit wistful. But that piercing silver gaze slices right through her. Kiriko's heart pounds in her chest, it's like he sees her. He sees her in a way that makes her nervous. She's dizzy, momentarily. Hattori can see, or has seen, something within her. "I could never, and wouldn't if I could." The words are a whisper, her eyes still wide. What did he know? Kiriko feared it was too much, already. "Speech"

Kiriko was strange and somehow not. Familiar and yet it was as though her true visage was hidden by a mask, one that wore a smile that didn't reach the eyes. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, Hattori had thoughts he'd never utter aloud to anyone, alive or dead, and yet the thought stuck with him. Made him wonder in ways other wolves did not. It often felt like he only saw Kiriko from afar, that the fine details would always be blurry and unfocused, that she would never let alone close. But why?

"Hm." He fell into silence then, letting it linger like a fog settling around them. His brows furrowed, the more he spoke to her, the more she inevitably revealed. Snippets at a time. He didn't mistrust her, or else he would have said something sooner and yet... "And what if your problems follow you here?"

He’s… assessing her. It’s almost like Hattori sees through her. An uncomfortable feeling. He knows something wasn’t quite right, but how much had he put together? His observation feels almost… almost invasive. As if she’s being stripped bare, without the protective layers Kiriko clung to so desperately. If trouble followed her… followed her here. It wasn’t as if Kiriko hadn’t thought about it. What if they found her? The reward for returning proof that they’d slain the last remaining members of the tyrant emperor’s bloodline, it had to be steep. Kiriko pressed her lips together for a moment, took a deep breath as she thought about it. Only a fool would be blind to the fact that there were still hunters out there. ”Then I will face them to the best of my ability. It’s just me they want, I don’t want any trouble for the pack. I’m tired of running.” The words are solemn, weighty in her mouth. Kiriko can’t fully conceal the fear in her voice, i bleeding over from the anxiety in her chest. Still, she remains composed, regal on the surface, all as best she can. "Speech"

"Mmm." Was all Hattori said.

It was not that he didn't believe her, but to face ones past like that took more strength than most were capable of. She was no fighter, that much was just obvious at a glance and yet there was a strength about her. A sense of resolve his silver gaze was able to observe, a knowing that if nothing else she wanted her words to ring true. But wanting something did not always make it so, or else the world would be a far more gentle place. Somewhere men like him would no longer have a place in.

"You know you are protected here." He then pointed out quite bluntly, as if she should have already known this face. And it wasn't just her, she wasn't exactly special in that regard. It was a part of the clans creed, there was safety and security behind the veil of bamboo. If they wished to hide from the world what better place for it?