It had been years since Hattori had last set paw upon Nihon's shores. He presumed much had changed since then and yet at the same time even more had likely stayed the same. Their homeland had a way of remaining stubborn in the face of change, steadfast and certain that its ways were the best and only option. With a tray of steaming tea, Hattori found himself sitting comfortably upon a tatami mat. This summer was milder than most, the rising water levels had done much to keep the land from drying out too much. And even then in the shade of the Bamboo it was never so terrible that the wolves of Tojo couldn't go about their days in peace.

He tipped his head back, calling for the clan's newest member. They had not spoken much and he wished to change that, and what better than to do it over a pot of tea Kiriko had prepared?

Strength came with time she knew that. Tiny misui had gotten rid of the patches on her fur. More well fed than she had been in her entire life. However, she was still skinny. Finding it hard to take when she had grown to know such famine. These wolves were strange despite them reminding her of the islands she had escaped from that stormy night.

Carefully she picked her way to the call. Confusion on her features as she noticed the mats and tea. Heartbreak clutched her a bit, she remembered being revered by their leader. Coddled, trained to sacrifice others. Carefully she sat in front of the large man. Awkwardly not knowing what to do. "Hanzo." she greeted with a dip of her head.

"Hello."He said, somewhat stiff but not unkind. He'd always been slow to warm to people he did not know, but it was not a matter of unwillingness. "Help yourself to some tea."

The leaves were grown out near the bay, in the expanse of land between the water and where the Oaks started to take root. Though Tojo thrived in secrecy and behind their wall of bamboo, they made sure to cultivate open spaces to grow whatever crops they needed. Be it rice, tea or even their seaweed harvests, Tojo wasn't going without.

He shifted then, taking in the sight of her for a long and lingering moment. Close to scrutiny but not quite, just a smidge off. Her pelt was not one he recognised, but he was not arrogant to think that all wolves who called Nihon home were of koi linage. There was life beyond the Edo area, their homeland was as varied as it was ancient and vast. Tenshi's people for example took after the mountains they called home, their fur dappled and grey like ancient stone, often smeared with colour, like plants clinging onto a cliffside. Perhaps the same applied to Misui? Her coat was reminiscent of ocean waves, the white akin to sea foam that floated in the surface.

"I am not one for small talk. But I would like to know about your home and life before." He explained, thinking that someone's past told much about what their future might hold.

It was the same. Misui was cautious, but then again Hanso had already seen her in a state she probably wouldn’t have shown a stranger. Confusion covered her features for a moment she crawled forward with her head lowered. She attempted to comfortably sit, taking a look at the tea. She eased herself a bit, reminding herself that it was important to stay calm she was among friends now. It seemed he’d searched over her not that she entirely minded. Yet she wondered was he like those from home? Misui took a sip of her tea.

"Anata ga nakama no ōkami no niku o tabenai koto ni odorokimashita."(I'm surprised you don't eat the meat of your fellow wolves.) she said it so plainly. Then again these lands were so filled with prey. Why had the gods forsaken her tribe. Perhaps it was due to the lies their sovereign spread. "Karera wa watashitachi no buzoku o shimensoka to yobimashita. Hondo kara nan-mairu mo hanareta shima o mitsukemashita. Tabemono ga fusoku suru koto ga ōku, mottomo ippantekina hōhō wa gashi suru kotodeshita."(they called our tribe shimensoka. located an island that was miles from any mainland. food was often scarce the most common way to pass was to starve. ) she should have realized when she was young what their name really represented. She took another sip of tea and took a deep breath.

"Watashitachi no shukenja wa, kisetsu-goto ni nen inai ni biki no ōkami o gisei ni suru yō ni meijimashita. Otto ga hanran o tasuketa nochi, watashi wa ninshin-chū ni nigemashita. Kare wa watashitachi o mamotte taore, watashi no shiru kagiri ikinokotta no wa watashi dakedesu. Watashi ga tadashī koto o shite itakara kami ga watashi o sukutte kureta nodarou ka to ima demo jimon shite imasu."(our sovereign ordered us to sacrifice one wolf under a year each season. i ran while pregnant after my husband aided a rebellion. he fell protecting us and as far as i know I am the only survivor. i still ask myself if the gods spared me because I was doing the right thing. ) we’ll she spoke the truth didn’t she. It had to be some sort of fate that she’d found some of her own kind of people.

Misui kept quiet about her involvement in the sacrifices. That part of her life she’d like to believe was behind her. "Anata no furusato wa don'na kanjideshita ka?" (what was your homeland like?) she tilted her head at him. Was it beautiful? Did they treat each other with respect? Misui could now believe something was worth doing, but at the same time she almost felt lost.

Hattori made a face of disgust. Eat other wolves? He did not think she meant to offend him, but it was such a barbaric practice he couldn't help but scrunch his nose at the mere thought. Shimensoka, the name was not familiar with him, but Hattori did not expect to know of every town and village of their native homeland. Boreas and Auster were relatively small in comparison, the world at large was just so vast compared to what they knew here. He let her speak, didn't make a move to interrupt her tale, her words were heavy and melancholic, perhaps if he'd been a kinder man he would have told her it was okay. She didn't need to speak of the painful past, but he was curious, that much was undeniable.

She had clearly seen much suffering and Hattori had no interest in putting her through more. Tojo was a place of respite and new beginnings, what happened there would never happen here. Of that much he was certain.

He made a deep thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. No life was without difficulty, his own was of a different nature, he supposed."Everything had an order to it, and those who stepped out of line were not tolerated. I hail from a village called Iga, my family's estate gifted by the Shogun." He leaned forward then, had a sip of tea, his brows furrowing slightly in thought. "Your coat, is it unique to your people?"

It took her a few minutes, but the more they talked the more she did put herself at ease around the man. Misui couldn’t help being cautious as he’d seen her at one of her weakest moments. No matter how desperate she was, plainly she just didn’t want to be seen that way. Not some tiny princess meant to be protected. Even Akechi had seen her worth, her drive to care for the things she cared about most. She hadn’t been a fighter, she’d been a killer under the alpha’s rule, but how had she known any better. The conversation flowed though and Misui intently listened to hattori as he spoke. He asked about her coat and for a moment she had to think about it.

"They called me the storm witch. I don’t look like most of the family, perhaps it was the reason our sovereign for a time took me under his wing. I think too many were dying to pay attention who had royal blood anymore." shed gained many suitors seeking to have her genes passed down. It was only her husband who’d given her the right amount of respect. Thinking of him made her heart twist and she put the thought aside. "Thank you for this Hattori. I wish to make Tojo proud of me the best I can." she would hunt, she would scout. She would do whatever necessary to be a part of her knew home.

Hattori grumbled low in his throat, acknowledging her words with a nod. Though the wolves of Tojo were proud of their homeland, it was at the same time not somewhere they necessarily wished to return to. There would always be stray thoughts that just wished things could have been different, that the storm witch hadn't lost her husband or that her people hadn't been so barbaric, but ultimately it was best to move on. To know the past was set in stone and couldn't be improved, but instead built upon. That the sea could be as kind as it was cruel.

"I trust you." He told her, as Misui wouldn't be within the bamboo if he did not. "I know I am not the most....approachable, but there are good wolves here. If you ever feel unsafe or need someone to talk to, they will listen."