The rain was constant, a loud rush that drowned out the senses, leaving the ground sodden with water that had nowhere to go. Even in the driest of seasons, Tojo had never gone without a stable supply of drinking water, but Hattori always made a point of stowing away barrels just in case. His fur was drenched, water droplets fell from his stomach as he left his servants to tend to the stream, the carpet of bamboo leaf litter did little to conceal the churned mud- even the canopy above couldn't keep the sheer force of the downpour out. He would have to find somewhere else to take shelter, and given how quiet the maze was today, it seemed as though his clan mates were doing just that. Waiting for the worst of it to pass.

Returning to his den, he shouldered through the thin bamboo shoots that served as a makeshift doorway, the branches left overhanging like a privacy curtain. There were very few places off limits to his pack mates, but his quarters were his and his alone. He had shared them with Kiriko once, but no longer. Hattori did not take guests, company or bed warmers- just the thought made resentment stir in his chest. He did not need anyone, and perhaps deep deep down he thought he didn't deserve them either.

But someone was here, or rather approaching.

"What is it?"He called out, the facade slipping to reveal a rather snappish tone.

Ochi had been doing everything within her power to make herself useful. She had promised Hattori that she would pull her weight, but just doing the bare minimum wasn't enough. Not for her. Not for her upbringing or her sense of duty and pride. So, while most others were inside on a day where the skies came down in torrential rains, Ochitsuki was out doing what needed to be done.

The koi woman noted that a few of the closer streams were overflowing somewhat dangerously. If they received much more rain, the common areas would be at risk of flooding. Waking before the sun, Ochi had set to work building a retaining wall. The long-legged fae rolled whatever rocks and boulders that she could find towards the edge of the common area, placing them strategically along the edge. In between the boulders she packed mud, clay and whatever else she believed could hold against the onslaught of water.

It took her quite some time. Hours and hours, in fact. By the time she was finished, the fae's dark pads were cut and bleeding, as were her forelegs. She had almost been pulled downstream as well. Ochi was sore and tired, her normally pristine coat covered in mud, pieces of bamboo leaves with patches of blood like sprinkles on the cake.

After deciding that she'd done all that she was capable of, the monochromatic fae gave her muddied body a rinse, but it was pointless. There was no escaping the mud, nor the rain. The constant onslaught of precipitation kept her wounded paws and forelegs from clotting properly. Thus, Ochi's long front legs dribbled pink and red as the trails of rain gathered her blood and trickled down like little thieves, stealing her blood and taking it into the water below.

Mismatched eyes caught sight of Hattori through the curtain of grey rain. Brows furrowed for a moment as the woman considered just heading back to her den. The sense of duty within her prompted Ochi on another course, however. She followed the horned man towards his den. Before she even arrived to knock, he was snapping at her. Pale ears slicked back for a moment before clear, respectful vocals called out over the steady thrum of rain. "Hattori-sama, I wished to see if you required anything of me before I seek shelter against the rain." She was at his disposal, afterall.

"Speech"

Hattori grunted a low noise in his throat, not quite appeased but less on edge than he had been before. She was not the prim and proper lady he'd come to expect, seeing her drenched with lumps of mud clinging to her under belly as the coppery tang of blood emanated from her was- it did not suit her. He did not like it. His knee-jerk reaction was to make a snap assumption and say it was improper, that she was a lady, she ought to present herself as such. But he found himself offended by her unspoken insinuation, brows furrowing.

Maybe he was just looking for a fight, couldn't take out his frustrations and wounded pride on a woman who was no longer here. So Ochitsuki would have to do.

"What would I require from you?"The question was asked in a sneer, pointed to even his ears. Too much like his own Father, the man who had treated Kiyo so poorly, blamed her for things that were simply not her fault.

Pale ears instantly slicked back against the woman's skull, her gaze dropping. Hattori's words bit at her like a snake, just like he'd meant them to. There was venom in his dismissal of her and the spotted fae felt it. "I've... crafted a retaining wall to ward off some of the flooding," she informed him, at least showing him that she was useful and that she wasn't just covered in mud because she enjoyed it.

When he didn't dismiss her immediately, Ochi dared to ask, going outside of her training by questioning her lord."May I ask what I've done to displease you, Hattori-sama?" As usual, her tones were clear and crisp. She kept her gaze upon the ground, head bowed. He was well within his rights to reprimand her, but the woman chanced it. To her knowledge, she had never been anything but respectful and proper before him. If there was a behavior that he didn't like, she needed to know so that she could fix it.

"Speech"

She was useful and dedicated, Hattori had no reason to distrust Ochitsuki and yet the suspicion came so naturally, the weeds had taken root, and they were stubborn, barbed with thorns and stingers. He could not pinpoint the exact moment or even the reason why, because she was a good woman, but he simply did not like her because he chose to.

And then she asked, because of course she sensed it. They had been on agreeable terms before and thus it was a natural question to ask, something she needed to know, and yet he did not want to say. Because then he would have to openly admit he was being unfair and unkind- and Hattori simply could not do that.

"I promised you shelter and protection. You have it and more." He pointed out, turning slightly, standing parallel to her, taking in her obvious submissive cues, the averted eyes, tucked in posture. That reminded him of Kiriko too, so soft and demure. It felt like lies, even if he reasonably knew it wasn't. "What else did you expect from me?"