The least Azure could do for his once-friend was to allow her the night to herself to recover and reflect. He had stayed outside, concealing himself within the nearby blades of grass and taking shifts watching the entrance with his companions. If Hana was going to attempt to run, he assumed it would have happened in the dead of night. Against his expectations the den remained quiet, and his watch was uneventful. Hana was either peacefully asleep or simply been sulking through the night, Az couldn't decide which he thought more likely.

When the morning came he continued his watch, and when the colorful koi wolf did not show his face he decided it was time to start this awful day with some sort of kindness. He left Diablo and Lilith to watch out for her and headed towards the sea. The inexperienced fisherman was not often successful finding food within the water, but some sort of God must have been smiling upon him as he eventually pierced in his claws a fish that he deemed acceptable.

A knock seemed safe. To pop his head directly into her den might piss her off even more then the previous night's events had. With an oversized paw he rapped upon her door gently, the fishy offering of piece hanging in his jaws as he waited to see if she would answer.

"Speech"

Though unused for quite some time Hanako's den was still comfortable enough, warm and spacious with ample room to wiggle and squirm, painfully aware of the watchful eyes outside. True to his word, Azure hadn't laid a paw on her, he'd simply ushered her inside and made sure she stayed that away. There were worse places to be, like being trapped in some dank cell with not even a single fur to keep the autumn chill at bay, but she still couldn't find it in herself to be grateful. All sulky and petulant, she curled up and pressed herself to the back wall, facing away from the entrance. As if that was enough to ignore the mess she'd swan dived head first into. By the time morning rolled around she realised she'd fallen asleep at some point but felt far from well rested. She let out a displeased grumble in the back of her throat as she stretched out her legs, wriggling her toes only to stiffen up when her ears caught the sound of someone knocking. She didn't need to scent the air to know who it was, who else would it be? And nor was he overly surprised to smell that he'd come baring fish, as if her affections could be so easily bought. She probably ought to have gotten to her feet and met him in the middle, but instead she felt very little desire to get up at all. If anything she felt a little sluggish, her body demanding at least another ten minutes rest before she got to her paws. Like that would make much of a difference. She laid back out, flattened against the furs and stretched her chin out so she could eye the entryway. What should she say? Now that she was right where he wanted she doubted he would be as prickly as last night, but struggling against him didn't feel like the right call either. She blew air over her lips, a makeshift little horse snort as she pored over her options, they were few and far between. "I'm good, thank you." Polite and aloof, like talking to a stranger. Surely he wouldn't get all worked up over that, not this early in the day.

He should have expected she wouldn't answer the door. Azure's paw left the door and instead fell upon his own muzzle. He rubbed his eyes in exasperation, reminded himself to have patience, and moved to knock once more. "Hana, we need to talk." Speaking around the bulk of a fish in his mouth was difficult, but he was determined not to be forced to drop the wet, scaly thing into the grass to collect dirt. She was leaving him very few options - already Sirius had admitted he'd have demoted her for her escape attempt. Azure wanted to protect her, but his word only went so far. Why was she so fucking stubborn? She was leaving him such few options, sooner or later he'd need to accept her refusal to invite him inside as a permanent thing, and he'd need to take more of her independence away from her by ignoring the request for privacy. "Please?" This walking on eggshells for her was difficult, but he had no intention on pushing her away further where it was not necessary. "Speech"

Hanako should have known he wouldn't leave it at that. No doubt he sought her out with a lot on his mind and he couldn't leave her be till it was all out of his system. He had said plenty yesterday, scathing words spat with a forked tongue, and just because he came baring a gift didn't mean he wouldn't still kick her when she was already down. Though she could not see him from where she was splayed out, she could sense him teetering on the edge, ready to use whatever leverage he had at his disposal to get her to cooperate. They both knew she didn't want it to come to that and her stubborn streak gave way as she pushed herself upright, winching at the ache that had settled between her joints. Not good. Just on principle she would not let him in, it was the only thing she held a sibilance of control over and she wanted to hold onto it for now. Not that the control was real, she knew he could snatch her den away if he so pleased, force her to sleep out in the rain if he was feeling particularly mean. It was a mirage, a little white lie that made her feel a touch better about herself. Was that so wrong? Drawing to her full height, which would never amount to much beside Azure, she stepped outside and spared a very brief glance to the fish that was clasped between his teeth. It appeared as though it was going to be another grey day, uniform in its blandness, but at least it wasn't raining. Yet. "How can I help you, Your Highness?" She asked, dipping down into a stretch as her extended her tail out behind her. A dip in the hot springs would have worked wonders but she knew such a thing would be off the table for the forseeable future. Perhaps even forever, if she didn't play her cards right.

Just as he was preparing to say screw it and push in to meet her, Hanako's pawsteps sounded dimly from within and he knew she'd made the right decision. He nodded his head, taking a step back from the door to allow her space once she'd exited. It was hard to anticipate what mood his koi wolf would be in or what their next conversation might entail, but as she stepped from her den and yawned, addressing him as she used to... Azure sighed, wishing he could fall for the illusion. Hanako was not one to let go of a grudge, not this easily. "You know I don't require from you formalities." He reminded her gently. It was the only comment he would give to her 'respect', though Azure had a feeling she was mocking him more then anything else. As it was before, he'd give her the choice on how to refer to him. Az fell into an uncomfortable silence, watching her stretch and willing himself to come up with the right words. What game was she playing, now? Had she truly resigned herself to remaining here, obeying, and eventually returning to her previous post? Or was she feigning obedience and innocence so she could escape to her Sparrow when Azure gave her too much trust and freedom? If only he could see inside her head. He dropped the fish into his paw and held it out to her, giving her another chance to accept the meal. "Lost your taste for fish? Or afraid I've poisoned it?" Az did not disguise the hurt in his voice, but tried to temper it with a shrug. He set his catch down upon a nearby boulder and with one curved claw began plucking up scales. "I'll eat it, then." "Speech"

Hanako quirked a brow. At a glance it would seem as though Azure was trying to even out the playing field, raise her up so they were on slightly more equal footing, but she knew that wasn't entirely true. He'd been more than happy to throw his weight around yesterday and would have physically restrained her if it came down to it. So what then? It was hard to say with him, for so long he'd kept a part of him hidden and now he'd pulled back the curtains she found herself leaving the spaces blank. She unlike the Fatalis' didn't always think change was a bad thing, this more forward and mature Azure certainly held her interest in many regards but- it all looped back to the fact everything was needlessly complex. That he was the one being difficult, not her! She made a face at his pointed comment, that was a bit uncalled-for. All things considered she was being quite agreeable today, she hadn't stomped her paw even once yet. "Neither, I feel a bit queasy. " Fish was delicious and all but it didn't set well on an upset tummy. The last time she'd thrown up was beyond humiliating and she wasn't looking to repeat that part of her history again, thank you very much. He was welcome to have it anyway, he'd gone to the effort to catch it, and as she used to say, who was she to deny him? "I'll eat later when my stomach settles, I promise."

Azure's brows knit in the barest show of concern, though behind it lurked suspicion. He wouldn't put it past Hana to try and guilt him, to lie about an upset stomach so he might feel it was his fault. Acting like a small hurt bird might draw his softer brother in, but Azure found sympathy to be much harder then Mortis ever did. He nodded as she gave her answer, deciding for now to take her at her word and simply ensure she kept her promise to eat later. "Alright then." However stubborn Hana might be, he doubted she had it in her to starve herself for show.   This discomfort drew further then he'd like it to. He busied himself casually descaling his catch and already regretting that it was something he'd now need to eat. Azure had never enjoyed the taste of fish, though after stuck long enough over the ice bridge he'd learned never to let a meal go to waste. The struggle to find words continued, the memory of the night prior and the kiss he'd forced upon her still lingering fresh in the back of his mind. "My father thinks your Keepers had something to do with my mother's capture." He decided on after the fish was nearly clean of scales. It was as close to small talk as Az could manage, but doubled as a warning for the koi-girl who may decide to roam. Life outside the Armada could be dangerous, and perhaps even moreso for Hana. "Do you have any idea if that sort of revenge is something they could be capable of?" "Speech"

Hanako turned a little, making a point of standing downwind from the fish. She could tell he didn't entirely believe her, no doubt checking for lies and manipulations around every corner, but it wasn't as if she could really help it. No matter what she said or did there would always be a lingering sense of doubt within him, if she even tried to give him what he wanted he'd just slap it away and assume the worst of her. She was damned if she did and damned if she didn't. How were they supposed to move forward if he was just going to hold her back at arms length? That future he spoke of with her by his side seemed a faint, distant thing, like she wasn't even speaking to the same wolf from yesterday. But she knew how quickly that could change, nothing was ever safe or certain with Azure. She glanced over her shoulder when Azure spoke of her Keepers, her ears wilting a little as she thought of the suffering Zee must have endured. Was that something time could mend? Hanako had never been close with her but the few times they had spoken the Queen had offered her nothing but kindness and reassuring words when the young koi had needed them. Her advice hadn't really helped Hanako out in the long term, she was still having boy trouble to this very day but it was the thought that counted. "I don't know, they were only ever kind to me." And offered more freedoms than Azure was willing to give her now. "I never saw that side of them." And she hoped she would not, she didn't need Azure to dangle yet another threat overhead. Did he not want her to sleep at night? She would have shot him a look if she thought it would have done any good

Through all the time he'd known her, he'd avoided asking too many questions about her Keepers. To him they were slavers, to Sirius they were slavers. He'd entertained that judgement for over a year, and it was with that knowledge that him and the alpha had no qualms about killing them to protect the koi-wolf they'd given sanctuary to. Had Hana mentioned that they were kind to her? Perhaps, though Azure knew he likely would have dismissed it as some form of Stockholm syndrome even if she had. He paused, taking in the information and considering it. Azure was making an effort to win back her affections, to regain the trust and comfort she once had with him. As much as he hated to think it, there was a possibility she was not as pleased as he was that the two who came to collect her were dead. "They wanted to sell you, and you considered that kind?" Az kept the accusation out of his tone, addressing her with what semblance of understanding and curiosity he could manage. He continued, hesitant. "..Were you upset to hear we killed them?" "Speech"

Hanako wasn't sure why he was so offended on her behalf, after all she knew the Armada dealt with slaves and slavers in turn. That the trade by its very nature was unjust, but being who he was and with what he'd done it wasn't as if he had much of a moral high ground to stand upon. If he kept stomping about it'd no doubt start to crumble beneath his big bear paws. But beyond an argument Hanako didn't care to have, he just didn't understand that she wasn't the run-of-the-mill slave. They never referred to her as such, instead they flaunted her like a prize, something to be earned then coveted not just some...girl who was there to warm someone's furs and poot out litter after litter. They'd edged close to a conversation like this once before and she hadn't been able to explain it to him then and the same rang true for now. Azure heard what she said but he just wasn't listening. Beyond all that and more to the present, Azure was keeping her captive. Was that kind? She pursed her lips as though to ask only to think better of it, some questions weren't worth answering. But was she sad when she heard of their deaths? "Not really, no. They never mistreated me but I can't say I really knew them either." They were effectively strangers to her and she was certain Azure and Sirius had killed plenty of strangers, they were not the first nor would they be the last. If they had families and loved ones who missed them then...Hanako didn't really want to linger on that. "Strangers die all the time."

Az rumbled a soft sound of acknowledgement. That Hana had considered the slavers to be strangers was a good thing, at least she wasn't looking on him and his father as the murderers who slayed some brother or uncle or something of hers. "Strangers die all the time." The casual way she shrugged it off brought him pause, and before he could think better of it he was speaking again. "Is that how you felt when they buried my body, too?" It was a touch crueler then he'd intended, but Azure didn't like to be kept in the dark. He wasn't sure what had crossed her mind when he 'died', was she sad? Did she mourn with his family, or feel relief that she'd escaped his chains? He didn't want to consider that she'd felt nothing at all, but the way she'd greeted him on the beach with a casual "I heard you'd died." still stung, like it was a rumor that found her while she was in Sparrow's arms. Azure turned away from his fish, giving to her his full attention so he might see if there was conflict in her eyes. The dead, de-scaled meal sat on it's place upon the rock for mere moments longer, before a small clawed paw reached up from behind the boulder, stealthily grabbed it by it's tail, and dragged it off the stone into the grass. "Speech"

Hanako flinched. She didn't like to think about it and the way she stiffened up like she'd been struck made her feelings on the matter as clear as day. The reason she didn't dwell on it much, or at all really, was that she didn't know what else to do. She was still so naive, loss and hurt were unfamiliar foes and despite how much she'd changed over the years she still just wasn't ready or willing to face such things. Was it so wrong of her to turn and look away from the dark? She shook her head, gaze downcast and wondered why he found it so easy to wound her time and time again. Even if he didn't mean to she ached all the same. "Why would you say that?" She asked, unable to hide the hurt tingeing her tone. "You know I- huh?" Her gaze snapped to the little brown blob that had snatched the fish right from under their noses. For a moment she felt strangely hopeful that it was Toshi, she hadn't seen him in ages since he hadn't followed her when she'd wandered off, but of course it wasn't him. He wasn't slim and sleek, nor did Toshi have the balls to try and steal from Azure. He was a lot of things but he wasn't stupid, not completely anyway. So what was it then? Their conversation temporarily forgotten, Hanako stepped up onto the rock so she could peer down into the grass. Oh. It was a fisher from the looks of it, all fluffy and soft in its winter-ish coat and looking none too pleased that it had been caught in the act. Hanako tutted, it was a bit of a hypocrite no? They seemed to be abundant around these parts but she saw no reason to try and take the fish back, it wasn't like Azure would have enjoyed eating it anyway. Reclining back on her haunches the fisher eyed her suspiciously as it gobbled its fill, she simply smiled sweetly. Now she was just being petty. "Don't mind me, help yourself. Azure doesn't like fish anyway."

Azure stiffened, ready to fall back into the familiar habit of arguing against each other's stubbornness when her words cut off, distracting him momentarily from the hurt they both felt. He spun, following her gaze towards the too-empty boulder. From his angle there was nothing to see except the lack of a meal. Hana stepped forward to investigate and Az felt a sharp pang of fear wash over him. He moved swiftly to get a better view of the potential danger. What a stupid, foolish, unthinking girl - oh. The fisher gave him what looked almost like a hiss, and devoured the remainder of the meal quickly under Az's furious gaze. The prince's ear tilted, catching the too-sweet words Hana spoke. He gave a disgruntled grumble. "Just because I don't like fish doesn't mean I will abide theft.." Without taking his eyes from the critter, he sidestepped so his upper limbs met her on the boulder, nudging her with a shoulder. "Turn around, don't watch, this will just take me a second." From the corner of his eye he could see her colorful form, and he waited for her to turn away while staring his murderous intent into the fuzzy thing's soul. "Speech"

Azure's stubborn mood was persistent as ever and he was quick to direct the sheer force of his ire at the fisher. It wasn't completely uncalled-for but she found herself frowning all the same as he climbed up onto his high horse, insisting that he simply couldn't abide theft. Oh please. There was plenty she liked about Azure both the good and bad, but he had a strange way of bringing out the worst in her and then getting mad about it. Like he wasn't the catalyst that started it all, like he hadn't pushed her into free fall. "But you can abide kidnapping?" She asked with an arched brow. He could word it however he wanted, taking her home, making her see reason, a fish was a fish and he was a hypocrite. Plain and simple. He stepped up beside her and Hanako was quick to nudge his shoulder with her own. There was no need for this, he was just flexing for the sake of it and whilst in certain contexts she'd be interested in taking in the view and appreciating the sentiment now really wasn't the time or place. Letting Azure maul a little critter because he was grumpy wasn't something that set her loins afire, you know? That and she was still understandably very salty about the fact that she was more or less imprisoned. "Please don't." She implored, knowing she very well might have to lay it on thick. And that was fine she supposed, beyond his unwillingness to budge on the bigger things she reckoned she could swing smaller things like this. Even Sirius had acknowledged her ability to wrap a fair few Fatalis' around her pinky, no doubt in part why he'd gone so easy on her.  "For me?"

The word was enough to pull Az's gaze off the fluffy thief and back onto the koi-wolf. He bared to her his teeth - more out of a show of frustration then of a threat - and growled. "Kidnapping?" His hackles raised along with his voice. Kidnapping??? Hana was out of her mind. Azure was a ranking member of the Armada, and he'd done his duty by shutting down her little escape attempt on the beach. No matter how strong her wanderlust, Hana's situation was no more special then Tamsyn or Iolaire or Asla, there were rules to be followed. She'd not petitioned Sirius for the right to leave, and allowing her to escape into Sparrow's arms would have been betraying his pack. "You must have hit your pretty little head a bit too hard when you fell, Hana, because it is not kidnapping to force you to follow pack law even if I'd dragged you home by the tail." From behind, the fisher had begun to notice the argument. It shot it's small head back and forth between the mean wolf and the one who'd gifted him the meal (that he'd stolen). It would have been a good opportunity to slink away in the heat of the moment and avoid the mean wolf's wrath, but the colorful blobby wolf reminded him of a fish and he decided he liked her. With all the courage the mustelid could muster he surged forth, clawing and nibbling and hissing at the direwolf's back paw. Azure felt the nip like the bite of a fly and kicked out against it, but the sharp sting came back again and again until he spun on it. With one swipe of his paw he grabbed for it, flexing so his long bear-claws made a fluffy-fisher-prison. Thankfully the thing stopped fighting, and he was able to return his attention once more to Hana - holding out his paw where his captive clung. "What would you have me do with your knight in shining armor, then?" He asked of her, his tone sarcastic and dry. "I'm sure Toshi wouldn't approve of his being replaced." "Speech"

Hanako didn't like how blasé he was when he spoke of assaulting her, like it was something he'd consider doing again if the mood took him. Since the very first moment they met she'd presumed he had a bit of a temper, but had gotten all smug on the assumption she was immune to it, a rare exception to an ironclad rule. Obviously she didn't feel the same way any more and felt it best she stop pushing for now. Those bared sabres and raised hackles probably weren't an outright threat, as he'd graciously given her a verbal warning last night, but she wasn't going to keep poking the bear. She'd made her thoughts known and that was enough, it had to be. And besides, it wasn't like she wanted to fight. Opposing forces, conflict of interests yadda yadda. Not the time to dwell on that. She just shut her mouth and looked away, falling back on more submissive behaviours she'd ditched after some time in the Armada. Pulling her tail to curl it around herself, she noticed how her new little friend eagerly leapt to her defence. Giving Azure a solid nip, something Hanako wouldn't even think of doing even at her most irate. It didn't amount to much given the size disparity, but she felt a smouldering fondness for the critter. At least this one had a personality, unlike the other two companions who trailed after Azure, unwilling to even sniff in their master's direction. It made her feel a touch sad, that despite all of her apparently charisma and charm she didn't really have any friends. They'd all abandoned her or just...faded away after things went wrong. Ah well. Azure seemed to have mercy on her and didn't keep grilling her over her apt choice of words, she couldn't take them back and even if she had he wouldn't have accepted it anyway. It was a waste of breath for both of them. "Hm, probably not." She admitted with a bit of a sigh, dealing with those mixed feelings would leave her with far too much piled high on her plate. She'd deal with Toshi when she ran into him, whenever that happened to be. "Maybe you should keep him." Azure could learn a thing or two, that's for sure.

Azure shook his head in disbelief, then set his gaze upon the squirming fisher in his paw. It had spirit at least, perhaps it could be trained the same way he'd trained his other companions. Diablo and Lilith had been with him almost since the day he was born, and over time they'd learned that their master's temper came with an eager slap of the paw. When they obeyed they were well looked after, he saw to their needs as well as he would any soldier of the Armada, but that was what they were to him, servants and soldiers, not friends. "I'll give him a chance, for you." He agreed, straining the emphasis of the word. "As I've said before, you need only ask and I'll give to you whatever is in my power to give." It was a careful choice of words, and he hoped she understood that her freedom from the Armada was not something he could give. He set the critter down, catching it quickly before it ran with a gentle step of his paw upon it's tail. It turned and started back gnawing at his toes angrily, but he'd have to deal with the insubordination for now until he was alone and could have a 'conversation' with the fisher about it's new life. The corner of his lip twitched as occasionally the thing aggravated old and poorly healed burns upon his forepaws, but otherwise he kept his attention upon Hana. "I mean it, you know. You are not my captive nor my servant. You are my pack mate, and should you desire to be more you need only express it to me. There was a time where you were my dearest friend." He swallowed, sparing a brief glance at the fisher that still struggled for freedom beneath his paw, it's tiny claws working to lift the toe that pinned it's tail. "I've talked to my father, and he's agreed to let your keep your title." Az paused, considering his words carefully. When he broke his own silence, his voice was soft. "When we first met, I warned you to be careful, because the things you did and said would reflect on me. You promised that I could trust you, then. Now I ask you be careful once more, but it is how your actions may reflect on you that I worry for. Can I still trust you? Can I trust you to follow my father's law, Hana?" "Speech"

Despite all of her sulking Hanako knew that Azure was doing this because he cared and that if he didn't she would have been cast aside long ago. She liked his persistence, the sense of possessiveness he held over her, but it was that fierceness that made them clash so often. The good intermingled with the bad, coiling around one another so tightly Hanako couldn't tell where one began and where the other ended. More than anything she just wanted him to take a step and see the whole picture, to truly know Hanako for who she was and to let her be free, knowing she'd come back whenever he needed or wanted her. But it was an unreasonable thing to expect of him, she couldn't play both sides like this and a man like Azure could never be second best. She wanted all he had to offer, but there would always be conditions, anything else would be like robbing him blind. And just as he'd said, he could not abide theft. "I tried to express that." She mumbled, despite knowing she was picking at a scab barely healed. They were at risk of talking in circles at this rate, Hanako knew she had to drop it because Azure never would. She sighed, his words leaving behind an achy feeling in the pit of her chest. She wished he wouldn't talk like that, it made her feel bad for acting so aloof, playing the only card she had left at her disposal. She shifted a little, pressing her front paws close together as she sat poised, like she chose to be here right here and now. "I remember." As if she could forget, she'd done everything she could to earn the Fatalis favour and it had worked like a charm. Within no time at all she'd blended into the crowd, made a spot for herself till the point her presence was so missed they now insisted she stay whether she liked it or not. A problem of success, perhaps. "I know my word doesn't mean much now but you don't have to worry, I won't do anything stupid." And that list of stupid things was potentially pretty long. There was much at stake and her options were limited, either play along and be a good girl or get chewed out in more ways than one. She got to her feet and gently tried to pry up Azure's big bear paw with her own, she knew what it was like to be forced down by those massive paws. It wasn't a pleasant experience, to say the least.

Man, she really couldn't let go. That was fair, because neither could Azure. Years could pass and he assumed they'd still be arguing who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Hana could not see beyond her own rejection on the beach that day, and Az would not admit that he may have been wrong to reject her. Her mumbling told him that she knew it was a bad idea to press, but damnit she was so stubborn. Az's eyes narrowed, but kept his argument to himself. He hated repeating himself. When she continued, she sounded surprisingly reasonable and rational. Az's brow raised in surprised - it was the first verbal confirmation she'd given him that she understood the predicament she was in and had accepted her place. It was... flimsy. "I won't do anything stupid" could mean a multitude of things, but at least he could take some comfort knowing she was not actively planning her escape. "You have made mistakes, but you've never lied to me." At least, he didn't think she had. It was his father's rules Hana had broken, not Azure's. "You betrayed your alpha and your pack when you decided to run away. We've always been more then that, and I never explicitly commanded you to remain here." He gave an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders, preferring to feign indifference then admit how her deserting had hurt him. "Your word matters, and you still have my trust. For as long as you deserve it." When she moved toward him he felt his heart skip a beat, watching her cautiously as she moved to touch his paw. It was fleeting, and he turned his head from her as he realized her intention to rescue the poor critter he'd pinned. "I'm holding it by the tail, not the throat." He grumbled. This was already restraint, now she had asked for more. With a sigh he lifted his paw with her urging, but with the tail still grasped in his claws. Holding his paw out toward her, he flicked his wrist and tossed the fisher toward her gently. "You hold it then, but it's coming home with me, and if it escapes I may not be able to be gentle in hunting it back down." The fisher vocalized angrily as he was thrown, grasping out with his tiny claws to try and catch upon the fur of Hana's chest so he wouldn't tumble to the ground. "You should give it a name, while you're at it."     "Speech"

Hanako bit back the urge to huff, this was not a hill she wanted to die on. But still, it was so typical of Azure to feel this way, that any choice she made which wasn't agreeable to his tastes was a mistake. Something she ought to amend for. He seemed to a settle a little knowing that she didn't have any nefarious schemes hidden up her sleeve, that she wasn't going to make a dash for the ocean as soon as he turned his back. It wasn't as though she hated being by his side, far from it, but the context of it all still left a sour taste upon her tongue. The word betrayal was heavier than she would have liked, it almost carried a sense of accusation, like she'd meant it all along. Like she'd stepped out of line just to spite them all, when in reality she supposed maybe deep down she wanted to be pursued. To feel as though she was worth the effort, to be coveted and kept. There were a lot of reasons for her actions stacked atop one another and they didn't all meld well or make sense when viewed side by side. It was...complicated. She wanted to explain that she hadn't made an outright decision to leave, she'd simply been wandering as she tended to do and just...hadn't come back. Had been distracted by shiny promises and tempting offers, wasn't that the Hanako he knew and loved? So willing to follow her heart? Point being, it wasn't the same, though Hanako suspected Azure would never agree. "That still can't be very comfortable." She tsked, only to eep in surprise when he tossed the fisher her way. Its little claws tugged uncomfortably at her fur, making her grimace a bit, but she knew it didn't mean any harm. That it'd probably go for her eyes if it did. Raising a paw, she helped the fisher get its footing as he perched upon the junction of her shoulders. She twisted her neck as best she could and gave it a friendly little lick on the end of its snout, it pulled back and wrinkled its nose, but Hanako counted that as a win. Her lips twisted into a pensive frown, as if this was oh so important. "Hmmm, he feels like a Bean to me."