one only please!

Tsukiko was a little disappointed with herself. Here she had been given a place in this pack and all she had done since arriving was to chose her home and to hole herself up in it. Hadn't she escaped to avoid being locked up, and now she was doing it to herself? It was shameful, really, but perhaps the changes in her life had finally become to dramatic to bear. She had left everything behind, and now she was in this place where everything was different. Conor had been nice, and she had greatly enjoyed his company, but it didn't soften the blow of the drastic changes her life had made in the past moons. The Shimazu daughter was an orphan, a self-exile who now lived half-way across the globe from everything she had ever known. When she had picked out her small abode in Wolfville, she had done all she could to make it seem more familiar, more like what she knew and was used to. There was little that could be done, given her meager possessions, though. So she had stayed inside, doing everything she could to adjust to the change and not feeling strong enough to come face-to-face with anyone.

Even if she was now disappointed with herself, gods bless Setsuna, she had never scolded her behavior this past month. The cat always seemed to be able to better gauge what the moon child needed than she herself could, and she realized that meeting new people and living this strange life had been too much for her at first. She had needed to cling to what little she had left and mourn her losses before being able to start any semblance of a life here. Today though, Tsukiko had felt a little better, and Setsuna had urged her to make some tea and to go sit outside in the autumn air. Taking her dear friend's advice, she brewed a pot of jasmine tea, poured herself a cup, and for the first time in a while stepped foot outside of her door. There was a stone bench by a tree just outside the house, and the girl and cat went and sat upon it. The hot tea steamed in the crisp outside air, and Tsukiko sipped at it gratefully. Sky-blue optics looked up at the multi-colored leaves. At least the seasons here were the same. At least not everything was completely changed.

not at all! and sure, that's fine with me 300+

As Tsukiko sat and looked around the area that immediately surrounded her small house, ideas began to come into her head of things she could perhaps do outside to make it seem a little bit more like home. It would be wonderful, for instance, if she could put a little pond by this bench and tree. There had been koi ponds all over her family's estates, and she had always loved to sit by them. Unfortunately she doubted there were any koi here, but a small pond would still be nice, even without the colorful fish to fill it. She really didn't know how to go about making a pond though. Perhaps she could ask Conor if he knew. He had been so kind to her upon her arrival, surely he would not mind helping her with that. The Japanese girl made a mental note to ask the auburn leader the next time that she saw him.

The hot drink was brought up to her lips, sipping at it appreciatively. How long would her supply of tea from home last her, she wondered. It wasn't like she had been able to bring much. Perhaps if she reused the bags until they lost their flavor she would be able to stretch out her supply. Tsukiko would be quite disappointed when she ran out completely, but she would not let herself dwell upon that loss now. Besides, even when she ran out, Conor had been able to concoct his own tea of the plants here. It may be different, but she had enjoyed the red clover tea he had made. Even when she did run out of her native brew, she would not be deprived of the herbal drink entirely. That was a comfort at least.

The slight pale fey was consumed in her thoughts, and hadn't even picked up on someone approaching her until his voice cracked the silent air. Startled, she jumped a little and looked for the origin of the voice. Her bright blue orbs settled on the four legged form of a younger wolf with deep emerald eyes. It was so strange to see someone in that form. In Japan, once you reached the time that you could shift, you never went back. Perhaps the commoners did at times, but the nobility certainly did not. Both Layla and Conor had been in the same form as she when she had me them. But this boy was young, perhaps he could not yet. "H-hello. My name is Tsukiko Shimazu," she replied softly. He, too, looked a little nervous, so she did her best to calm her nerves. "Oh, my tea? Would you care for some? I have more inside..." She had made a whole pot after all, and she could certainly spare a cup if he wanted some.

sorry for the wait! life is kinda crazy right now XD 300+

The boy seemed a little uncertain, and proceeded towards her with caution. She couldn't really blame him. No doubt that she appeared to him as oddly as he appeared to her. She was a foreigner in this land and the Shimazu was not blind to the fact that she stuck out like a sore thumb. If her clothing and mannerisms weren't enough to tell that, the lilt of her voice certainly was. There was a small smile upon his face as he greeted her back politely. His grammer slipped for a moment and it was clear he noticed his mistake. There was no need for him to be embarrassed in front of her though. Tsukiko was very new to the English language, and had made her own mistakes many a time. "You do not need to be sorry," she said kindly. Even if it made her uncomfortable, she did need to get to know her fellow pack members. It was comforting that she was talking with someone who wasn't quite an adult yet too, it somehow helped to make her feel slightly less out of place.

When asked about if he wished for some tea, the conundrum and concern became clear on young Saul's face. He looked at her cup and a soft whine came from his throat as he tried to figure out his problem. It appeared that her guess that he had not yet gained the ability to change forms had been correct. As he explained the situation, the slight woman's smile grew some. Luckily for him, she had just the solution to his issue. "I have a bowl I can pour some into. Would you like to come inside?" she asked, rising to her feet and gesturing at her small house. No one else had been invited into her humble home, but Saul seemed nice and he had an interest in tea, so already they had something to connect on. As she stood, Setsuna was exposed and her yellow eyes looked over the boy with interest, her tail flicking back and forth over the edge of the bench. "That is my friend, Setsuna," she said by way of introduction. Tsukiko wondered if he had ever met a cat before.

300+

She felt more at ease around Saul than she might have if the person who had come upon her was another adult. Self consciousness was not a feeling she had been much aware of before she had left Japan, but now that she had settled here she worried what the other adult wolves would think of her. The Shimazu daughter couldn't say why exactly, for both Layla and Conor had been very kind to her from the start. Still, children were almost always more open and accepting to new things than those that were ingrained in their ways. Saul was only curious of her and her tea, not judgmental. That was the kind of interaction she needed right now, to help her feel more confident and not so terribly out of place in Dahlia de Mai.

The exuberance with which he replied made her smile grow even more. It almost felt strange, using those muscles in her face again. Tsukiko had not had much cause to smile after her parents' death. There had been times on the ship that she had enjoyed, but now even those were a couple months behind her. It was startling, to realize how long she had already been away from home. Quietly she opened the door to her house and led the way inside. Immediately she found a bowl that would serve and went to the still hot pot of tea that she had made, pouring the tinted liquid into the bowl. She brought the bowl into her small sitting are and knelt down onto the floor.

When she looked up, she saw Saul examining her house with open admiration. The first question from his mouth was not what she would have expected though. Little to the boy's knowledge, Setsuna had followed them casually inside and walked past the pup as he asked his query. "I don't know, what is a Saul?" the feline asked sardonically. "Setsuna, please be nice," she gently chided. It wasn't Saul's fault if he had never been around a cat before, and she didn't want to alienate the nice boy. "Here is the tea Saul, though please be careful, it is hot." For the untrained tongue, it would likely be too hot.

300+

Tsukiko had thought she had been clear when she had introduced Setsuna, but perhaps she was making too many assumptions. If cats were not common over here, which from what little she had seen they were not, then perhaps Saul had never seen one before. Maybe he hadn't even heard the word "cat" before. If that were the case, then he could have easily mistaken Setsuna's name for what she was. That must have been what happened she decided, and as he apologized it seemed that the sable feline had also come to that conclusion. "I suppose you can be forgiven for that mistake," she said as she laid down next to Tsukiko, her tail swishing back and forth over the floor. The Shimazu girl smiled softly, running a hand softly over the cat's back. Setsuna was a proud creature and did not take insult well, but she realized that Saul was young and inexperienced. One transgression she could overlook.

When the bowl of tea was placed down for him, Tsukiko could see how eager the boy was to sample it. It made her all the more glad she had preemptively warmed him about the liquid's temperature. If he had gone and tried to lap it up all at once he could have badly burned his tongue and throat. Drinking hot tea was much different than drinking water, one had to be more careful. He blew on the tea before looking back up to her again. "You are very welcome Saul." She was quite impressed with the boy's manners. He said he had never seen tea before. Apparently he had never seen Conor drinking the brewed refreshment. "This tea I brought with me from Japan, my home." Would he have heard of her country of origin before? Likely not, but she wouldn't mind explaining it to him.

She watched as he tasted the tea, his tongue quickly darting back into his mouth. It was still too hot for him. "It should cool down quickly," she assured. Being in a bowl, more of the hot liquid was exposed to the colder air.

300+

Cats were quite a common sight in Japan, and they often would attach themselves to a family or an individual if they felt so inclined. The felines hadn't changed much since the decimation of the human race though; you still could not force a cat to do anything that it did not wish to do. They were wise and independent creatures, which made Tsukiko all the more thankful that Setsuna had decided to not only stay around after her parent's death, but to come all this way with her. She could have easily washed her paws of the orphan girl and gone about her life, there was no contract tying her to the Shimazu daughter's side. She hadn't left though, and Tsukiko knew that without her help and support, she never could have escaped and come this far. She wasn't weak, but she would have crumbled under the pressure of everything if she were all alone. Setsuna gave her the strength to keep her going forward.

Saul thanked Setsuna, the feline dipping her head before curling herself up and seemingly falling asleep. Of course Tsukiko knew better than to think that her friend was actually slumbering, it was just her way of appearing innocuous. The boy's eyes watched the steam rising from the bowl of tea with fascination, and the moonlit fey could easily relate to that. She had loved to stare at the steam rising from her parent's cups when she was a little girl, before she had been allowed to drink the tea herself. The steam never rose in quite the same way, and she had always found something poetic in that. He tried again to lap at the liquid, this time seemingly with more success. That first taste was always the most shocking.

She smiled as he asked her about Japan, fondly remembering her homeland. "It is a country far from here, half way across the world, in fact." Tsukiko took another sip of her own tea. "Japan is a wonderful place. The best in the world, though my opinion is biased." It didn't matter where she went, no place could ever compare to the beauty of her birthplace. The place she truly belonged. The last question was the one that brought a quick shadow of sadness to her eyes. It had been one thing to tell Conor, but she did not feel that Saul needed to hear the breadth of her sad tale. "I left...because I could not stay any longer. I will go back though, someday." Someday.

Finally it appeared that the tea had cooled enough for the multi-hued boy to really enjoy it and he lapped at it eagerly, but not obnoxiously. Her soft smile returned to her delicate facial features. "I am glad that you like it." It felt good to share even this small sample of her culture with someone here.

500+

After he had gotten past his initial excitement at finally being able to taste the tea at an acceptable temperature to his tongue, Saul's lapping became more intermittent and calm. A pace and manner that would be considered acceptable, were he partaking of the drink her home country. Tsukiko could well understand his excitement and enthusiasm with his first series of laps though. She, too, had been quite eager when she was allowed her first bowl of tea as an older pup. Her whole life she had been around as her parents drank the plant drink and she had always yearned for the day when she would be allowed to have it. Her first occasion she had quickly reigned in her overzealous excitement though and drank at a more acceptable and refined pace. She was a noble daughter, and expected to have impeccable manners.

Saul's words of sympathy were kind, and touched her. She was glad that he did not ask the specifics of her story though. The only one here that knew was Conor and she trusted the alpha male to keep her confidence in that matter. Perhaps someday, if she and Saul were to become friends, she would tell him of her past but for now the less said the better. It had been draining to tell even Conor her story and she had no desire to do so again so quickly afterwords. Tsukiko was not accustomed to letting many people get too close to her. His offer to help her return made her ears prick forward a bit, a tiny seed of hope and desire planting itself inside her heart. "I would like that very much Saul," she replied, her smile growing wider.

They continued to drink silently and she noted that the boy's gaze settled again upon the curled form of Setsuna. He seemed quite intrigued by the cat, and she wondered what it was that he was thinking of as he looked at her. Curious as she was, the Shimazu femme knew better than to ask. If she did not want someone prying into her private thoughts, then she must not pry into someone else's. She was sipping politely at her tea when he asked a rather unexpected question that managed to catch the woman off guard. What was she good at? What did she do in the pack? These were questions the Japanese noble had never been asked before. They were asked of lower people, but not of her. How was she to answer such a query? "I have only been here a short time, I have really only arranged my home," she answered to the latter question. "I was born and raised to be a leader though. That is what I know." There was no shame in her that she did not know how to do simple tasks such as hunting or fishing or making things. That was for the other people of her estates to do, it was her job to keep things running smoothly.

No need to be sorry! Nope, that sounds good! Maybe end with your next post? 300+

There was something about this boy she truly liked. What she couldn't say. Perhaps it was his innocence, or his manners, or his sympathetic ways. Likely it was a combination of all these things. While Saul was not her age, younger than she was, she had never really had anyone as a playmate when she had been younger. There were no brothers or sisters, not even cousins, and of course playing with the children of the servants or villagers was completely out of the question. It was somehow comforting, being in the company of someone so new to the world and looked around with such bright eyes that had not yet been dimmed by the cruelties of the world. Tsukiko really like that about the boy. She nodded her head softly in response to his words. Her automatic assumption was that he intended his help to go beyond the boundaries of this land the shores of this country. Who would wish to stay here when they had the chance to see Japan? It was a perfectly logical conclusion to her.

Tsukiko felt that she had given a perfectly adequate answer to Saul's question. True, probably not the answer he had expected, but she had told him that she knew how to lead. That was an invaluable skill, not everyone had the strength or will or the character to lead. You couldn't throw a common craftsman on a throne and expect a kingdom to run smoothly. Some may have it in them, but many did not. She did. It was in her blood and in her upbringing. She was a Shimazu, and they were nobility. His further question on the matter made the smile fade from her face and she looked at him with a somewhat critical eye. There was no malice in Saul's face, but she couldn't help but feel affronted by the query. "Things are very different where I am from. I was never expected to do such things." The Japanese fey would not say that she could not do them. With who she was, it would have been shameful if she had wished to hunt.