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Saul was not the only one who had thought about that day on many occasions. Tsukiko had really enjoyed the younger boy's company until it had taken that sour turn. Had she been too harsh on him? Setsuna was of the opinion that she had not, but the Shimazu knew that her friend was not always the most forgiving of creatures. Questions of whether or not she was too stubborn and proud had been filtering through her head every now and then since that day. Her gut instinct was to think that she was not, and even if she were it was because she had to be. Just because she was in exile she couldn't afford to become soft, lax in her convictions.

Still, perhaps there were some necessary skills she would need to acquire here. The thought of hunting on her own made a sour frown come to her face. All she could hear was her father's voice telling her that it was not right for her to lower herself to that level. Setsuna had been doing some hunting, but of course the feline couldn't catch anything larger than herself. Mice, small birds, and voles were pretty much the fare that the ebony cat could bring home. Tsukiko didn't have a very large appetite, but it still was not easy to get by on that alone. She was completely conflicted and she didn't have the humility to ask anyone for help.

The Japanese fey had just made a pot of tea when she heard the knock on her door. That was odd...who would be knocking on her door? No one had come to specifically visit with her before. Tsukiko rose, her hands smoothing out her autumn hued kimono as she went to answer the door. When she first opened it she didn't recognize the wolf standing before her but then it dawned on her that it was Saul. He had learned to shift. "Greetings, Saul," she said, clearly surprised he was here. Her cerulean gaze drifted down to the two rabbits he held in his hand. "What is this?" Tsukiko looked back up to his green gaze, questioning.

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While she was surprised, Saul seemed uncharacteristically nervous. While it at first seemed a little odd, he probably was just afraid that she would not forgive him or something similar. Tsukiko may have been offended by his questioning before but her displeasure had subsided and she knew that he had not meant to tread upon her dignity. Saul was a nice young man and not the type who would wish to do any any harm. If he were here to apologize for his verbal mishap then she would gladly accept it and they could move forward. The Shimazu were a proud clan, but they also knew when to hand out forgiveness. She would not hold such an accidental offense against him.

As he thrust the two rabbits forward she took a step back to avoid having them collide with her body. Her eyes grew wide and she looked back to him with a raised brow. With his stuttering words though it was apparent that it was only another overreaction of his nerves and her shoulders relaxed, her lips forming a small smile. "Oh, why thank you Saul." Her gaze looked over the two dead hares, a clear light of hunger apparent in her eyes. It had been a bit too long since she had had a substantial meal. "I accept your apology. There are no hard feelings."

Despite the gnawing hunger that had suddenly made itself apparent in her stomach, she was not about to eat her food raw (unless it were fish, of course). "Would you like to come in? I just prepared tea, and maybe I can make a stew." Tsukiko was no cook by any means, but her merchant sailor companions had taught her how to make a basic stew and how to cook meat. It was not anything she particularly enjoyed doing, but she much preferred that to eating as a common animal.

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At the moment, Saul was nothing more than a bundle of nerves and anxiety. It was strange to see the carefree boy she had met before be so worked up, but that was perhaps one of the reasons she was so eager to forgive him. He was one of the few souls she had met here and even if she was a bit awkward around others and did not see things in the same light that he did, it was a connection, and the Japanese fey had precious few of those here. Thankfully the tension was released as she officially accepted his apologetic gesture and the smile that came to his face made her feel good inside. He was a very nice young man and Tsukiko had no desire to alienate him from her. She actually felt almost comfortable around him. At least as comfortable as she could be around anyone here.

He followed her into the small, clean house. It could be hard to keep the dust at bay, but Tsukiko did her best to keep everything in good order. The Shimazu didn't have control over much in her life, but her space of living she could keep to some standard that she found comforting. As with most menial tasks, cleaning was not something she was accustomed to or enjoyed, but at least no one was there to witness her doing it. It could be done privately, and if it were private it could easily be said that she had not done it at all. Her sense of honor and propriety was always at the forefront of her mind.

"Yes you can," she said smiling back at him. Now he could drink tea as it was meant to be drank. Tsukiko set the rabbits on the floor and using a towel removed the teapot from the small fire in the fireplace. "Would you perhaps mind cleaning the rabbits while I get the rest ready?" One thing about cooking that she still could not quite stand was getting her hands dirty. Quickly she swept into the kitchen and grabbed a small, slightly dull knife, some water she had kept stored, a pot, and a small packet of spices. She offered the knife to Saul before turning back to put the pot over the fire and to pour the water in. It would take some time to boil.

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Cleanliness and organization were important to her. She supposed, in some manner, keeping the small house in order could be considered practice for keeping a whole province in order. The latter was of course much more involved and complicated and would require much more work and skill, but if one took the principle from it's tiniest core then one who could not keep their own space in good order could not keep a larger space in order either. She had been motivated to keep the house clean without anyone's provocation or suggestion. It was something she had felt she needed to do innately since there was no one who would do it for her. It was a small thing true, but Tsukiko took it as a good sign for her future competence in taking the mantle of Shimazu leadership.

She was very happy that Saul agreed to clean the rabbits. For one, she had no practice with such things and would only make a grand mess of it. Secondly, if she could get someone else to do such unpleasant tasks then she certainly would. Saul did not seem at all opposed to the suggestion either, so she felt no guilt at asking him. Besides, it was not as if she was doing nothing, she was preparing the other ingredients for the stew. The moonlit woman was impressed to see that he took it upon himself to go outside and do the deed so as to not get blood and entrails all over her nice clean floor. Saul really was a very bright, nice young man. As the water heated she added the little packet of spices to the water, the aroma of it quickly filling the house.

Saul returned quickly and handed the cleaned rabbits back to her. "Thank you Saul." Tsukiko placed them carefully on a cutting board she had found and used a towel to handle the skinned things; she wasn't about to get blood on her if she could help it. In good order she had the rabbit cut into bits and added the meat plus the organs he had saved to the stew. It was beginning to smell very good indeed and her stomach growled with anticipation. It would still be a few minutes though, and she poured them each a cup of tea while they waited. Tsukiko walked over and handed Saul his as he asked his question. "I am well enough, I suppose." She sat, taking a place where she could still easily observe the cooking pot. "Food can be a little scarce, but Setsuna does the best she can." To her it was just how things had to be. She could not, and would not hunt, so her feline friend did the work for them both. Tsukiko had never had a large diet so surely she could maintain herself on a little less.

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Later, the fey would in fact boil the bones to make a stock. The merchant sailors had taught her how to do that and it would help to sustain both herself and Setsuna for a little while. She was immensely thankful that Saul had chosen to bring the two rabbits as his token of apology instead of something else. In any other situation she might have wanted something a bit more permanent that she could use a lot, but right now there was no greater gift than food. Surely once the stew really got to cooking Setsuna would appear in the living area to partake of the food as well. Tsukiko wasn't the only one who was not eating quite as much as she was used to and she knew her friend would be just as happy for the change in meal as she was.

It seemed the Stormbringer remembered his last lesson with the tea and did not gulp it down immediately, burning his tongue and mouth in the process. If he began drinking it enough then he would not have to wait long at all to drink the hot beverage as he would become used to the heat of it. His words regarding Setsuna did send a small wave of guilt through her. She knew it was strenuous on her friend, but what could be done? Tsukiko did not know how to hunt, and Setsuna did not want the Shimazu to lower herself to that level either. She had not asked her friend to do it, the feline had taken it upon herself. The noble fey sighed. "We have no other choice," she said simply, taking a drink of her tea. In her mind, there truly was no other option.

"Only a few times." Tsukiko did not like to go out too much, mostly due to the cold temperatures. Of course, she was not exactly the best at socializing in these strange lands either. She was different and there was no hiding the fact that she did not belong here. "I met Nayru-san, and the little girl Poppy. There was also a man at the borders, a leader from another pack." Her encounter with Shawchert had started out alright, but in the end he had made her so horribly mad. Saul's offense had been nothing in the face of what the red-toned male had done. "Have you been well Saul-kun?" She surprised herself a bit, using the somewhat endearing honorific with the boy, but somehow that one seemed to fit him best.