sobriquet

Oh, he knew that smell. It all made sense now - why he'd woken up thinking of her in this place. His paws had taken him right to her doorstep. 

He almost got cold paws about it - almost. There was this lingering anxiety that she might not want to see him, after he kept silent as he had. It was one of the very few regrets Kentaro had in his life, and he'd always wanted the chance to at least apologize for not standing up when he knew he should. 

That was the thought that spurred him into action. At the very least, even if she told him to go fuck himself, he could apologize. 

So, he marched himself right up to those borders, heavy with her scent, and tilted his head back to shout for her.

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEI!"

Fuck the Honiya. She deserved to be called by name.

"I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

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@Kei

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pp approved by player

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Kei had been traveling the outer reaches of Niawaki before the call sounded. With the others focused on their names and the basics, more common duties fell on her shoulders, not that she particularly minded. It was nice to have a purpose—to not just wander aimlessly and judge those who tipped the balance in their favor without the means to fix it. Her decision to renew the Order had been on a whim, but each day proved the need for its existence.

Their new neighbors posed a threat, though she would do her best not to judge on the words of a child alone. Children were never as grounded as the adults above them. They were inexperienced, naive, a head full of wonders...but should it be left unchecked, they could grow into dangerous ideals. The dragon huffed as she leaned away from a tree confirmed to be freshly scented. At least Akashingo had not tested their walls. However, whatever thoughts her mind had been preoccupied with were quickly squashed as a familiar yell reverbed the jungle wood.

A moment of hope pricked her chest, only to quickly drop to her stomach at the realization of what had been called. Her paws moved before her head, carrying her through the jungle with learned familiarity of the twists and bends. Rather or not her ears had played tricks on her didn't matter. It didn't matter who was on the other end; she couldn't have someone shouting her name outside of Niawaki. Muddied browns stood out amongst the green cliffs of Arenrak, a blaze of familiar burning her mind as Kei lunged to snap her jaws over the man's, hopefully before he could say anything else.

“Eep eour oice owwn” The words were hissed and broken between the fur and skin that blocked her tongue. She was fortunate that Kentaro never shot up in height like Shuji did. Kyo would take effort to grab his maw the way she did, but the little otter had always been an equal match when it came to their builds. Her hold was stern but controlled enough to not break skin. Of course she'd rather embrace him differently, but until she could trust him to hold an ounce of secrecy the dragon kept him muzzled.
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She was quick to respond, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Kentaro's tail began to wag as the dark blur approached him, excited even in spite of the fact that she might be running so fast to kick his ass. It would be welcomed - encouraged, even - after the time spent apart. Kei always had been his favorite sparring buddy. Not just because she was close in size, but because she never pulled her punches.

He'd even let her get a few good hits in this time before he tried to fight back. Because, you know, he was honorable like that, and he could take his punishment like a man. 

Teeth closed around his muzzle and Kentaro grinned like an idiot. 

"Mm mumf!" — You're here! he mumbled - or, tried to. His tail was waving a mile a minute, but he remained still and as quiet as he could manage. Maybe calling her real name as loud as possible at the border wasn't the best idea, but it had certainly grabbed her attention, and he couldn't say he regretted it. But he could definitely keep quiet long enough to try and get her to let go.

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Whatever was mumbled back carried no message, but his tail wagged, and that was enough to offer some kind of hint as to what he may be trying to say. Kei held her grip, hesitant as she eyed their surroundings for any unwanted ears before eventually deciding that Kentaro was smart enough to listen and let go. “We have neighbors.” Her words were accompanied by an unamused stare as the dragon took a step back to properly look over her cousin. She had always been the youngest, yet somehow he looked as if not a day had passed since she left Kaida.

“Not that I'm not happy to see you and all, but what exactly are you doin' out here Ken— Kawauso?” The dragon clicked her tongue at her own slipup despite quickly correcting herself. Seems like he wasn't the only one out of practice. “Also, I might have left the Order, but it would reaaallly be a good idea to stick to my common name.” It was a vague way to say 'code name' but if anyone was nearby she didn't exactly want them knowing it was fake, now did she? The little prince said he was going to stay in Arenrak for a bit. Hopefully, it was on the other side of the Savannah, though she doubted it when he wanted to be invited in to trample around their paths.

Now that she thought about it, Kei hoped that @Kyo wasn't lurking somewhere nearby to be drawn in by her cousin's call. She hadn't exactly mentioned why she left her pack in the first place, only that she doubted she could go back. “Also— how the hell did you find me? I don't think I could go back if I tried.”
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