{se} All our flaws are bittersweet

Hotaru

Hotaru had ruminated on Isla's fair features at the bar, but the tiny peek of fangs and growing smile only re-cement her initial estimations. It's a pity, then, that she has such conflicted feelings about the woman. Not that Hotaru has ever shied away from conflict; precisely why she invites Isla to tea. "You can't, clearly. Which means I have succeeded." Winking, she sits gracefully in her chosen chair and glances briefly at the menu they hand both women, already familiar.

Pondering the Remedy's question, Hotaru first places an order for petit fours and finger sandwiches before stretching out her legs and idly tracing the wood grain with the fingers of one hand. "You spend so long merely surviving that living can feel overwhelming," she admits readily, content to at times weaponize her honesty for certain purposes. Given they'd both lived through the war, she's certain Isla will understand. "The tail end of a singular season changed nearly everything for me. In positive ways, of course, but," here she lifts her hand from the table to gesture loosely, at a loss for words. "Yourself?" Ru knows the most important bit, but she wonders how Isla will define it in her own words - or if she'll mention it at all. Just how honest were they going to be with one another?

come what may
she would be wild, untrammeled, free