Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
It would be upsetting in more ways than one, as it likely wouldn't burn down without at least one casualty alongside it. Still, Ru is more than capable of grinning in the face of danger, even imaginary kinds. "At least it would go down in history, hm?" Flora may have been furious, but as the hostess she would only have herself to blame for having stirred the pot. Hotaru would have been proud even if the bar had burned down. All of them had come running at her call after all.Such a romantic response is not what she had anticipated in the least, especially given their rather by-the-book flirtations each time they've met. This time, the slight color in her cheeks is unavoidable, though only visible if he is looking at her. Which he is, and she can't look away either even as her lips twitch helplessly, charmed. "And is that the ending you wanted?" Barely a whisper in the scant space left between them.
Her hand on his shoulder inches higher for a moment, fingertips ghosting against the curve of his jaw in a small return of the tenderness he has shown.
"Love is hard. Letting people in is hard. I can't tell you what kinds of relationships may be coming your way. It could be romantic. It could be platonic. It could be familial. But you need to open yourself up. Feel your emotions. It's the only way to know that you're alive."
Alys' words have stuck with her all season. She hopes her friend is proud, wherever she is. Hotaru has done more of letting people in tonight than she has in years. And, just maybe, it's turning out the way the seer had promised.
