Well, these plants were useless to them then, and Tal moved on with the sting of betrayal from their deceptively pretty exteriors that lasted until the bright sun dazzled eyes that had grown accustomed to the shade of the jungle. The distraction of both the water and of Hotaru's words were enough to make him forget the leafy traitor behind them.
He opened his mouth to protest her point, but something made him hesitate. A pause as he tried to put into words why he'd rarely spoken of his parents to his best friend. And a question to buy himself time to sort through his feelings while he watched the light sparkle on the crystal clear water.
He had never been more grateful to have kept his mouth shut. He remembered his father's death. His aunt's missing legs. The scars on his own side. And he remembered Enzo's death, too, and all that Ru had lost. When he looked over to Hotaru it was with a smile quite unlike his usual mischievous smirk or crooked grin. It was small and sad and tired, and it didn't match the words he mustered to try and lighten the mood.
"Wanna liven things up a bit, then? Make it more exciting?" He nodded to the pool and its stones. "Knife fight on the rocks, maybe? No magic, an' the first one t'fall in the water loses?"
He opened his mouth to protest her point, but something made him hesitate. A pause as he tried to put into words why he'd rarely spoken of his parents to his best friend. And a question to buy himself time to sort through his feelings while he watched the light sparkle on the crystal clear water.
He had never been more grateful to have kept his mouth shut. He remembered his father's death. His aunt's missing legs. The scars on his own side. And he remembered Enzo's death, too, and all that Ru had lost. When he looked over to Hotaru it was with a smile quite unlike his usual mischievous smirk or crooked grin. It was small and sad and tired, and it didn't match the words he mustered to try and lighten the mood.
"Wanna liven things up a bit, then? Make it more exciting?" He nodded to the pool and its stones. "Knife fight on the rocks, maybe? No magic, an' the first one t'fall in the water loses?"
