If I could just have you in the light
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
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#1

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
The night is winding down, and Ru has only returned to give her spare key for her room at the inn to Talyson so he need not pay for his own or wait up for her in order to leave together. Especially considering he is far drunker than Ru, who is nearly entirely sober. Worn thin by her conversation with Sunjata, she keeps as far out of sight of anyone but Tal as she can to preserve the wondrous reputation she’d reinstated this evening.

Then she steps out onto the patio instead, with its empty chairs and tables as the people had flocked drunkenly to the beach. There, she sinks into one of them and pulls her heels off with a wince. She’d taken them off during her talk with Sunjata, but putting them back on to venture inside had only made the soreness more palpable.

She remains there, reclining backwards to look up at the stars with a distant expression as she tries to make the whirlwind night fall into order in her mind. The difficulty of seeing Remi’s smile in tandem with Ronin’s hostility, Sunjata with his far too lovely plus one, old friends and family in Phoebe and Mel. Even a steamy encounter with Danta. Then the scraped-raw, hollowed-out feeling that had come from her talk with the Flood. It had simultaneously healed something inside her to reunite so positively after two whole years, but it wouldn’t change how exhausted it leaves her.

So she merely sits and listens to the faint sounds of firewood, music, and conversation. Trying to force the progression of the evening to make sense in her mind and reclaim that spark of fire that had been smothered by old, painful shadows. Idly spinning her rings around her knuckles as she watches a shooting star streak across the sky overhead.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#2
George
The grand re-opening of the Hanged Man had been a success. The crowd had been lively, and many of them were now inebriated. George was not such a one, having had only a few drinks, preferring sobriety to inebriation nine times out of ten. After all, he often took advantage of people who'd had too much to drink by stealing their purses; who was to say that someone might not do the same with him?

With the festivities winding down, George slipped away to enjoy the night air. He was not expecting to find Hotaru on the patio, alone, reclined on a chair and staring up into the sky. He glanced up himself, searching the stars for something of interest, but though it was beautiful, he couldn't find a reason for the pensiveness that lingered on Hotaru's face.

For the briefest moment, he hesitated, considering going back inside. After all, they had only met once, and whatever she was thinking, it was likely none of his business, and he was liable to ruin whatever connection that they'd had by pushing into her night. Perhaps she was simply enjoying the peace and quiet after the party. But there was something lonely on her face that he couldn't quite place, and he found himself moving closer quite by accident.

He made sure his steps were loud enough to be heard as he approached, not wanting to startle her. "Hello, love," he said. "Mind if I sit?"
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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MP: 9427
#3

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
She cannot blame her lack of attention on alcohol, because she has only had the singular drink Danta provided her. So when she startles slightly - well-hidden but not unapparent - her ears turn a bit pink in the dark, and she scolds herself internally for it. All the more so when she sees that the man emerging from the bar is George.

Trying vainly to regain not just her composure but some level of the sharp, witty woman he'd met mere days ago, Ru sits straighter and curls her hair back behind her ears as she works on a sufficient smile. "George. It's good to see you darling, I'm sorry I was occupied when you first arrived." With Danta, then dancing, then Sunjata...it has been a busy night for them all, but she had not wanted to miss him entirely. Gesturing elegantly with one hand to the chair beside her, Ru readjusts her dress so he won't have to worry about treading on it should he want to sit close. "Please. How has your night gone?" Wanting to be assured that he had sufficiently enjoyed Flora's planning, but also wondering what she'd missed while out by the bonfire with Sunjata.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#4
George
It was difficult to tell in the dark, but George thought he saw her start slightly at the sound of his voice, and he suddenly felt as though he were intruding. Now that he was here, though, it seemed like it would be worse to try for a hasty exit - after all, she hadn't done anything wrong, and he'd hate to give the impression that she'd run him off. Still, this didn't seem like the Hotaru from the other day, and when she called him 'darling' in that come-hither voice that he recognized from when she'd charmed the bartender, his eyebrows rose a hair.

"You were the belle of the ball," he said smoothly, his lips quirking up in a crooked smile. "I think you may have half of Torchline in love with you before long." It was said in a teasing tone, but George wouldn't be surprised if it were true. She'd flitted here and there throughout the night, like a butterfly drawn to this flower and that, never staying in one place for long. Much like that day on the beach, it had been amusing to watch the eyes that followed her as she talked and danced, as though the people in attendance were drawn to her light.

At her invitation, George joined her, careful not to tread on the dress that she'd kindly moved aside for him. "I'd say the grand reopening was a success," he said. "Plenty of drinks, dancing, and good company - what's not to like?" It was not, strictly speaking, the entire truth, given that he had known all of four people at the party, including Hotaru, but she didn't need to know that his connections had been slim to none.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#5

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
He is far too accurate in hearing the similarities between the tones, because it is easier for Ru to default to seduction than be honest with a stranger. Then again, she is rarely honest with more than five people in her entire life, so perhaps that isn’t the best comparison.

His compliment is all the more endearing for how it focuses on her instead of her beauty, and Hotaru laughs softly. “Flora will enchant them in my absence - being a temporary presence only makes me more alluring I think.” Or maybe she is just downplaying her magnetism. Hotaru certainly hadn’t expected this level of success given all the history tying her to the people here. Then again there were a fair number of new faces that she had delighted in getting to know quite personally. “Though my reception makes me far more inclined to visit,” she says with a small grin, the weight of the evening loosening from her shoulders in his presence unexpectedly.

As he joins her she re-stretches out her legs, bare ankle brushing against his calf and letting that pleasant minor contact linger. “I agree. Though my daughter is quite precocious; she invited many of us here intentionally because of our tangled, sordid histories.” She shakes her head with a wry grin, both proud and exasperated by Flora’s genius. “I’m disappointed we didn’t have a chance to dance. Maybe we still can out here?” Something slow and leisurely while they talk, with only the stars and the faint music from the side door to accompany them. More romantic than she would normally offer, but her guard is pathetically low after the long evening.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 2 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 16 - Luck: 5 - Int:
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#6
George
She was beautiful; of that, there was no doubt. But that was certainly not the only facet to Hotaru, and any who would ignore the greater intricacies of who she was - the cleverness, the wit, the mischief - was a fool.

"I'm sure she will," he agreed, "But I think you've shown us all where she gets her magnetism from." He hoped she would visit more often, intrigued and enchanted by her as he was; that, or he would have to find an excuse to visit Halo. Either way, he was determined that this trip should not be the only time their paths crossed. What fun would that be?

As her bare ankle brushed against his calf, George resisted the urge to pick up her foot for a massage. He'd seen her heels - she was either a goddess, or her feet were killing her. Or both, but let's not get too carried away. Instead, he leaned his leg to the side, letting her know that he felt her touch and that it was reciprocated.

He, too, had been disappointed that they'd not had a chance to dance, though watching her hold court on the dance floor had been a treat. At her suggestion, though, he offered a crooked smile, rising from his chair to bow before her, extending a hand as he glanced up to meet her gaze. "May I have this dance, love?" he asked, something low and inviting in his voice that wasn't there entirely on purpose. Perhaps Hotaru wasn't the only one with their guard lowered this evening.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#7

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
His compliment game is the strongest she has ever been subjected to, making pleasure and pride sizzle in her veins. Having heard the plentiful comments to Flora of her daughter taking after her, Hotaru couldn’t possibly feel prouder or more fulfilled. For all Flora’s more questionable decisions, it is a strangely emotional thing to see her child take so fully after her. “She makes me proud every single day,” she croons, the response more maternal and sincere than the sultry thing she’d initially intended. But if a potential suitor could not handle the strong maternal portion of her soul, that was their own failing.

He surely would have had her melting in his hands if he’d given in to the impulse, but the companionable touch warms her from within all the same. Hotaru can’t remember being touched so plentifully in seasons, and she feels buzzed from it without ever needing to drink another shot.

As George rises and bows, Ru sits straighter, eyes riveted and enchanted by his showiness. Delicately placing her hand in his, she rises with a burgeoning smile on her lips. “It would be my honor,” she breathes, thankful for the quiet that surrounds them and how private it feels. Not that she wouldn’t be ecstatic to show him off to everyone present, but it’s a change of pace she needs right now. As he straightens she draws herself in before he can, hand alighting high on his shoulder until her fingertips are flirting at his open collar as they begin to sway. “Tell me, what was your favorite part of the night?” Hoping for insight into his character, or perhaps just wanting to hold him here longer, where he might allow her to stay and sate herself on his strangely magnetic personality.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#8
George
It was perhaps not the most original of compliments, but it was the truth: Flora did take after her mother, and in all the right ways. But there was something that Hotaru had that her daughter lacked, at least in George’s eyes, a sort of maturity that only came with experience. Where Flora threw herself hither and thither as a sort of game, Hotaru’s approach seemed to George to be more measured. More calculating. She might flirt, sure - he’d seen that with the bartender, with the way she’d flounced about the party tonight - but there was a deeper gravitas that he felt he’d been privy to, though perhaps that confidence was misplaced. He didn’t know her very well, after all.

Except that he felt like he did know her. For all his flirtation and charm, he felt as though he’d fallen straight into her orbit, where she could have from him what she pleased. Part of him rebelled against the sensation; he was a thief, a flirt, a man of the shadows. Perhaps he didn’t feel that he would be deserving of Hotaru’s affections - or perhaps he simply balked at the notion of giving away any piece of himself. For all that he was a flirt, he was also a one-woman kind of man.

His hands settled on her trim waist as her own lit on his shoulders, and though he longed to pull her closer, he kept his touch gentle and measured, allowing her the option to make the first of any moves. He’s a gentleman like that, is George. ”Hmm,” he murmured, considering. Would it be too bold to say that this was his favorite part of the evening? He could have fun at a party as much as the next guy, but he was a man of the shadows, and he tended to linger on the fringes, content to watch and observe. A private dance was much more to his liking. ”Watching people,” he finally answered truthfully. ”You can learn a lot by observing.”
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#9

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
It has been a very long time since someone held her gently. Sunjata does now, but when they’d first met it was like two comets colliding; both experienced, flash fire souls who had seen the sparse best parts of themselves in each other and fallen headfirst into chasing that high. Wessex had known her strength and praised it endlessly, and while Ru had never felt more powerful she had only experienced the Ascended’s gentleness in fits and starts. Nate…Nate had held her gently. Always so gently.

It would be horrible to say to anyone out loud, but there’s a reason she still sees his eyes in Frey’s face. Why she’d asked him to run away with her.

George’s delicate touch reminds her of that. Not directly of Nate, which she appreciates; she isn’t trying to chase Nate’s ghost. But the feeling makes her warm anyway. It could very well be misleading - George may be a far better actor than even her, luring her in with gentlemanly ways only to use her and move on. But coming here tonight at all was a risk that had paid off; why not one more?

“And what were your inferences?” Both teasing and testing, curious what assumptions and conclusions had been made about the gathered crowd.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#10
George
He swayed her back and forth, running his thumbs over the fabric at her waist as they danced to the beat of their own song. Whatever music was actually playing back at the Hanged Man, however much shouting and laughing there was at the bonfire - it all seemed to fade away, just background to this moment. He huffed a laugh at her query, smiling ruefully. He'd backed himself into a corner; he'd known only a few of the faces at the party, and trying to piece together any sordid backstories was beyond his abilities. But he'd already said it now, so he'd no choice but to reveal his hand.

"Plenty of intrigue," he said. It had seemed to be mostly the older crowd; he remembered a few shoulders tensing when certain people walked into the room, studiously avoidant gazes. "People who don't normally come together. Maybe some bad blood. Maybe past lovers." He shrugged. There was definitely something going on between many of the partygoers. Maybe it was some combination of factors that he was too far removed to see. At least his guess seemed to be somewhat correct - Hotaru had mentioned tangled, sordid histories, after all.

"But there was fun, too," he added. "Some people there for the drinks. Some for the dancing. Some for both. I think what was the most impressive was seeing the reach that Flora has, across all of Caido." He didn't know most of the people at the party, and he knew plenty of people in Torchline; it stood to reason that her guests, including Hotaru herself, had been from out of town.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#11

Hotaru
i'm still here but all is lost
She cannot hide the amused lilt of her lips at the slight caught-out expression that flickers on his face. To his credit however, he is not far from the mark. "Correct on all counts. At least three ended relationships, one accidental baby, and two blood feuds. It's a miracle the bar is still standing." And though her expression is humorous, there's a frankness to the statement that makes it clear it could have all gone south incredibly quickly.

Bare feet swaying on the stone patio, Hotaru's crown dips closer before catching herself, and only the very tips of her ears warm after years of learning to control the way her cheeks used to flush with embarrassment. While George certainly has a chest worth resting one's head on, it's rather presumptuous to do it so soon. So instead Hotaru focuses on where he has taken the topic, because nothing kills a romantic mood like talking about your child.

"Connections are everything, and Flora learned that very young. Though she is formidable in her own right." If she ever had reason to lift her own finger. Personally, Hotaru doesn't see a problem spoiling her to ensure she never has to. Who cares about the end result? If anything, it just means she gets the benefit of Flora's extensive network if she ever needs it either.

His eyes are strangely lit in the dark with all the torches and stars, and her own linger as she looks up into them. "And you? Where do you stand in all of it?" Had he pursued simpler pleasures and social niceties, or had he pursued entrepreneurial routes?
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#12
George
Okay, sure, maybe he'd overplayed his hand a little. But as his rueful smile matched the lilt of her lips, he felt slightly emboldened by the fact that he wasn't far from the mark. His brows raised in spite of himself, the drama and intrigue impressive even by his standards. "And we are forever grateful," he said solemnly, though his hazel eyes twinkled in the starlight. "Imagine how upsetting it would be to burn the bar down on opening night."

George would have been absolutely fine with Hotaru resting her head on his chest - in fact, it would have endeared her to him all the more. She was a fascinating woman, with her air of mystery and her clear wit, and, though it may have been presumptuous, George imagined a connection with Hotaru that was worth exploring. At the very least, she had captured his attention, and that was no easy feat.

As for him and where he stood in all of it - well, that gave him pause. How much did he want to reveal? That he was a thief would come out sooner or later, if Hotaru didn't kick him to the curb before then. That her daughter was running a Thieves Guild, though? What would the woman in his arms have to say about that? But the pause was only a split second, barely enough to register, before he said, "Right here, with you in my arms."
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#13

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.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
George Shepherd
Thief

Age: 31 | Height: 6'0" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
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#14
George
George wasn't sure what had possessed him to murmur such a romantic response, so far removed from the light flirtations and witty banter that had thus far passed between them, but Hotaru's slightly-colored cheeks told him that perhaps he had been right to take the plunge. He resisted the urge to raise a hand to cradle her face, to run his thumb lightly across the curve of her cheek. It felt too tender, too raw, and he wasn't sure how it would be received - if it would be received at all. At any moment, he could make a misstep that sent Hotaru running for the hills, and he was hesitant to make such a mistake.

Her whisper and the ghost of her fingertips along his jaw had him swallowing hard, intoxicated by her proximity and the intimate nature of her touch. Was this the ending to the evening he'd envisioned? Almost certainly not. He'd imagined going home alone, perhaps a little drunk, and waking up on the morrow ready to get back to work. But this... this was far removed from what he'd anticipated, and yet he wouldn't change a moment of it. He chuckled warmly into the space between them. "And here I was hoping this was a beginning."

She was tantalizingly close, and he carefully slipped a hand to the small of her back, gently guiding her that much closer, as his other hand rose to tilt her chin up. He searched her face, looking for permission and fearing that he was making a mistake. But the feel of her in his arms and the look in her eyes and the sound of her whisper in his head emboldened him, and before he could second-guess himself, she began to lean down, closing the distance between them to press his lips almost tentatively against hers.


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