Hotaru
Instead of being embarrassed outwardly she hides it gracefully, laughing away his teasing. "I never said I had to meet her with you. I'm sure I can charm her as a stranger." It's easier than examining the implications of what she had said and how easily it had escaped her without a second thought.
Condolences are as familiar to her as breathing, but his are thankfully empty of the pity most fill their words with. Hotaru does not want to be pitied. She loved her children with the intensity of twin suns, and losing them had broken her in ways that simply would never be fixed. But it didn't mean she had to lay down and die, or let their lives be forgotten. Hotaru didn't know how to be anything but a survivor. Anything less would not make her children proud of her, and when Mort finally takes her she will face them with as few regrets as possible.
"Thank you," she murmurs instead, at least able to be sincere with that. Content to move on to safer territory, she takes his answer in stride. "I understand that. I always wanted the same, but it never turned out that way." It would be rude to say that she has horrible taste in men normally, because hopefully for once she's making better choices with George and this date. "I was a young mom; honestly, we both have so many more years to think about things like that." It wasn't a deal breaker - Ru has always wanted to be a mother, but she has Flora, and still privately considers herself cursed. If she never has more children she will simply live with that.
"Your turn," she reminds him with a small smile, though it was very tempting to take the opening he'd given her to shift the scales out of balance.
Condolences are as familiar to her as breathing, but his are thankfully empty of the pity most fill their words with. Hotaru does not want to be pitied. She loved her children with the intensity of twin suns, and losing them had broken her in ways that simply would never be fixed. But it didn't mean she had to lay down and die, or let their lives be forgotten. Hotaru didn't know how to be anything but a survivor. Anything less would not make her children proud of her, and when Mort finally takes her she will face them with as few regrets as possible.
"Thank you," she murmurs instead, at least able to be sincere with that. Content to move on to safer territory, she takes his answer in stride. "I understand that. I always wanted the same, but it never turned out that way." It would be rude to say that she has horrible taste in men normally, because hopefully for once she's making better choices with George and this date. "I was a young mom; honestly, we both have so many more years to think about things like that." It wasn't a deal breaker - Ru has always wanted to be a mother, but she has Flora, and still privately considers herself cursed. If she never has more children she will simply live with that.
"Your turn," she reminds him with a small smile, though it was very tempting to take the opening he'd given her to shift the scales out of balance.
Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving
but just know you're not beyond saving
