No matter the order, the game’s unfairly stacked

Hotaru

I know they'll be coming to find me soon
But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you

She can't remove the feeling of responsibility from his chest, but gods how she wants to. It's a feeling not unlike any other parental urge; to conceal, to stiffen your lip, turn the other cheek. Whatever it takes to keep that small, tiny life from feeling the turmoil of what's beneath the surface.

The kitten weighs barely anything in her arms, and Ru uses a touch of magic to make her hair dance in a quiet breeze, keeping her entertained. If the time comes - if the worst comes - and Sunjata needs to fully break, she will consider compelling the cub to sleep; for now, she can only physically bear this burden. Even as he pulls away, revealing an injury she will surely look over later, Ru stands strong and ready to keep Sunjata's head above water as the floodgates begin to fail.

She is too young to be more than confused - she has only just realized what human emotions are. It's a cruel comfort, to use Petronella's age against her in this way, but it's the truth. It will take time for her to even understand human speech, to know Sunjata beyond the emotions she will feel from him. And one day, when she does know, she'll understand. Because her heart will know yours. Ru wants to reach out for him, but she holds the little panther in her arms and instead lets her support shine through the bond instead. Flora and Enzo didn't know why I cried so often when they were little. They didn't understand my grief in more than simple terms when they first aged. But they came to know it in time - and they never doubted how much I loved them even with the memories they brought back.

Hotaru could have used Alice and Atlas as her examples, so direct are the comparisons, but it is Petronella's age that reminds her so much of Flora and Enzo. Mind just as similar as a newborn babe's, unknowing and new. You are allowed to hurt. You won't hurt her to the depths you think by letting her feel it.

I used to sing about being free
Oh, baby, look what you've done to me