How do I keep myself from fallin' apart when I ain't never felt part of a whole?
There is a comfort to not being required to stand at the front and explain everything to the citizens of King's End the way the Flood has to today. Hotaru has not found the same sort of power as she had once in Helovia - ruling, reigning, or building kingdoms. It has burned her inside over the years, but rarely in recent ones. This is the part she doesn't miss. Though she hardly cares what people think of her, the few whose esteem she does are unfortunately the ones who also gather. People she has admittedly been avoiding. First to conceal her infection, and now...well, she doesn't feel she can until she speaks with Flora, which still feels so far beyond her reach.
She smiles back at Sunjata when their eyes meet, eyes briefly darting to the side before returning, habitually trying to skirt away from the brief visual horror that continues to plague her. It won't stop her - she's far too stubborn for that - but she has no idea if it will ever really end.
Her eyes don't leave her fiance as he speaks. A part of her, selfish and guarded, withers and snarls to have the news of their infection - her infection - revealed to all, but it's unavoidable. She can only weather the oppressive sense of vulnerability she feels as the weight of various eyes come to sit on her shoulders. Her hands clench where they sit hiding in her coat pockets, allowing her expression to remain untouched. She doesn't return their stares. Her heart may be theirs in some aspects, but only in private. The Valkyrie will not indulge intimacy in such a fraught and public setting.
"Dahlia is how, though I'm unsure if she is the only one who can do so or if any of the Family can infect someone at will." Each word is carefully chosen, though you'd never guess with how brusquely she delivers them. "We were infected at different times. But the results remain the same, and we must rectify our inaction as soon as possible." Their questions aren't unwarranted, but Hotaru feels more restless with each passing day. She wants to establish their protections now. "The refuge has protections of its own, but there's reason to believe they don't work against the Family. Protecting a space that also removes powers may not be the right idea if we're ever forced to defend it. My vote is for New Haven and the Skyport."
She smiles back at Sunjata when their eyes meet, eyes briefly darting to the side before returning, habitually trying to skirt away from the brief visual horror that continues to plague her. It won't stop her - she's far too stubborn for that - but she has no idea if it will ever really end.
Her eyes don't leave her fiance as he speaks. A part of her, selfish and guarded, withers and snarls to have the news of their infection - her infection - revealed to all, but it's unavoidable. She can only weather the oppressive sense of vulnerability she feels as the weight of various eyes come to sit on her shoulders. Her hands clench where they sit hiding in her coat pockets, allowing her expression to remain untouched. She doesn't return their stares. Her heart may be theirs in some aspects, but only in private. The Valkyrie will not indulge intimacy in such a fraught and public setting.
"Dahlia is how, though I'm unsure if she is the only one who can do so or if any of the Family can infect someone at will." Each word is carefully chosen, though you'd never guess with how brusquely she delivers them. "We were infected at different times. But the results remain the same, and we must rectify our inaction as soon as possible." Their questions aren't unwarranted, but Hotaru feels more restless with each passing day. She wants to establish their protections now. "The refuge has protections of its own, but there's reason to believe they don't work against the Family. Protecting a space that also removes powers may not be the right idea if we're ever forced to defend it. My vote is for New Haven and the Skyport."
HOTARU
