Hotaru
Our hearts we have sold
For diamonds and gold
For diamonds and gold
"Safety in numbers I suppose, at least you have guards to stop them from breaking down the door to ask for your hand." Amusement glimmers in her mismatched eyes, imagining a mob of various men and women breaking into the Palace for Loren's reproductive rights.
"I understand," she says softly, recalling that awful night when the world had burned and so many had died. "My entire home world was destroyed in one fell swoop. Loss is hard enough to bear in singularity, but en masse..." With a sigh she waves away his apology, giving him a bitter smile. "The secret is not getting close to anyone." Any attempt at a joking tone falls flat, too honest to twist it into anything else. Keeping others at arms length - or hopefully farther - is a skill she has honed to perfection over time.
"So you have family here?" Curiosity is plain in her expression, wondering who he may be related to, why they are so terrible. The toast distracts her from her musings, laughing at the gesture and the kind words, even if she brushes them off without truly believing them. "Quite a bold stance to take, I can't say I agree. But they gave me my children, so I can't say it was a complete loss on my end." For all the pain they'd caused her, she still lays awake at night sometimes, wondering what she could have done differently. Once, the joy of her children had kept those thoughts at bay. Now, alone and with only Ru'in's ghost to accompany her in this land, she can't avoid such crippling mental ruts. Perhaps he is haunted by similar thoughts, if the dampening of his expression is any clue. She reaches to gently place her hand over his where it rubs against his thigh, giving a squeeze in solidarity. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Hotaru doesn't want him to feel pressured to speak about it just because she is comfortable doing so. Secrets of the heart are not often ones the woman dabbles in collecting.
Though she's tempted to respond flirtatiously with the absolutely perfect opening he has given her, his own sincerity is disarming. "Consider yourself forgiven, if only because you're correct. Company...well, I wouldn't spurn it right now." There's an exhausted flicker to her expression, a haunted aura that weighs down on her small shoulders. This is her first season in Caido dealing with the memorializing rituals they hold, and it makes her feel her loneliness all the more keenly.
"I understand," she says softly, recalling that awful night when the world had burned and so many had died. "My entire home world was destroyed in one fell swoop. Loss is hard enough to bear in singularity, but en masse..." With a sigh she waves away his apology, giving him a bitter smile. "The secret is not getting close to anyone." Any attempt at a joking tone falls flat, too honest to twist it into anything else. Keeping others at arms length - or hopefully farther - is a skill she has honed to perfection over time.
"So you have family here?" Curiosity is plain in her expression, wondering who he may be related to, why they are so terrible. The toast distracts her from her musings, laughing at the gesture and the kind words, even if she brushes them off without truly believing them. "Quite a bold stance to take, I can't say I agree. But they gave me my children, so I can't say it was a complete loss on my end." For all the pain they'd caused her, she still lays awake at night sometimes, wondering what she could have done differently. Once, the joy of her children had kept those thoughts at bay. Now, alone and with only Ru'in's ghost to accompany her in this land, she can't avoid such crippling mental ruts. Perhaps he is haunted by similar thoughts, if the dampening of his expression is any clue. She reaches to gently place her hand over his where it rubs against his thigh, giving a squeeze in solidarity. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Hotaru doesn't want him to feel pressured to speak about it just because she is comfortable doing so. Secrets of the heart are not often ones the woman dabbles in collecting.
Though she's tempted to respond flirtatiously with the absolutely perfect opening he has given her, his own sincerity is disarming. "Consider yourself forgiven, if only because you're correct. Company...well, I wouldn't spurn it right now." There's an exhausted flicker to her expression, a haunted aura that weighs down on her small shoulders. This is her first season in Caido dealing with the memorializing rituals they hold, and it makes her feel her loneliness all the more keenly.
But baby take a look
We have it all
We have it all
