The story he weaves is sadder than she'd anticipated, though she quirks an amused look at him at his hesitation around the notion of sex. Nevertheless, she lets him guide how far he's willing to speak on such private and carnal matters. Hanging on every word of the sad, fleeting romance. It tugs painfully at her heart, and it echoes in her guileless eyes, only capable of controlling her features and not the expressiveness of her gaze. "Did she raise you, or did you return to your father?" Hotaru knows she's far too invested, heart aching at even the vaguest insinuation that a mother could leave her child to another, or that she would love her progeny any less for the way it was conceived. But at least she can immerse herself in his tale, learn more of his world and what he has been through. Suffered through, as many of them unfortunately have.
It's this suffering, and her own empathy to it, that causes her to smile indulgently his way. Unoffended by his denial. "If it would make you more comfortable, I could bring my work to you. The offer stands, if you'd ever like to claim it." Whether that's now or a season from now. "Consider it a welcoming gift, from one Outlander to another." Displaced and unsure of the world they have been tossed into. He is far too kind, too pure, to deserve that fate. Hotaru will ease the burden as much as she possibly can.
"An association of sorts, with a common goal or trade in mind. There are a few throughout the lands here, if you ever wanted to join one." Assuming his interest goes beyond mere curiosity and clarification. Though it seems she missteps immediately once more, and she despairs internally over how difficult it is for once to encourage someone to be at ease with her. His dark hair seems to absorb the shifting colors that the sunlight casts from the cathedral walls, but they highlight against his widened eyes, his earnest expression crafted into the cradle of a handsome face. "Yes, I was. For many years." Hotaru is disinclined to lie to him, though it may have the effect of settling his nerves. His rambling answer is sweet, endearing, and it brings a smile to her face that she tries to conceal lest he thinks she's laughing at him. Instead, she turns away to gaze out across the ocean, coming slowly closer to where their feet touch the sand.
"It was...everything." Her voice is wistful and yet so full of pride and love that it threatens to overflow from her lips to join the vastness of the ocean before them. "There was never a day that I didn't wake up honored to lead my people. To keep them safe, to learn the names of every new member. Though I may not have been as close to some as others, they were family. I would have fought and died for them at any moment." And often she had, though in all her years of reign her challenges against her rule, her individual actions, Hotaru had never been unseated. "We went side-by-side into the fray of battle. Though we were many, there was a harmony to our kingdom that others never seemed to achieve." The Aurora clan had never dealt with the woes of the constant cycling of rulers, of internal disputes and civil wars. Perhaps it was the icy reaches of the land itself tempering them into stoic, grumbling creatures, but Hotaru had taken pride in that fact regardless of the reasoning. She misses them all, but it is an old ache now. A constant one, inscribed upon the insides of her ribs, but at least it no longer pierces through in search of her heart. "Sorry, that was rather fancifully said. There were politics, meetings, and debates as any kingdom has. It was not all glory, there were quite a few boring moments. But I miss my home, and my people, more than I can say." Finally she turns her gaze to him, the hurt of longing and loss apparent, her wistful smile pasted overtop it. "Did you not have Queens, where you came from?" What had so sparked his interest? What could have caused such a fervent, curious reaction?
It's this suffering, and her own empathy to it, that causes her to smile indulgently his way. Unoffended by his denial. "If it would make you more comfortable, I could bring my work to you. The offer stands, if you'd ever like to claim it." Whether that's now or a season from now. "Consider it a welcoming gift, from one Outlander to another." Displaced and unsure of the world they have been tossed into. He is far too kind, too pure, to deserve that fate. Hotaru will ease the burden as much as she possibly can.
"An association of sorts, with a common goal or trade in mind. There are a few throughout the lands here, if you ever wanted to join one." Assuming his interest goes beyond mere curiosity and clarification. Though it seems she missteps immediately once more, and she despairs internally over how difficult it is for once to encourage someone to be at ease with her. His dark hair seems to absorb the shifting colors that the sunlight casts from the cathedral walls, but they highlight against his widened eyes, his earnest expression crafted into the cradle of a handsome face. "Yes, I was. For many years." Hotaru is disinclined to lie to him, though it may have the effect of settling his nerves. His rambling answer is sweet, endearing, and it brings a smile to her face that she tries to conceal lest he thinks she's laughing at him. Instead, she turns away to gaze out across the ocean, coming slowly closer to where their feet touch the sand.
"It was...everything." Her voice is wistful and yet so full of pride and love that it threatens to overflow from her lips to join the vastness of the ocean before them. "There was never a day that I didn't wake up honored to lead my people. To keep them safe, to learn the names of every new member. Though I may not have been as close to some as others, they were family. I would have fought and died for them at any moment." And often she had, though in all her years of reign her challenges against her rule, her individual actions, Hotaru had never been unseated. "We went side-by-side into the fray of battle. Though we were many, there was a harmony to our kingdom that others never seemed to achieve." The Aurora clan had never dealt with the woes of the constant cycling of rulers, of internal disputes and civil wars. Perhaps it was the icy reaches of the land itself tempering them into stoic, grumbling creatures, but Hotaru had taken pride in that fact regardless of the reasoning. She misses them all, but it is an old ache now. A constant one, inscribed upon the insides of her ribs, but at least it no longer pierces through in search of her heart. "Sorry, that was rather fancifully said. There were politics, meetings, and debates as any kingdom has. It was not all glory, there were quite a few boring moments. But I miss my home, and my people, more than I can say." Finally she turns her gaze to him, the hurt of longing and loss apparent, her wistful smile pasted overtop it. "Did you not have Queens, where you came from?" What had so sparked his interest? What could have caused such a fervent, curious reaction?
Hotaru
