Hotaru
My head's a burial ground of your memory
At first it doesn’t register why Kiada would make note that Hotaru is okay, but considering the fact she hadn’t been alive to see the end of the trial, and then the Valkyrie had succumbed to her sickness, it dawns on her that they’ve both missed each other in the time between. There is nobody around to bear witness to their tearful reunion, no shame or embarrassment to be had as they wrap their arms around the other and hold tight. The girl’s smile cracks through Hotaru’s heart like a break in the clouds, letting in a light that has too long been absent. The Valkyrie reaches to cup Kiada’s cheek, thumb brushing away residual tears as she smiles, her own eyes still watery but unable to overshadow the radiant joy on her face. “That’s my girl,” she praises, pride swelling in her breast. Even death would not keep the likes of them down. All the same she uses the hand on Kiada’s cheek to pinch the pale flesh between her thumb and finger, frowning slightly as she gives the girl’s head a little shake. “It was not your fault either.” Bitterly, she blames Amalia, though it could have happened to anyone. Hotaru has never taken well to her territory being infringed upon, and had silently despised the woman for taking on a maternal role for the Harpy. It was all too easy to lay the blame at her feet when she wasn’t close enough to the woman to award her the understanding and allowance of family.
“The Grounds? What were you doing there?” Though spoken in a mild tone, Kiada likely knows her aunt well enough to hear the danger hidden underneath, like a black raging current beneath thin ice. She doesn’t say anything else, unwilling to give Kiada any sort of leading statement that the girl can use to hide behind.
