Hotaru
My head's a burial ground of your memory
While Hotaru does not shy away from the notion of death or murder, she does not celebrate the news of Morgan’s. While her own hand may have once itched to do it, she does not find excitement in the loss of a powerful and respectable woman. However she does not dawdle in her return either. With hasty kisses pressed to her twins’ foreheads she departs on tawny wing, far surer in her venture over the mountains than the first time she’d done it. Arriving on the heels of Deimos and Cordelia, she sweeps inside the council hall in a flurry of long golden hair and the icy draft that sneaks through the heavy doors. Pink-cheeked and bright-eyed but serious, the regal ice to her expression melts into a rare warmth. These people - save Cordelia, who she does not have the pleasure of knowing - are all safe individuals whom she trusts with the rarity of her emotions. Advancing past Deimos with her habitual squeeze to his elbow, she brings Sah into a shameless but brief hug. He has been dealing with this monumental news alone, and she is proud of his sharp thinking and lack of hesitation.
“What do we know as of now?” she asks calmly, compartmentalizing. The joy over returning to Halo can wait. There is far more serious news to discuss.
