Hotaru
She doesn’t want to hurt him, but he hurts regardless. Even without her intervention and attempt at guidance, he was hurting long before now. All she can hope to do is bleed the poison free, and give him a chance at healing. It’s rare for her to desire that for someone instead of utilizing their clouded thoughts to her own advantage, but such were the woes of unintentionally bonding with an unexpected soul.
“Much as you’ll loathe hearing it, you will only be able to begin to trust her by being around her more. She has yet to fail Halo, yes, but I suspect you see her as merely half of the ruling force - tempered, perhaps, by Deimos. You cannot truly change your mind on her unless you spend time with her directly. Give her a chance to show her true colors, no matter their shade - perhaps she’ll even prove you right.” Eyes dropping to the cake box, she tilts her chin at it intentionally. “Regardless, you’re on the right track. Some medicine is merely harder to swallow.”
Shaking her head sharply at his next words, the Valkyrie sets her package down in the snow to free her hands. She talks far too much with them in lieu of actual words to deprive herself of them now. Settling one on Talyson’s elbow, Ru turns to face him fully. “No, I can tell you with certainty that Deimos would have respected your wariness. I don’t know what all has transpired, but I can assure you his grievance isn’t with that.” Ru herself had expressed all manner of narrow-eyed suspicions and half-accusations at people from his past, and he had weathered her sourness every time. “It’s true he may never bring you as close as he once did. He may never forgive you. But Deimos is a far more reasonable man than you or I. He would never forbid you a chance to try to rebuild your esteem in his eyes. That is a chance only friends - former or otherwise - are allowed.” Any others could consider their bridge burned eternally. Would it potentially take many years? Yes. Hotaru would not give him undue hope. But as an outsider, it did not seem all was lost yet.
That does not make his fears unwarranted however, though only because Ru doesn’t truly know how deep their friendship ran before this rift, or what all Tal (or Deimos) had said or done to widen it. She hadn’t been present in Halo at all for the inception or cultivation of their companionship. As such, it’s a hurt she can’t ease, and the regret is plain on her face for it. But a question? That, she can answer. Or at least attempt to.
“I am going to assume you’ve never been truly in love,” she starts gently, intent on not having her words mistaken as a tease of some kind. “To start, loyalty is not one-dimensional. My loyalty to you is far different than my loyalty to Deimos, and even more different to the loyalty I have for my children. Frankly? It is plainly less.” In terms of lovers, she has none to speak of anymore, and the void in her words is obvious. There is a brutal plainness to her admission to her loyalty to her children and family being far greater than any friend could achieve. “Arguably, Deimos has known Evie - and been her close friend - even longer than you. Would his loyalty not then be stronger regardless of their entanglements simply because of history?” Shaking her golden head, Hotaru smiles wryly. “Or did you not know? They were very good friends in the Grounds. She attended his wedding when even I did not. He was her General when she briefly was voted in as ruler of the Grounds. His judgment of her spanned many years, Tal. How is it not fair to expect him to honor that history and familiarity above you?” Not that she would ever imply it didn’t hurt to happen, she merely wants to make him think. “The exact same way you trusted him more because of his longer years in Halo. Were more loyal to him than Evie, despite neither being native Halovians. Both come down to time. Do you see what I mean?”
“Much as you’ll loathe hearing it, you will only be able to begin to trust her by being around her more. She has yet to fail Halo, yes, but I suspect you see her as merely half of the ruling force - tempered, perhaps, by Deimos. You cannot truly change your mind on her unless you spend time with her directly. Give her a chance to show her true colors, no matter their shade - perhaps she’ll even prove you right.” Eyes dropping to the cake box, she tilts her chin at it intentionally. “Regardless, you’re on the right track. Some medicine is merely harder to swallow.”
Shaking her head sharply at his next words, the Valkyrie sets her package down in the snow to free her hands. She talks far too much with them in lieu of actual words to deprive herself of them now. Settling one on Talyson’s elbow, Ru turns to face him fully. “No, I can tell you with certainty that Deimos would have respected your wariness. I don’t know what all has transpired, but I can assure you his grievance isn’t with that.” Ru herself had expressed all manner of narrow-eyed suspicions and half-accusations at people from his past, and he had weathered her sourness every time. “It’s true he may never bring you as close as he once did. He may never forgive you. But Deimos is a far more reasonable man than you or I. He would never forbid you a chance to try to rebuild your esteem in his eyes. That is a chance only friends - former or otherwise - are allowed.” Any others could consider their bridge burned eternally. Would it potentially take many years? Yes. Hotaru would not give him undue hope. But as an outsider, it did not seem all was lost yet.
That does not make his fears unwarranted however, though only because Ru doesn’t truly know how deep their friendship ran before this rift, or what all Tal (or Deimos) had said or done to widen it. She hadn’t been present in Halo at all for the inception or cultivation of their companionship. As such, it’s a hurt she can’t ease, and the regret is plain on her face for it. But a question? That, she can answer. Or at least attempt to.
“I am going to assume you’ve never been truly in love,” she starts gently, intent on not having her words mistaken as a tease of some kind. “To start, loyalty is not one-dimensional. My loyalty to you is far different than my loyalty to Deimos, and even more different to the loyalty I have for my children. Frankly? It is plainly less.” In terms of lovers, she has none to speak of anymore, and the void in her words is obvious. There is a brutal plainness to her admission to her loyalty to her children and family being far greater than any friend could achieve. “Arguably, Deimos has known Evie - and been her close friend - even longer than you. Would his loyalty not then be stronger regardless of their entanglements simply because of history?” Shaking her golden head, Hotaru smiles wryly. “Or did you not know? They were very good friends in the Grounds. She attended his wedding when even I did not. He was her General when she briefly was voted in as ruler of the Grounds. His judgment of her spanned many years, Tal. How is it not fair to expect him to honor that history and familiarity above you?” Not that she would ever imply it didn’t hurt to happen, she merely wants to make him think. “The exact same way you trusted him more because of his longer years in Halo. Were more loyal to him than Evie, despite neither being native Halovians. Both come down to time. Do you see what I mean?”
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
I've no remorse for what I do
