All Colors Are Fading

Hotaru

I know they'll be coming to find me soon
But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you

Her glass shop had been little more than rubble when she had ventured across it, and though it had not saddened her greatly, it had unfortunately ruined her plans for the day. Unwilling to waste a journey so long due to a singular inconvenience, the Valkyrie instead took her hyperfixation item of the day and had flown her way to Jack Tar Landing, intent on finding a suitable replacement for her old shop to accomplish her goal.

Glass shaping requires incredibly hot flames and embers and the proper tools to handle it. With that in mind, the only other shop that can meet those requirements is a forge, and though the Landing forge is modest at best it is an undeniable necessity in the microcosm of the port. Hotaru can't conceive why they haven't expanded given all the ships and wagons that would otherwise be stranded without their services - and the premiums they could charge for rush work - but not everyone has the drive for power and acclaim that the Valkyrie does.

"No more than a few hours," she assures, firmly in the middle of sweet-talking the owner as she stands at the entrance of the forge, softly glowing and smiling fit to strike an angel from heaven. "I'm quite experienced, so you won't have to worry about injuries. I'll compensate you as well." It's of no consequence to her given she can obtain nearly anything from anywhere with a touch of personal effort or an exertion of a connection, and she doubts the man is greedy enough to ask for anything too frustrating. In her hand, wrapped loosely in black fabric, a strange rough shape draws the forge owner's eyes - but he will have to continue to wonder, because Hotaru certainly won't bargain this. "Do we have a deal?" Her eyes are captivating and her expression deceivingly hopeful, because any hesitance can be swiftly corrected with a touch of magic if he proves too willful.

I used to sing about being free
Oh, baby, look what you've done to me

Maea

Oh, when the world is burning

Back again. Home, Maea supposed as she made it off the ship, her weathered bag slung over her shoulder and the dark skirts kept out if the mud and slush of the docks. In the weeks she had been gone, most of the snow had disappeared save for the occasional drift sitting in shaded  nooks, and in the dull brown of plantations and lawns a hint of green could be spotted. But though the sights and sounds of Jack Tar Landing were familiar by now, she didn't feel much of anything about returning. Only a weight on her shoulders, a twinge of unease at the thought of running into Danta or, gods forbid, Asta.

The last thing she had expected was to hear the ring of a familiar voice when she passed by the forge. Doing a double take, Maea backtracked and poked her head inside in time to see the blacksmith extend a hand in gruff agreement with a short, radiant, exquisitely beautiful woman.

"Hotaru?" she breathed, eyes widening in delight. "It really is you!" Stepping inside with arms outstretched to beg a hug from her friend, she couldn't think of a more welcome sight to break up her tendency towards brooding.

Don't walk away

Hotaru

I know they'll be coming to find me soon
But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you

Hotaru beams the moment the man's hand finds hers, her free hand coming to wrap over his knuckles and raising their joined hands near her heart as if utterly affected by his acquiescence. "Thank you, you're so sweet and I appreciate it so much," she begins, pleased when the man's gruff expression goes slightly pink at the edges. She intends to smoothly transfer temporary ownership from there to hustle him out of his own forge but only manages to release his hands by the time they're interrupted.

Luckily he turns away to start packing up his more personal items as Hotaru turns, the tick of irritation in her jaw something to be felt instead of seen - and it washes away the moment she sets eyes on Maea, instead giving in to the surprise and delight that overtakes her. "Oh! Maea!" Her arms open readily as the Ancient's do, squeezing the woman firmly. "I sure hope it's me! Though if you know anyone I can be easily confused with, I need to meet them to establish my superiority," she titters humorously, as if it isn't a painfully true statement. Stepping back to quickly visually inspect the Loreseeker, the Valkyrie smiles warmly. "Are you staying long? I'm afraid I just bartered with this lovely fellow to use his forge to glassblow for a few hours, so I can't join you if you're shopping." Maea doesn't seem the type, but Alys hadn't either and that hadn't stopped Hotaru in the least - it's how she'd ensnared the woman as a friend.

I used to sing about being free
Oh, baby, look what you've done to me

Maea

Oh, when the world is burning

Embracing a summer's day. Catching a sunbeam in her arms. It was the best way she could describe what it was like to hug Hotaru. And for all its warmth it was a fleeting experience, leaving the likes of Maea - cold and shadow grown - a touch breathless and entirely charmed.
"There could never be another like you," she assured, "I just wasn't sure it wasn't some illusion conjured by wishful thinking on my part. I'm glad it's not  - I'm so happy to see you."

Under the Valkyrie's two-toned gaze, the smile on the petite ancient's lips only highlighted that Maea had seen better days. Dark circles beneath her eyes and a thinness about her face spoke of sleepless nights and a lack of attention to basic self care. The dark dress, figure hugging and almost harsh against the pale complexion looked a bit loose on her, gaudy against the backdrop of the forge - like a costume, or a teen digging into anothers wardrobe when her own was found unsatisfying.

"As long as you'd like, I'm just on my way home," Maea replied, warmth touching her tired eyes. "Don't think I've ever seen glass being made... can I watch? Or better yet, tell me how I can make myself useful." Needing no encouragement or reasons to linger, it rather seemed she was more than eager to postpone the homecoming.

Don't walk away

Hotaru

I know they'll be coming to find me soon
But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you

If Hotaru is sunshine then Maea is snow, and though she melts in the Valkyrie's arms and gleams with light of her own like delicate hoarfrost, that chill still lingers and tickles at Ru's awareness to signal that something isn't quite right. Patient as ever, Hotaru doesn't press or pry just yet and instead wrinkles her nose in a playfully teasing expression at Maea's clarification. "Do you think of me often, then? You're so sweet." Once upon a time Hotaru might have yearned to be in the heads of everyone she possibly could be, but she's quite content to cultivate her power anew in the peaceful pastoral fields of King's End with little interruption from outsiders. "I'm glad to see you too," she adds on warmly, balancing her teasing with reciprocation.

Tired and weathered as she seems - though Ru can't gauge whether the affliction is physical or mental - it's convenient to drag her along on this particular errand. If the fire cannot rejuvenate her, perhaps time with a friend will.

"Of course! Honestly, Ancients can make a fortune as glassblowers; the tools I can use to shape the glass are limited, using your hands would achieve so much more detail." Hotaru had utilized magic where the tools had failed her - take that, anti-Abandoned Grounders - but Ancients could blow that creativity straight out of the water. "The forge is already hot, so let's start melting shards together in the crucible first." Ru pulls Maea into the forge by the hands with an encouraging smile that leads the way as she maneuvers backward to settle them both by the forge's oppressively hot mouth. 

From her hip pouch comes a large array of glass chips of varying colors but decently uniform size, tinkling merrily as she pours them into the fire-clay container she'd also brought to avoid cross-contamination with the forger's metal-specific materials. The Valkyrie steps aside to provide Maea room as she points into the heart of the forge's fire with one hand and extends the clay container with the other. "Put it as close to the center as possible, and nestle it down into the coals beneath the charcoal layer if you can please." Tongs could do the job decently but Hotaru suspects Maea might need this time to feel useful and involved. Something in her gut - or maybe Ru just remembers seeing that expression in her own mirror so many times over the years, and recalls what little had helped her back then when she hadn't known how to talk about it.

I used to sing about being free
Oh, baby, look what you've done to me

Maea

Oh, when the world is burning

Blushing as one caught with a secret, Maea laughed weakly. The warmth that flooded her at Ru's simple expression of affection threatened to go straight to her head, and as she was led towards the forge in the open welcome she had come to associate with the Valkyrie, Maea had to blink against a burn in her eyes that had grown too familiar as of late.

Focusing on what Hotaru was unpacking instead, the colorful shards of broken glass drew a delighted little smile to her lips that brightened her expression. Theywere beautiful, and Maea was surprised by the notion that Ancients might be proficient at creating anything that wasn't bloody and gruesome. She cast a glance at her hands, recalling what Hadama had said while teaching her about blacksmithing...
"Yeah? That's... admittedly wonderful to hear. That we're good for more than killing and ruining things, I mean."

Accepting the crucible after rolling up her sleeves, she reached into the forge and nestled it into the blazing coals. Having to reach quite a bit to center it, she came away with a streak of soot on her cheek and steam wafting from the pale arm.
"Glass is made from sand, right? Is any kind of sand good?"

Don't walk away

Hotaru

I know they'll be coming to find me soon
But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you

If there is frailty in Maea's laugh or a new shine to her eyes, Hotaru does not bring attention to either. Confiding in someone can't be rushed, and there is plenty of time involved in the making of glass. It's a perfectly therapeutic pastime. Frankly she's happy to share her joy of the hobby whether Maea finds any relief in it or not.

The woman's murmured response is a glaring sign of what may yet be bothering her, but Hotaru has more tact than confronting it head on. Nevertheless she clicks her tongue in a lighthearted tut. "Well of course you are. You're a person, are you not? That's like saying Abandoned are only capable of craving godhood." Though she'd certainly heard similar sentiments in her time in Caido. But look where they are now. "You're no more confined to your race than you are your hair color, dove." Though the playful narrowing of her eyes makes it clear she's forbidding facetiousness, because hair dye does exist thank you.

Reaching up to thumb away the soot swiftly - as Maea would likely either duck away or fluster if she knows her at all - Hotaru distracts with an answer hot on its heels. "Yes and no. The amount of sand, salt, and various metal deposits change the quality of the glass. The type of sand from beaches is the most common and stable, so it's quite prolific." And precisely what they're making today, as Hotaru doesn't need the properties that that others provide for something as simple as a decoration."Melting down existing glass is simply more efficient. It only takes a few minutes." Less than four usually, so they're nearly there already. Peering in, Hotaru ignores the tongs and instead pulls out the mold she'd brought. "If you'll check it's fully liquid and bring it back out, we can begin pouring it into the mold here."

I used to sing about being free
Oh, baby, look what you've done to me