Something new begins to take

from the mornings you ease to the evenings you quiet
I'm always thinking of you, I'm always dreaming of you

A note on the table with her whereabouts for the day is unnecessary given the back door remains open to signal her nearness to the house, but old habits die hard. Hotaru’s golden head doesn’t appear to glow as strong beneath the Longheat sun, but it drifts and shimmers like a lazy cloud over the bare skin of her back while she toils away in the sand of the riverbank. 

Comfortably cross-legged, Ru maneuvers over her knees to scoop and comb sand together with her hands. The striking image she paints in her bikini top and frayed shorts contrasts with the childlike glee of her efforts as she splashes water from a tunneled branch she’d dug from the river to wet the sand she is clearly building into some sort of sandcastle.

the valkyrie

say my name, say I'm yours
promise we'll never be oceans apart

totally sniped from odd ilu

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

Regardless of whether or not a note is necessary, it is still very much appreciated. For that, the Flood harbors next to no worries or fears, especially with the flicker of light and the nice warm breeze blowing in from the open door. It’s his siren song’s call to her, drifting through the hallway to the door, squinting at the light as he steps out — wearing nothing more than a sleeveless black shirt and pants, aiming to soak up as much of the sun as he can.

Following the trail toward the little blip of water just outside their door, to the sand and gravel that finds itself there, the Flood can’t contain the gentle smile that graces his face — lopsided as can be to see Hotaru crafting sand castles of all things. “Sand castles?” He questions slowly, approaching to kneel beside her, letting his hand lift to run a tiny little stream through the moat she’s created like it was a tiny little river.

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu

from the mornings you ease to the evenings you quiet
I'm always thinking of you, I'm always dreaming of you

Sunjata has always been light-footed, and Hotaru has whiled away countless minutes musing over which portion of his life - which painful event - may have formulated it. Or is it simply his natural gait? Regardless, it’s not until he’s a few feet away that she even hears him given she isn’t leaning into any of her shifts for improved senses. As his shadow falls across her back the shine of her hair becomes more pronounced in the brief moment before she straightens and turns an equally brilliant smile over her shoulder.

“One last thing for Frey. It’s a beautiful day; the idea came while I was doing dishes.” The cheeky spiral of blue in the distance from the window behind the sink had enticed her more than normal today and there’d been no other tasks for the day to convince her not to answer. As water swirls at Sunjata’s command into her newly fashioned moat the Valkyrie’s side of the lax bond thrums with contentment. “I used to make them with the twins by the StoneSong, but the beach was more pebbles than sand. Can you remember when you last made one?” It’s partially what had driven her out here, the realization of how many years had passed since indulging in such a simple pleasure.

the valkyrie

say my name, say I'm yours
promise we'll never be oceans apart

totally sniped from odd ilu

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

Oh it’s a multitude of trauma and terrors from his past that allow the 6’5 man to step light footed. But he’s paid it little mind with how much it grants him in the grand scheme of everything. But there are no thoughts of shadows or sadness in the light that blossoms from his chest to see her smile so tenderly back toward him as he moves to kneel beside her. “I bet they’ll like it.” He hums — not knowing for sure, but how could they not? It was the epitome of living if one had time to take out of their days to make sandcastles, wasn’t it?

He watches as the river dances through the moat, before his attention flits up to her face. Her question harbors a hesitation through the bond before it vanishes, like he has to think hard about it. “I thiiiiink… It‘s gotta be like twenty-or so years? At least?” His nose wrinkles with the thought, shaking his head out of it as he dispels his magic and reaches forward to join her in crafting his own sand castle. “Saar and I used to slip out to the ocean when we were young. I think I was eleven?” His head tilts a little. “I never thought to make them with Kamaria.” He muses, the tone ordinarily would be sad, but something about the way he says it and the comfort and brimming excitement in the bond seems to make it that much more bright.

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu

from the mornings you ease to the evenings you quiet
I'm always thinking of you, I'm always dreaming of you

Hotaru hadn't considered the angle of self-satisfaction and the luxury of an empty schedule, but it really is fitting isn't it? "I needed to make something bigger. Building things is the most boring on the list, but you're right that it's enjoyable enough for them to approve." Not everything needs to be about sex - though Hotaru wouldn't complain if it was - and she's full to brimming with satisfaction simply sitting beside her beloved while molding damp sand.

Twenty years feels both understandable and far too long. If she hadn't had the twins, would she have gone the same amount of time as him? As his hands join hers in the process of building vague towers and walls, Hotaru smiles and bumps her shoulder into his. "And now the timer has been reset." It's never too late, as has become their unofficial motto as a couple.

Kamaria's name has an echo of feeling that usually accompanies it that is so familiar it may as well be the synesthetic representation of her existence. To not feel it - and to instead feel something brimming and bright - knocks Hotaru off-balance immediately. Her eyes rise to Sunjata's face immediately, searching for clues as her hands go still. "Are you missing her more lately?" A gentle but forward question. It's never easy, but they try to talk plainly about their emotions - their grief - these days.

the valkyrie

say my name, say I'm yours
promise we'll never be oceans apart

totally sniped from odd ilu

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

“Gasp, building things are boring?” He asks, feigning offence and flashing her a crooked smile for her trouble – because gods, if he hasn’t been doing enough building lately to satisfy him for life. Maybe if he hadn’t been an enforcer in Korofi and his father hadn’t been high born he might have stood a chance at carpentry with how often Caido asks it of him. Regardless, he’s surprisingly content as he builds the sandcastle next to her, watching her hands move through it and craft from her mind and her heart, and gods if he doesn’t find the simplicity in it all heartwarmingly sweet.

She bumps her shoulder into his and he huffs a soft laugh, bumping her back but carefully enough not to jostle her should she be placing something of importance up (he doesn’t want to be the reason the tower falls again). “The timer’s been reset.” He rumbles his agreement, falling silent to focus on his own little castle – not unlike the manor he’d grown up in – shorter and smaller than a castle and far more basic but still vast and elegant in its own right.

He feels her eyes on his face and he doesn’t quite realize if he’s slipped or not, so he lets his steel gaze slide over toward her, before he shakes his head a little. “I always miss her. But...” He admits, because he certainly knows how tender of a subject it was between the two of them… But, well… “She came down.” He drops the ball quickly – because he’s learned from her that in this relationship between them, the more forward and blunt the questions and answers were, the less fucked up their communication can get by trying to read between the lines.

But with that ball drop, the Flood stays focused on her, searching her face for a reaction alongside through the bond, with that warm sensation of calm.

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu

from the mornings you ease to the evenings you quiet
I'm always thinking of you, I'm always dreaming of you

Hotaru wrinkles her nose in impetuous girlishness at his dramatics, always delighting in such ridiculous play like a straightlaced princess getting heckled into rebellion by the farmhand only to fall in love with the feeling of being alive that he represents. It's not unlike how Sunjata makes her feel every day. "It is, interior design is far superior in the construction process," she huffs with dramatized haughtiness, flicking her hair over her shoulder in a way that intentionally slaps it over Sunjata's face - after his careful jostling of course, to preserve the structural integrity of her half-built castle.

Like waves, the ebb and flow of the moment pulls Hotaru alongside, and she subsides into focus as easy as breathing. Whatever Sunjata is feeling isn't hard to parse, but the existence of those cues is disorienting in the context of the topic. It blinds her to the possibility of anything like good news until the moment he drops it into her lap.

"She - what?" Hotaru flounders, utterly graceless in a way she'd be horrified to express in front of anyone but him. Kamaria is a...difficult topic to say the least, though Hotaru will never forget the tiny blonde girl reaching for Atlas with stars in her eyes, and the way her heart had ached like cello strings played with a taught, frayed bow. Helpless but to love any child, especially one with Sunjata's eyes. And with that in mind - and years of healing that they've worked so hard to cultivate in themselves and in each other - Hotaru pushes those conflicted feelings aside to revel in her happiness for him. "Sunny - gods, I'm so happy for you," she chokes out in a voice strained with the weight of her sincerity, reaching for him to bring him close, foreheads touching and one hand at his nape to squeeze firmly. "Why now? What - I should say, is she staying?" It's more of a whisper here in the intimate space between them, her hair a glowing curtain that shuts out the rest of the world. If the answer is no, at least he will have been able to hold her one more time. Hotaru knows how much that means.

the valkyrie

say my name, say I'm yours
promise we'll never be oceans apart

totally sniped from odd ilu

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

Snorting to Hotaru’s response, Sunjata can only offer his own boyish wrinkle of his nose, shaking his head slightly as if in exasperation. “Technically you’re still building something, though.” He points out, raising his scarred eyebrow as if saying point made, before the conversation shifts into waters that he isn’t sure he’s going to be able to navigate well – but he tries because she deserves to know, even if it is a sore subject, and she deserves to have his honesty in the face of his uncertainty of her response.

That was how they were building their life together.

Hearing her flounder, though, the Flood ceases any productive building of the sandcastle to look at the Valkyrie, to read her expressions that she now feels so open and free to share, the bond is another place he seeks out anything that may harbor apprehension or vitriol. Finding none of that but happiness, the Flood’s crooked smile beams back at her, and his cheeks flush a touch red as if uncertain how exactly to respond to the gushing of sincerity. Luckily, he doesn’t have to stay like that for too long as she pulls him in and their foreheads touch and he huffs a soft little laugh of surprise of his own. “I… I don’t know why she’s come down now. Maybe she missed me..?” They hadn’t left on good terms, but he knows she had been watching from above, in Safrin’s domain.

“I think so..? She’s older now… around Flora’s age.” To which, Sunjata isn’t sure exactly how to handle, and he openly and gladly lets the glowing curtain of his lovers hair blot out any prying eyes as he seeks out her expertise in navigating this new addition to the life they’re trying to live.

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu

from the mornings you ease to the evenings you quiet
I'm always thinking of you, I'm always dreaming of you

Hotaru makes a noise of disgust as he points out the truth of the matter, but her mouth is quick to reform into a grin after her dramatics. Some things are allowed to be feigned and concealed - some are not. Things like the truth of her feelings surrounding something as impossible and grandiose as a child returning from the stars.

Unfortunately, she isn't sure what she thinks about it aside from happy for him. That's enough for now. Hotaru won't trouble him or delay discussion about the news to examine her own emotions just yet. His uncertainty is her priority, the clamor of joy against nervousness and the fog of unclear next steps. Hotaru lifts her hand to cup his cheek as the soft glow of her hair blots out that fog. It will be there regardless; for now, she wants him to focus only on this moment.

"With age comes wisdom as they say. Maybe she wants to fix things after time away. Start again." Hotaru doesn't know how time passes or how life feels in the stars, but she wouldn't be surprised to know that the what-ifs had harangued the girl as surely as they had Sunjata. Castles abandoned, the Valkyrie's thumb brushes lovingly over the Flood's cheek, smoothing over stubble and brushing past the edges of his lashes on the return. "You - we - can move at her pace. There is room for her; in our lives, in the house..." Hotaru isn't sure she'd want that if she's Flora's age, but she needs Sunjata to hear the truth in her tone, in the calm of her side of the bond. Regardless of what she feels or might come to feel as she examines herself more, she won't spurn the young woman as she once had. No matter what that might bring. "You just tell me what you both need as you figure it out." I'm here.

- Fin

the valkyrie

say my name, say I'm yours
promise we'll never be oceans apart

totally sniped from odd ilu