Prayer for a cure [SE - OPEN]

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, Bastien had spent a long time trying to find the Mathair - it seemed wherever he turned in this forest, another block was awaiting him. Twists and turns dominated the place and he had no idea where he had started in relation to where he had ended up. He was about to give up when through the trees, he spotted one much larger. Practically feeling the importance of the place bleeding out with the light, he walked towards the Mathair. When he reached the grand tree, he activated his aura in case anyone was here waiting to attack. It was not impossible - he was Ascended, one of the ones responsible for the blight, and the woods were the site of infection. If anyone came close to him they would feel calm, almost sleepy, unable to attack. He knelt and begin to dig a little hole to plant his rose. I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

Hotaru hadn't exactly left the house prepared for a godly mission, so she has the roses bundled in her arms, drawing little pinpricks of blood as she conceals them from the elements beneath her travel coat. It's sufficient at least. The pull draws her out into the woods, snow whispering and crackling beneath her feet in a song she has known since she was a child. The woods are dark and deep, shadows playing beneath the Moon's Ray's, but they do not frighten her. Even with her weakened eyesight, this is familiar to her. Walls and ceilings do not resonate in her soul, and she misses the smell of pine and being able to see the sky above her whenever she wants.

Perhaps because she doesn't know where she's going, only following the celestial pull, she does not wander for long before she finds the mighty tree. Other roses are already planted here, telling her she's at least in the right spot. Hotaru relinquishes her grip on one rose, bringing it out from her cloak before she realizes she's not alone.

At first she prepares herself for a fight, not just to protect the rose but because she trusts a handful of people in this forsaken new land. But as her vision focuses she realizes she actually does know the man planting the rose at the base of the tree.

Wandering over she softly clears her throat, though if he's an Ascended he surely already knows she is there. Smiling beatifically she kneels a few places from him, digging her hands into the snow and laying the rose gently to the side as she begins digging a hole. "Mind some company?" Not that he could dissuade her now that she'd chosen a place to plant, but he had seemed a genial soul from the start. Hopefully he wouldn't mind the intrusion. Plus, safety in numbers right?

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, He heard the approaching footsteps but did not turn around. No reason to be anxious, he told himself. Everyone loved him and he was not one of the Ascended that had spread the Blight. Bastien just worked on making sure his rose was well planted, the soil packed around it so it would not fall. It was hard earth with the cold frost of the season caked on top, and he was grateful he could not feel it properly. The clearing of the throat was indication enough his new companion was not violent, so he turned to see who it was. When he saw his sister-in-law, he smiled. A chance to get to know her better was perfect. "Of course not. I have heard that plants do better when they are together. Much like people, I think." Sitting back, his rose planted, he looked up at the tree before them. It really was magnificent. "So, you come to plant a rose with an Ascended. What do you think of that irony?" He had never really been one for small talk. I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

He turns towards her when she clears her throat, and she smiles genially at him as she folds her legs beneath her hips and sinks to the ground beside him. His own smile comes to meet her, a handsome but boyish thing, and something settles in her chest. As much as she would love to give the good old shovel talk, she can tell that he and Rexanna love each other. There would be time to get to know one another, and time for him to come to understand on his own time that Hotaru would rip him apart piece by piece until even immortality could not sustain him any longer in his slow death if he ever hurt Rexanna.

Actions speak louder than words after all, so she's content to let him figure that out himself. Or best case scenario, to not.

Bastien's voice fills the space after her own, and as she begins to dig her hands into the earth, fighting against the chill and the hardened soil, she laughs. "Presumptuous of you," she says with a gleaming smirk. "I'm sure there are many plants - and people - who would disagree with you." Herself among them, chiefly. Though Hotaru had loved her people and her crown, social crowds were far different from crowds of people moving about their own lives, or gathered to hear her speak. "I'm content with just yours for now." Truth, for he was a fine fellow and one she didn't mind accomplishing this task with.

Hotaru doesn't know much about the hatred for the Ascended, but she does know enough to grasp exactly what he's asking. Humming softly, she withdraws a rose and thinks on her response, gently guiding the roots into the hole she has made and beginning to cover it with soil and snow. "I've never cared much about the opinions of people I don't know," she says frankly. "I grew up in a place and time where many were hated, rejected, even outright killed for their physical differences." There had been a time when her parents were the starring roles of the lovestory of the ages, two races never meant to come together. Crossing all boundaries for the sake of love. "But even if you choose to become Ascended, it's not your body or your alignment to a deity that defines you. It's your character, what you put out into the world." Shrugging an elegant shoulder as she fully covers the roots, Hotaru gently lifts her hands to cup the bloody bloom and smile down at it beatifically.

Then she turns her head to Bastien and her smile turns wolflike. "Frankly if anyone wants to speak a threat against my loved ones, they can attempt to say it with a missing trachea." Bastien was simply lucky that Hotaru didn't care much for godly politics in this new land where they had not won her support yet. And that he was intrinsically protected through his bond with Rexanna.

Otherwise she wouldn't have batted an eye if his corpse was found in the riot against his kind.

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, "Oh, they might think that." Bastien smiled wryly, thinking of all the wallflowers he'd known in his life. "And perhaps plenty of them are correct. But I have often found with the right combination of alcohol, smiles and music, even the most insistent stick-in-the-mud can be moved to hold hands with their fellow man." He had never been an introvert himself, which was perhaps why he saw it more as something to be overcome than the simple truth of someone's nature. Her response to his observational question was careful and measured. He found himself laughing just quietly, a huff of air out of his nose. She was like Rexanna, careful and considerate, fair. Had the air of a good ruler - was it a whole family of would-be queens? "We come from similar places then, it seems. Where I came from, the lineage and race of my ancestors was a major problem for many people. It seeped into every facet of my life." He sighed, shaking his head. While he had left Venice over a year ago now, a lifetime of prejudice did not leave ones mind so quickly. She planted her rose with the same care as he had his own, and while he watched it be rooted he couldn't help but wonder if there was truly any point to the exercise. Surely Vi knew what to do, but planting flowers in the face of an epidemic felt so traditionally ritualistic and stupid. But given his peoples role in this whole thing, he did not voice his thoughts. Best to leave it be, probably. "I am honoured to have made it into such a group as your loved ones so swiftly. Did Rexanna paint such a good light on me?" He was sure she had been honest, but he knew he was loved. "I would enjoy learning more about you, my new sister-in-law. A week ago I did not even know I would have such a person. Tell me, what were you doing when you ended up here? In Caido, I mean." I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

"At that point it's manipulation," she smirks, rubbing her cold fingers against each other to try and spark some warmth. "Though I'm not above such tactics. How much are you willing to spend on alcohol for the sake of bawdy company though?" Her dime was better spent elsewhere. If someone didn't want to be in her company, she'd sooner dismiss them from her mind entirely than try to waste her efforts convincing them. Bastien was clearly more devoted to his extroverted nature than Hotaru could ever care to be.

"A feature best extinguished than left to prosper," the Valkyrie states firmly, eyes still caught on the earth that swallows up the roots of the rose in her hand. "We may be intrinsically rotten at times, but such prejudice should be swiftly uprooted the moment the weed sprouts" Fitting comparison for how they both kneel beside their chosen flower, introducing it to the landscape. It is one thing she will never yield on. While she was not a gleaming representation of good character, she'd rather be judged by that than by her appearance. Not after so many years of seeing what it did to those she loved.

Sweet laughter rolls off her tongue at his inquiry, leveling a mischievous gaze his way. "Rexanna know better than to try to fool me with her pretty words, I've seen the company she has kept in the past." The Penumbra could try her best to convince Hotaru of the goodness of each man she was drawn into bed or into romance with, but Hotaru had stopped giving it worth. "She loves you, and so you are included in my fold. So long as you keep her happy, the light you're painted in doesn't matter to me, and your place is unquestioned." It is as much a veiled threat as it is a promise. Bastien would be the deciding factor in how he treated her sister.

Ah, and here comes the curiosity. With one final pat upon the soil, she abandons her rose after a measured glance, turning on her knees to face Bastien fully. "I was razing every realm in search of my lost children," she states simply. Hotaru had torn her way through every realm, heedless of the destruction she left in her wake, the bodies that piled as time went by and her children remained lost. "I fell through many portals before I was dropped into Caido. I did not find any of my surviving family until Rexanna came across me. I would have continued hunting forever until someone bested me and ended my life, or they were back in my arms." Though the grief will never fade, she does not let it show. She misses them, but this is a new chance at life. One she knows she'd want for her children even if she was not there, and one she hopes they'd wish for her in return. And so Hotaru keeps moving forward, grateful for the family she has found.

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, "Back in Venice, a rather shocking amount of my budget. But here? The alcohol is blessedly free. Or at least - no one asks you to pay at the bar. I am almost holding my breath waiting for a sudden bill." He had sometimes wondered if he was expected to give something back for the many drinks he'd had at the Rathskeller, but now that he barely attended anymore...perhaps they might forget the time he'd spent there, as memorable as it had been. That Rexanna's love could make him so quickly accepted was curious to him; he was so used to lovers being criticised and family gossip erupting at any new beau in noble groups back in Italy. Honestly, he thought it a little unwise. He did not have siblings, but if he did he might have wanted to form his own opinion on new dates rather than just accepting their love. Still, he wouldn't complain that Hotaru had easily accepted him. "I hope I can impress you on my own benefits soon enough, even so." What she said about her past was awful, but he couldn't help focusing on an element besides the sorrow. She mentioned jumping through portals to 'realms' so casually that he, for the first time, considered that one could intentionally do what he had accidentally slept into. "I am sorry to hear about your children. Though...ah...forgive me, I am interested. How do you go between these 'realms'? Is it so easy to find a portal?" I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

"Then surely this land is already better in many ways, I wouldn't be so hesitant in racking up a heft tab myself," the shewolf laughs with grinning, glinting teeth. If they are going to offer it so willingly, she will prey upon their kindness with her ravenous soul and thirsty mouth. They could come for her with their rattling complaints and whining tones, but she would not consent to their demands if they had so foolishly played between her outstretched claws in the first place.

Glancing up and down the man's form, a slightly more sincere smile covers her gleaming fangs, concealing her brutality for another time. "You are getting there in time." Just because he was in her circle of protection from others did not mean she would not personally be the one to tear him to shreds and find out how much he could bleed before his limbs stopped moving. Having a wolf at your back was a comfort in wartimes, but in times of famine, it could just as quickly become a curse.

A nod is all she deigns to give him at his condolences, face falling to a reserved rigor that betrays nothing as she forces away the memories. "Perhaps it was the magic of the false god that killed my homeland, still warping everything about me. He opened a rift to his own land, to steal us away, but it was...wrong. Our own gods fought back, sought control of the portal, and it became unbalanced I would assume." It was difficult to explain magic in any kind of scientific terms, so inexplicable an element as it was. It is the only explanation she can relay to the man, and one that she doubts is worth much to him. "At first I fell through many realms, for less than a day at a time. Each time was longer, so I suppose with time and distance the effect lessened until the connection finally - hopefully - snapped." If she is stolen from her family after finally getting them back, the next world she lands in is going to end in fire.

And she would burn with it.

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, Her explanation of Gods and magic was, like all things divine in Caido, difficult to understand. Still, Bastien found himself fascinated by it; it probably would not happen any time soon, but it could be possible to control the portals, find ways to make them themselves. He could visit back home, see how things had gone in his absence, show Rexanna the galleries and boats. "So many worlds...did you have a favourite?" He asked curiously. Bastien thought that if he had a chance to fall through many realms, he would try and explore each one as best he could so he could find a good one to try to return to. Sadly, he reckoned if he went through a few, Caido would not be the one he would choose. But for all it's faults, he did not hate it here. "I do hope you are here to stay. Rexanna is a wonderful sister and do you know you have a niece? I only learned of her recently. An...interesting girl. One who has a lot to forgive, I understand." It was still hard to imagine his Rexanna being the cruel mother Kiada described, but he did not doubt the story both mother and daughter had told him. I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

Hotaru hums thoughtfully, a pleasant smile on her lips, glad that Bastien does not ask her of her homeland any further. There are shades and demons down that path of memories, ones she is tired of fighting on behalf of nosy new acquaintances. "Aside from home...there was one that was entirely composed of floating islands and landmasses. Magic was everywhere, there was no fighting for it or trying to garner it from a deity. In fact there were none at all. It was a beautiful realm, and far more peaceful than I have ever experienced." There had only been small individual skirmishes, no wars or hatred steeped in the history of the land. She had healed there, her soul and her mind, and had found herself regretful when she had been forced to leave it. But she would not have found her family any other way, and for that she is grateful.

"I hope so as well," she laughs softly, not wanting to imagine what will happen if she is taken from this land. Hotaru doesn't doubt that she would likely go mad. But the mention of Kiada brightens her entire face into a childlike glow of love. "Yes, I'm aware. I was there when she was born, she was like another daughter to me. I sought her out the day after Rexanna told me she was here." Bastien's quiet doubt over Kiada's misgivings dulls her smile a little, something old and sad clouding her eyes. "Unfortunately in those days Rexanna had much to learn by way of mothering. But I believe they will make it through it, given time." She held faith in the pair of them. And even if they did not reconcile, Hotaru would always be there to act as the bridge between them. Sharing her love equally, unrestrained and unquestioning.

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, "Oh, that does sound beautiful. I do wish I could have gone exploring in some of the worlds I have been told of. While I am grateful to have experienced two, more than I'm sure many men will, I am sure it must be eye-opening to go to so many different places." It was not the same as travelling to different countries, not when things could be so different; after all coming to Caido had been a total different experience for him. For many reasons, not least of all that magic was suddenly a thing he had to actually accept. It made him laugh now, to think of his amazement when Remi first made him some ink and lifted canvases without his hands. "You do? Oh, that makes me feel good." He smiled, glad to hear Hotaru thought the situation was salvagable. He was not sure just what Rexanna had done, still found it hard to believe she could have misstepped so as a mother, but at least it could be recovered. "I...for the first time in my life, am considering having children of my own, now that I am married to my love. It terrifies me. That I could make mistakes and be remembered how Kiada thinks of Rexanna - as a parent that failed." I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

"I hear there's land yet to be discovered, here. Perhaps it will be just as rewarding for you when they are found?" Hotaru was not the type to care about such things anymore, but perhaps Bastien would find some sort of accomplishment or wonder in the unveiling of new lands. Ones that held the potential to inspire him in similar ways. Hotaru may be a conqueror at heart, but adventure had stopped pulling at her as she grew older, as she was hurtled through various new worlds whose wonders did nothing to heal the aching wounds she carried eternally. Ah, but that's far too deep and angsty for her to be pondering right now, and so she refocuses her attention on the man as she idly brushes dirt from her hands. The rose is safely planted, and they surely can't linger much longer, but running into him had been surprisingly pleasant.

A weak smile is all she can give him as he considered children. "I had many in my life, and I've found there are few things children cannot forgive when they know they are truly loved. I love Rexanna, and I'm sure if you were to have children with her she would be a much better mother. But what you may encounter with your own children is very different from what Kiada had to go through." Hotaru would always be there to support Rexanna if she wanted to become a mother again, but she didn't want him to misunderstand or blow Kiada's feelings out of proportion. "And I'll happily be an auntie to a new little baby," she says with a beaming grin.

an abomination

HOTARU

BASTIEN i am the remedy to your heart, "Possibly. Though..." He tilted his head from side to side, considering his life and the places he had been. "I suppose in some ways I am someone who likes to stay in the same place. Even when I moved countries, it was to a similar neighbourhood to my last, and I stayed in the same area of Venice for many years. Perhaps...I am made more for reading and writing, painting about exploring, not actually doing it." A sobering thought, but a truthful one. Her words on children were comforting. Bastien nodded distractedly, looking up at the Mathair before them. "My own parents...were fine, but we were never close. I think I would like to teach my child how to paint." He laughed. "Though the way of the world is that I will likely find myself with a little soldier." Though there were thankfully few wars to fight on Caido. A few months ago Bastien had thought he'd seen the beginnings of one, but it had died down before things got so serious. What he had learned in that time was just how much Rexanna meant to him, and now how much his swiftly growing family meant. "Do you...know about the upcoming Longnight? It can be dangerous." I am the carbon collected. I am the printed upon your stars.

listen to me: I was a child who only wanted to heal things

now, i want to be

"There's no shame in that," she says firmly, gazing out at the snow and ice. "Adventure is not always as rewarding as roots in my experience." Hotaru had certainly been an adventurous little child, wandering from her traveling band before she should really be away from her mother's side. She had been a very different girl then; insecure, shy, pure-hearted. But nothing would compare to being Queen of her land, to having children, and a home to always return to. In that way she could understand Bastien.

A wry grin is her initial response at the notion of children diverging from their parents' goals. "They do have a way of going the exact opposite direction of where we want. But it could still be a beloved hobby between you and your child." Hotaru had taught her children as much as she knew, even if they did not follow in her footsteps. At least they would have her knowledge as sword and shield when they faced the tumultuous reality of the world. Knowledge to lean on, to hopefully extricate themselves from dangerous scenarios if she was not there to protect them.

"I've been told of it, but not in detail. Preparations are beginning, I've mostly been helping Deimos where he needs, and will stay with him and his beloved when the time comes." Wherever that may be, or perhaps whenever was the correct term. Dusting off her snowy arms, she turns and smiles at Bastien, aware they have been lingering a little too long. "I shouldn't keep you, we both have plenty of traveling and planting ahead of us. Be safe, Bastien. It was a pleasure to speak with you." He certainly seemed a good and kindly man, and had left a positive impression in their time at the giant tree.

an abomination

HOTARU