HOTARU
He would be an attractive fellow if he wasn't seemingly half-dead and exhausted. Even so, he's certainly not the Valkyrie's type. Far too pretty-boy for her liking. And oh, what a shame it is that so many in Caido fit that bill. Her previous mate had been quite sleek, and she finds that any reminder of him - instead of being familiar and appealing - is met with rejection and discomfort. It probably didn't help the stranger's case that Hotaru had a distinct persuasion towards the feminine side of things. At first glance, the fellow was certainly missing some of the key attributes Hotaru desired. Didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with him though.
"Aw, and here I was thinking you came all this way to find me, like some sort of fairytale prince," she sighs disappointedly, full lips pursing in a subtle pout even as they twitch with amusement, wanting to lift at the corners a little too soon. His gaze out across the horizon draws her own, and her laughter springs unexpectedly from her mouth. Oh, she has heard that so many times before when bringing home newcomers to her empire. "I've lived with it my whole life, I can't quite relate. But it's always the prettiest things that are the worst to deal with." Here she shoots him a sly look, clearly alluding to both him and herself. Hotaru simply can't help herself, not when he's so receptive to her verbal dancing.
Turning her heterochromic gaze back to her collection in the basket, she draws her fingers lightly over the surface of one thick clump of moss. "Snow moss, to muffle sounds during LongNight. Winterberries and nuts, because men don't understand you can't simply eat meat all through the week, much less keep it fresh all that easily," the Valkyrie huffs, rolling her eyes even as a reluctantly fond smile blossoms on her face. Deimos could keep them singlehandedly supplied for all of the season with his meat storage, but Hotaru cared a bit more about their dietary needs to just let them rot away on red meat.
over time
even the sharpest thorns
will become soft
