HOTARU
Hotaru smiles encouragingly as the young girl takes her directing, holding the cloth to her. It's imperfect but Hotaru has some clothes at home she can give the girl, not to mention she already has some on the rack in her shop that she'd be happy to supply to the newcomer. She's not normally so benevolent, but she has an undeniable soft spot for children, has to stop herself from reaching out to run her hands through the girl's hair and help untangle it. The girl stares at her, wide eyed with piercing gray eyes that make something twist in her belly. Something that reminds her of when she'd been the one in this position, when Rexanna had found her and she had...
The girl speaks and Hotaru's entire world shifts on it's axis, sitting back hard and staring stupidly at the young girl. Even just her own name, but no...a palomino, her son's name falling from the girl's lips. Cassandra's - her Cassandra's - twin. And then she's reaching forward, eyes suddenly overflowing with tears. Because she had had so little time with her youngest daughter, but of course she hadn't forgotten her name, her eyes, her soul.
"Cassie," she chokes helplessly, even as her trembling lips break into a smile. "Cassandra oh gods it's you. You came from Helovia?" She can scarcely get the question off her tongue before she's opening her arms, settling her hands unsurely on her daughter's arms. Will she even remember Hotaru? Oh gods did she think Ru had abandoned her when the world had fallen to pieces? She's suddenly terrified of the potential of rejection, but her body language projects that if Cassandra comes to her, she will fold her up in her embrace and never let her go again.
i was a child who only wanted to heal things
now i want to be an abomination
