HOTARU
The smoke is cloying, erupting like volcanic ash, and it blinds and disorients her enough that her fingers spark with the desire to fight back at a moment's notice. Then it's gone, just as swiftly as it had come. Leaving the entire gathered crowd blinking away the color from their vision, refocusing on the entity that arises from the case with a chortle and a cajoling sentence unraveling from its lips. Hotaru's own twist slightly, gaze momentarily diverting from the creature to the tiger that stalks closer to her, orbiting closer in turn to Deimos as he approaches. Her hand twitches, desiring to smooth between his adorable ears and along the snow-prickled softness of his fur, but she doesn't dare. In private perhaps, but he's more likely to bite a finger off in public. Whatever he says to the genie she cannot hear, but it reminds her of why they're here. This is quite like Helovia actually, and she recalls similar riddles and rhymes beckoned forth from supernatural chords, reluctant to part with their prizes. And though she is greedy, Hotaru purses her lips and contemplates before deciding. The risk of a curse, a trick, if she asks for a boon is too high. But similarly, to be under the creature's command for a boon she may not be able to deliver on is frustratingly possible. "You may ask a boon of me." She would prefer to fail a task than incur an immediate downfall.
Hotaru offers a boon!
i was a child who only wanted to heal things
now i want to be an abomination
