Hotaru
Her answering smile is more of a grimace. "Never been lucky in love have I?" she scoffs more than laughs, and swipes a drink of his whiskey that ends with a puckered grimace. This time she's the one to wave down the waitress, who eyes the Valkyrie's petite frame doubtfully before clearly deciding it's not worth the fight and returning with another glass - this time nearly doubled, so she doesn't have to come back. Playing with the glass with her free hand, reluctant to pull the other out from beneath Sunjata's, she avoids his gaze in order to find the strength to give real clarification. "Whatever we had, I cut things off after the fire. I wouldn't involve her, especially once we began planning to take over Halo. She was upset; wrote me letters, trying to convince me otherwise. When I finally settled in the Greatwood, I reached back out - but I wouldn't have if I'd known." Her voice dips low, fingers digging into the glass before she forcefully relaxes and tries to tamp down the swell of emotion.
"Maybe one day," she echoes quietly, watching his profile lit by the grey sky outside. Turning her gaze away when she senses he is going to turn back lest she be caught watching. It's not Hotaru's place to tell him these things anymore, and she rolls her tongue between her teeth with a light pressure as if warning herself to not trip up again.
"All things have their era," she murmurs, gaze soft as it finally rises to meet his. Understanding this more than anything else with how her heart still longs for Halo. "And you'll always have Torchline, whether you lead it or not. There is more than one way to love a place like this." More than one way to love most anything. Turning back to her drink Ru idly spins the glass on its own condensation. "Who knows, you might end up back here in time. The future is nebulous. Right now, it's not what's best for you, and that's okay." And she envies him for that, for the ease with which he can leave and return, the way Torchline would always open her arms for him. Still, he has earned it. Deserves it. She can't really hate him for that.
"Maybe one day," she echoes quietly, watching his profile lit by the grey sky outside. Turning her gaze away when she senses he is going to turn back lest she be caught watching. It's not Hotaru's place to tell him these things anymore, and she rolls her tongue between her teeth with a light pressure as if warning herself to not trip up again.
"All things have their era," she murmurs, gaze soft as it finally rises to meet his. Understanding this more than anything else with how her heart still longs for Halo. "And you'll always have Torchline, whether you lead it or not. There is more than one way to love a place like this." More than one way to love most anything. Turning back to her drink Ru idly spins the glass on its own condensation. "Who knows, you might end up back here in time. The future is nebulous. Right now, it's not what's best for you, and that's okay." And she envies him for that, for the ease with which he can leave and return, the way Torchline would always open her arms for him. Still, he has earned it. Deserves it. She can't really hate him for that.
But I am just a broken machine
And I do things that I don't really mean
And I do things that I don't really mean
