{SE} mind my wicked words
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
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MP: 9427
#1
Hotaru
Hood pushed back despite the new snap of cold, Hotaru’s golden hair is her signifier as she walks through the streets of Snowcloak with a bundle in her arms. It is tied neatly, with a small note tucked between the folds that says Cordelia & Noah in elegant, inky script. Within are baby clothes from Flora and Enzo’s newborn days, as well as their toddler and middling years. She’d kept them for nostalgic reasons, and though the most precious items remain in her care, it feels cathartic to depart with the rest after seeing Enzo one last time. She knows how hard it is to carry twins, much less rear them, and though she has little love in her heart for Cordelia (and much less after the war) Noah is still precious to her, and as a mother she can at least extend a small measure of goodwill after not attending their wedding.

As she walks a few call out to her in greeting, and Hotaru responds in kind. It’s a long walk, but she doesn’t mind the fresh air. She’s trying to get out more these days, especially with the Academy mere days from opening. Though the pitying looks still grate, still make the darkness inside croon with cruel thoughts and intentions, the woman never lets it show. Caido has stripped her of most of her manipulative, wonton ways, and in some ways that’s a shame, but she has lost too much to mourn the small things. Pausing to examine the newest game in the glass storefront of her preferred butcher, the Valkyrie revels in a brief moment of silence, holding her parcel loosely to her hip.
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#2
Compared to Hotaru's dignity, Tal trudged through the snow, each footstep dragging like a man on his way to his execution. Every few minutes a mournful sigh would heave from his lungs to float frostily in the still air, and he held the package in his arms like it was a live, venomous snake; something that he didn't dare let go of for fear of being bitten by it.

Boreal ranged ahead of him, disgustingly cheerful and amused at her human's blue funk - the traitor - as she greeted neighbors and regular Seawright customers with a wag of her scaly tail and a huff of friendly smoke.

Spotting Hotaru, however, brought an affectionate croon from the big companion's throat as she shouldered through the handful of people between them to come up next to the Valkyrie and lean her tall shoulder into the Valkyrie's hip, falling into step beside her as Tal scrambled to catch up. He perked up a little from his fugue as he recognized the blonde, momentarily distracted from his reluctant task. "Oh! Hey, Ru. Where y'goin'?"
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 2,241 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#3
Hotaru
A draconic croon draws her attention away from the glass and what lay behind it, and Hotaru smiles easily at seeing Boreal shouldering her way through passerby towards her. Shifting her parcel to be held to her hip with one hand, she drops the other to caress the dragon's scaly head as it butts against her other side. "Hello, sweet girl." Before she can ask where her bonded is, the man himself ducks past a shopper and comes into view, and Hotaru lifts her head to aim her smile towards him next.

"Good morning, Talyson," her fair tones greet warmly. Eyeing his own package - held far more distastefully - she quirks an eyebrow but leaves it for the moment. "I'm heading to the Olsons, I have a gift for them for the season. Are you also heading that way?" It would be quite the irony, but odder things have happened in Caido, and Cordelia's pregnancy is well-known.
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#4
Boreal - who was always pleased to be recognized as simply the best girl - chortled happily and bumped her head higher into Hotaru's caress, shameless in her enjoyment of the attention. Tal, catching up, just rolled his eyes at her antics, trying not to let the smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.The mention of the Olsen household had both brows rising in surprise, knowing what he did of Ru's opinion of Delia. But Delia wasn't the only one at that particular household...

"Noah, huh? I'm actually goin' to, uh..." he trailed off, the grimace returning as he balanced the box out of long habit so he could reach up to rub the back of his neck. "Um. Evie's," he mumbled reluctantly. "Since she's... y'know. Helpin' with your Academy an' all. Mysistermademebakeheracake," he finished, rushing the words and scowling down at his feet as he did so.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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MP: 9427
#5
Hotaru
Hotaru laughs quietly under her breath, endeared as always by Boreal’s insistently friendly nature, and how at odds it is with her bonded’s. She laments not having treats for a brief moment before Talyson takes up the silence, and though she turns her attention to him, neither seems intent on moving just yet so she continues her gentle scratching until Boreal is inevitably distracted again.

The mention of Noah makes her laugh, bell-like and entirely at odds with what follows. “Noah’s name is a shadow that casts my immense distaste of Cordelia into convenient obscurity, that is all.” Unlike others who may be attempting such bridging of gaps this season, Ru will always tell it like it is. Though his own admission has her arching a brow, intrigued. They’ve never talked about it directly, but as the closest thing to a sister Deimos could have without being blood related, the Valkyrie hears things. And she is far from unobservant. “She was gracious enough to let me take it over; it was initially her own project, admittedly. So I’m glad.” She is far too elegant for it to be a pointed jab, but it’s not without meaning either. Turning to begin her journey anew, she invites Tal to her side with a graceful gesture of her hand. “Will you ever tell me why you dislike her so? We’ve never discussed it, and I have no reason to insist we do, but I am admittedly curious.”
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#6
The boy and his dragon were polar opposites in their outward natures, but perhaps that was why the hatchling dragon had chosen this particular human to bond with in the first place. He had been a lonely soul when he'd found her, but she forced him out of his shell - and in return seemed to take endless amusement in the social situations she dragged him into. Being able to receive well-deserved attention from Hotaru, whose clever fingers could find some of the best places to scratch, was just icing on the cake today!

Ru's laugh brought a wrinkle-nosed smile and nod of understanding from the courier as her words belied the cheer in her voice. Delia was his friend, but he'd heard a lot of grumbling after the War about her conduct, and not just from Hotaru. Delia's actions that day had done nothing to endear her to a lot of people in Halo...

"I'm hopin' t'do some more trainin' with him," Tal admitted a little shyly. "While he's still got the time." Because once Cordelia popped out the babies he doubted he'd see much of either parent for a long, long time after.

He really didn't want to get asked into any babysitting duties.

But admitting his own mission for the day opened a whole new can of snow wyrms and Tal sighed heavily, scowl returning in full force as the topic turned to Evie. At Hotaru's question he tensed, however, ducking his head as he kicked at a clump of snow. "Well... Deimos asked me that, once. An' then he got mad an' stopped bein' my friend. So...I haven't really talked about it with anyone since." But this was Hotaru asking. And though she might chide him it was hard to imagine her flying into a self-righteous judgmental flurry the way Delia had the one time he'd tried to talk about it with her.

Yeah, that hadn't gotten very far.

His scowl somehow managed to deepen, though he still refused to look up, shoulders tensing defensively anyways. "Look. I guess I... made some assumptions, okay? She had stuff in common with those Launceleyn assholes. An' I figured she was another power-grubbin' Zariah. My sister remembered her hangin' around the ol' Tyrant, an' the first Academy. An' when she hadn't even lived here that long an' suddenly she wanted t'take over Halo an' be Warden with Deimos? I mean... it sure as hail looked like she was just makin' a power grab." Boreal let out an eloquent snort and he shot the dragon a subdued glower. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Turns out maybe... maybe she isn't as bad as all that after all. But when she showed up it was like... Deimos only had eyes for her. An' it sucked. An' I just wanted things to go back to how they were before. Without her around." The words managed to both be dragged out of him and come out all in a rush as he seemed to be seriously contemplating dropping the cake box that was starting to crumple in his hands.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
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#7
Hotaru
She takes no offense to his desire to train with the demigod over herself, though it would be easy to draw such implications. Though curious about what training he has done thus far with Noah, it's not the appropriate time to ask given the more pressing questions on her own tongue. One that causes his fair mood to dissipate like fog beneath the summer sun. Still, it is a necessary cruelty; poison would endlessly circulate in the bloodstream if not given a chance to bleed free, and sometimes the sharpest and swiftest scalpel was the kindest pain to inflict.

Listening in silence, Hotaru merely continues along the cobblestone as they walk together. And, when it seems he has run out of steam for the moment - at the cost of the crumpling cake box - she sees fit to interject. First, she gently lays a hand over his own closest to temper the destruction of the parcel in his hands. Her hands are bare now with the Academy's blessing, making the small curl of her fingers around the joints of his own more obvious to the eye, a silent nudge to release his tension in another way.  

"Well, that's quite a lot," she says mildly, free of amusement lest he believe she does not take his concerns seriously. In fact, moments later, she frowns slightly in preparation of the unfortunate clarity she must provide. "Firstly, I'm afraid unless you change your own stance on Evie naturally and readily, Deimos' favor may be impossible to win again. And may yet remain that way even if you do." Her golden hair trembles as she shakes her head minutely, somber. "Regardless of whether your fears and suspicions were well-meaning or well-placed, that's not for me to decide. I have held grudges for far less, personally. I'm certainly in no place to point fingers or accuse anyone of pettiness or illogical conclusions." Case in point, she lifts the parcel for Cordelia a little to gesture to it. Hotaru's moods and affections have always been volatile, stormy; her loyalty nigh impossible to win, and eternal because of it.

"But, as someone who has known Deimos longer than nearly anyone, and as closely as family..." the Valkyrie sighs, a truly remorseful act that has moisture clinging to her cheeks and clouding her features. "You may have to resign yourself to your relationship with him being broken. Deimos does not forgive easily. When his trust and esteem is broken, I have scarcely ever seen him change his mind." Switching her heavy parcel to her other hip, the Valkyrie looks out over the bustling pathway before them to provide Talyson the privacy she suspects he will need to conceal his visible reactions, or at least to feel as if they aren't being keenly observed. "Deimos' heart is more well-guarded than any I have ever seen. In suspecting his loved one, for reasons he surely took personally given his own history in Halo and beneath Zariah's rule, you cast his own judgment into question - your own trust in him. Not to mention that Deimos will weather nearly any hatred or suspicion of his own character, but he will not abide the same of his loved ones - at least not to his face." Silence would have been the better course of action in this case; patience, surveillance. Deimos would turn an intentionally blind eye in most cases, would try to give time for the warring parties to settle their own matters; Gods knew he'd done it enough for Hotaru, never stepping on her independence to try and settle wrongs on her behalf. "Explanations and insight aside, I suppose what I should really ask is - what do you want to happen now?" Stopping, she steps off to the side of the street to turn a focused, intense gaze upon Talyson, brows slightly drawn. "Are you capable of only having a professional relationship with Deimos from here on out? Because if not, the road ahead of you leads only two ways - either you forsake any relationship with him entirely, professional or otherwise, or you work as you never have before to try and repair what he may not want fixed."
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#8
Never fear, Hotaru! Tal would be training with her, too, and every chance he could get. Even though he was coming into his own strength and confidence as a fighter his respect for her and her experience - though usually couched in teasing and braggadocio - meant that she would find him at her door, season after season, finding any excuse to spar if the gods didn't see fit to provide one. But he trained with others, too, learning from their different strengths and approaches.

The question of Noah had a particularly Frey-ish answer this time around, but the ex-Warden was quickly forgotten in the rush of hurt and guilt and misery that accompanied speaking of the current one. Her hand on his may have stopped the distracted destruction of the offering, but for once even her touch wasn't enough to lift the weight upon his heart that bowed his head. He watched her fingers curving around his own and though he didn't pull away he didn't relax, either. Trusting her and afraid to trust at the same time, after having been burned before.

But it was Hotaru at his side this time. He had given her a piece of his heart to hold two years ago and she had never betrayed that trust since. Nor did she now. Though the Valkyrie's honesty was blunt and precise she delivered her words without judgment or rancor, and the pain that followed was neither new nor unexpected as she laid out his fears with a compassion he would appreciate later.

After the pain had subsided enough to see past it again.

Whatever the reasons, the justifications, the excuses, the pleading that circled in his head, Tal kept them all locked behind his teeth, knowing that nothing he said now would change what had been done. Nor would saying them to Hotaru change Deimos's mind. They were empty words, nothing more, but--

But.

What did he want?

Tension flashed through him then; anger and frustration at wanting the impossible. It was a momentary thing, brief in its intensity but unsustainable in the face of the reality of his situation and a moment later he slumped, leaning into Hotaru's side and for once not caring if anyone saw or commented.

"I dunno. He... he was my first real friend in... in a long time. I l-- cared about him too damn much. Guess I still do. I dunno that I'll ever like that woman." A ghost of his usual scowl tried to pull at his lips, but the flash of anger had left nothing in its wake for the moment to feed his grudge and it faded almost before it began. "An' I'm not any better at lyin' about it now than I was before the War. An' Ru? I don't want t'lie t'him about it. About anything."

He was silent for a moment, but there was a tension still that spoke of words yet to come. He borrowed her strength for a little while longer before straightening again, and when he raised his head to meet her gaze there was pain in his own pale eyes.

But there was acceptance, too.

"I apologized to him. An' every time I've tried t'talk t'him or help Halo out for his Warden stuff he just gets more pissed off at me. I've spent a year tryin' t'fix things, an' you're right. He doesn't... doesn't care. Doesn't want it fixed. I dunno what else t'do anymore. Everythin' I do just seems t'make it worse, an' every time he glares at me like he can't stand the sight of me it... it kills me a little more inside. But I won't grovel for him, Ru. If that's what it takes t'earn his forgiveness... he's not the man he used t'be."  

There was a traitorous wetness in his eyes and he could only blink fiercely to try and clear it, not entirely successfully, both hands full of the box that was still mostly intact though decidedly the worse for wear now.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 38 - Dext: 38 - Endr: 54 - Luck: 40 - Int:
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#9
Hotaru
She appreciates the silence he lapses into; Hotaru has scarcely ever spoken a word she didn’t consider from all angles, and his attentiveness was all she could ask for, especially knowing his at times spitfire spirit. Despite her closeness with Deimos, he could trust her to be altruistic in these matters. Blunt where necessary, but never unkind.

But as they stand on the side of the street, citizens passing by them with their own lives on the forefront of their minds, her eyes do soften more than they would for anyone else she could give advice to. She does not have many cherished loved ones anymore, and such expressions seem rarer and rarer even to herself.

“The vitriol you use with her name - do you think he doesn’t notice it, even after your apology?” While she rankles a little at the slight misogyny in the way he says woman, she lets it roll off her shoulders. When you are as morally darkened and willfully sexualized as Hotaru, such things are the norm. “You apologized, yes. But for which part?” It’s a rhetorical question, as she forges ahead only after a lingering moment tk let the gears begin to turn in his head. “Which part do you think hurt him worse; that you questioned his judgement? Because people do that every day, Tal. So I’m afraid you may have apologized for a wound that wasn’t there.” At least, she assumes. Hotaru truly has no idea how the apology went down, what was or wasn’t said, but she usually is rather accurate in her guesses when they are familiar individuals.

“If you do not want to lie about how you see her, but you don’t want to change your own biases and views despite admitting you may have been wrong, then you are not ready to make the apology he needs to hear to fix this. He’s not waiting for groveling - he’s waiting for change. In fact Hotaru knows Deimos would only look further down on things like groveling. In that, Talyson is partially correct. The Sword hasn’t changed so much as to be unrecognizable; he is merely a man in love.

Smiling sadly as his pale eyes meet her own, she lays her hand overtop his once more and this time lets it linger, squeezing slightly. “He loves her. You hating her is a rift he cannot bridge on his own behalf, not only because he respects her individuality but because of his commitment to her. You value his loyalty when it comes to his commitment to Halo, or the Shields - you cannot then despise that loyalty when it is to his beloved.” For wasn’t that why he’d trusted Deimos as Warden despite being equally an outsider and an Outlander? “But Tal if you aren’t ready to change your mind, or even if you decide you never want to,” she makes sure to emphasize, wanting him to know she of all people would not judge the continuation of his grudge. Ru lifts her hand to gently touch his shoulder, peering more intently into his eyes now with the last of what she has to say. “Then you must accept that your relationship can only be purely professional.” Pulling her hand back so as not to overstay her physical welcome, the Valkyrie readjusts her parcel and softens her expression. “People change, Tal. You have more friends than you did before. It will hurt to lose him, yes, but it is a hurt that unfortunately lies within your control - what do you value more, your grudge, or his friendship?”
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
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#10
Tal was still struggling with a filter, but Hotaru's insights and her question had given him a great deal to think about and forced him to confront truths he had been hiding from for months. It took time to put his feelings into words, but her patience as much as her presence at his side gave him the strength to do so. Boreal was silent and still as she stood between the two humans, feeling her bonded's pain and, for once, her exuberant spirit was dampened as Tal's heart broke in spite of the love that she filled their connection with, stalwart and steadfast in joy as well as sorrow.

But the Valkyrie wasn't about to let him wallow in martyrdom. She prodded at the sore places where he'd failed in his words and understanding of Deimos with uncanny precision and he flinched as several of the cuts struck home. Some, but not all, and when her hand returned to his he drew a breath, giving a slow shake of his head as to his hatred of Evie... and then again at Deimos's loyalty. He didn't pull away from her; her touch was appreciated and he welcomed the warmth of her hand as well as her heart.

But it was the final phrasing which brought him up sharply, hands tightening on the box again as the hurt in his eyes deepened.

"I don't like her. But I don't hate her," he grumbled, voice low as his eyes dropped to the box again, and the reluctant gift within. "She's not... Not as bad as the Launceleyns. I get it. I can even work with her, if I have to. Done it before." Blood on the snow, the stone, the gates. Red and black. Black and red. Delia fled and just the Evergreen and the courier to hold back the dark at the door when the world was ending.

Other times, too. But that memory would always be strongest.

"Still don't entirely trust her. But it's not... it's not even about that. 'Course I want his friendship. But I can't just flip a switch an' like someone that waltzed right in an' took everythin' I wanted. An' even if I could... you just said it might not matter. He might still hate me." The burn started in the back of his eyes and he swallowed hard as Boreal leaned against his leg, crooning so softly it was more felt than heard. His own voice dropped to a whisper, rough and thin as the fear he'd never dared gave shape to finally escaped."Or worse... not care enough about me for even that.

When he looked up there was grief in the thin, gaunt lines of his face. A wound in his heart that bled out his eyes as he sought answers from the Valkyrie that he had lost hope of gaining from the Sword. "You talk about his loyalty t'her an' everyone else... what happened to his loyalty to me?"
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
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#11
Hotaru
She doesn’t want to hurt him, but he hurts regardless. Even without her intervention and attempt at guidance, he was hurting long before now. All she can hope to do is bleed the poison free, and give him a chance at healing. It’s rare for her to desire that for someone instead of utilizing their clouded thoughts to her own advantage, but such were the woes of unintentionally bonding with an unexpected soul.

“Much as you’ll loathe hearing it, you will only be able to begin to trust her by being around her more. She has yet to fail Halo, yes, but I suspect you see her as merely half of the ruling force - tempered, perhaps, by Deimos. You cannot truly change your mind on her unless you spend time with her directly. Give her a chance to show her true colors, no matter their shade - perhaps she’ll even prove you right.” Eyes dropping to the cake box, she tilts her chin at it intentionally. “Regardless, you’re on the right track. Some medicine is merely harder to swallow.”

Shaking her head sharply at his next words, the Valkyrie sets her package down in the snow to free her hands. She talks far too much with them in lieu of actual words to deprive herself of them now. Settling one on Talyson’s elbow, Ru turns to face him fully. “No, I can tell you with certainty that Deimos would have respected your wariness. I don’t know what all has transpired, but I can assure you his grievance isn’t with that.” Ru herself had expressed all manner of narrow-eyed suspicions and half-accusations at people from his past, and he had weathered her sourness every time. “It’s true he may never bring you as close as he once did. He may never forgive you. But Deimos is a far more reasonable man than you or I. He would never forbid you a chance to try to rebuild your esteem in his eyes. That is a chance only friends - former or otherwise - are allowed.” Any others could consider their bridge burned eternally. Would it potentially take many years? Yes. Hotaru would not give him undue hope. But as an outsider, it did not seem all was lost yet.

That does not make his fears unwarranted however, though only because Ru doesn’t truly know how deep their friendship ran before this rift, or what all Tal (or Deimos) had said or done to widen it. She hadn’t been present in Halo at all for the inception or cultivation of their companionship. As such, it’s a hurt she can’t ease, and the regret is plain on her face for it. But a question? That, she can answer. Or at least attempt to.  

“I am going to assume you’ve never been truly in love,” she starts gently, intent on not having her words mistaken as a tease of some kind. “To start, loyalty is not one-dimensional. My loyalty to you is far different than my loyalty to Deimos, and even more different to the loyalty I have for my children. Frankly? It is plainly less.” In terms of lovers, she has none to speak of anymore, and the void in her words is obvious. There is a brutal plainness to her admission to her loyalty to her children and family being far greater than any friend could achieve. “Arguably, Deimos has known Evie - and been her close friend - even longer than you. Would his loyalty not then be stronger regardless of their entanglements simply because of history?” Shaking her golden head, Hotaru smiles wryly. “Or did you not know? They were very good friends in the Grounds. She attended his wedding when even I did not. He was her General when she briefly was voted in as ruler of the Grounds. His judgment of her spanned many years, Tal. How is it not fair to expect him to honor that history and familiarity above you?” Not that she would ever imply it didn’t hurt to happen, she merely wants to make him think. “The exact same way you trusted him more because of his longer years in Halo. Were more loyal to him than Evie, despite neither being native Halovians. Both come down to time. Do you see what I mean?”
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#12
Oh, he did not like hearing that Ru wanted him to spend time with Evie. No, he did not, and his nose wrinkled in immediate, knee-jerk refusal of the idea-- but he kept his protest behind his teeth for once, willing to listen to the Valkyrie even if he didn't agree with her. He followed his gaze to the cake box and managed a jerky, morose nod of acknowledgment that something resembling an effort was being made, however gracelessly on his part and at least partly enforced by his sister.

Pale eyes remained lowered as she continued, however, and he swallowed hard until Ru reached out and turned him to face her properly. He couldn't avoid her gaze when he was already looking down and she, petite and proud and lethal, was looking up. Not, at least, until he turned his head to the side, unable to meet the compassion in her green-and-grey eyes. Disagreement again, but this time despairing that he would have any chance at all with the Warden who seemed to have nothing but disdain, disappointment, and anger for the Natural courier regardless of their previous relationship - or perhaps even moreso because of it.

Her assumption about him struck like a blow and for the first time Tal did flinch, fingers flexing involuntarily and half-crushing the edges of the box and the cake within. Guilt - shame? - and fear flashed briefly across his face before he bit his lip and tried to bring himself under control. Boreal snorted and backed up, pale eyes wide and wings half-unfurling as she crouched and then leapt to the sky with lumbering wingbeats, fleeing for her bonded when he could only stand rooted, wingless and lost. The whirl of thoughts in his head roared louder even than Hotaru's voice for a moment and he didn't react - didn't seem to hear - the blade of honesty that comprised her own tiers of loyalty and where he fell on them.

It was the revelation of Deimos's previous relations with Evie - the meat of them, when Tal had only known in the very broadest stroke that they had been acquainted in the past - that brought him slowly back to the present, a shiver still sliding through him in spite of Frey's cuff upon his wrist that should have blocked the worst of the cold.

But this cold was one of the spirit, and the courier's stubborn core finally reasserted itself though he squeezed his eyes closed to avoid seeing the pitiless honesty reflected in his friend's calm gaze. He could admit to himself that she had a point, but her point came with an edge that cut him to the core. "That can't be right," he protested, his breath quick and shallow. "I can't... can't believe that's right. 'Cause if it is than she... Ru, he knew her before he knew Halo, didn't he? If they were friends before... before the portals brought him here. So he'd be more loyal to her than...than all of us. Halo itself. An' he's the Warden. I know he's not... not like that." Even if Evie was currently a Warden, too, however much Tal avoided thinking about it. Deimos might have been an Outlander, but unlike the Grounder he'd belonged to Halo from the moment he set foot upon the snow, regardless of how long he'd spent in other places before he found his way home.

But throughout the conversation Tal was being forced to confront that perhaps he knew Deimos a great deal less than he had thought. And that was a drought just as bitter as the loss of the man he'd respected more than anyone else still living.
Hotaru Kaito
the Valkyrie
Masseuse / Headmistress

Age: 33 | Height: 5'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
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#13
Hotaru
Wanted him to spend time with Evie? Not in the least, Hotaru certainly has no personal stakes here, but it was the only logical suggestion she could provide. How else would he come to dissolve his bias against her? Nevertheless, it's obvious his reaction to the suggestion, if Boreal's disappearance implies anything. Sighing softly - and not exactly hiding it, frankly - the Valkyrie turns a quiet expression back to Talyson's clear struggling. While her heart would rather end it here and comfort him, it's clear he has been suffering over Deimos' frostiness for over a year now. What was the better, bitter pill? To hurt a friend immensely if it meant less pain on the horizon, or to stay your hand knowing they would simmer for so much longer in their agony?

His stuttering, trailing thoughts are difficult to parse, but they make her golden brows furrow in true confusion. "Do you think Noah - a Natural Halovian - would forsake all of Halo for Cordelia or his brother, merely because he knew them longer?" There is a genuine bafflement to her voice, because it's not the conclusion she expected him to come to at all. A leap of illogical sentiment she didn't even know was possible, a willful desire to see the worst in Deimos, in any emotional attachment beyond Halo. "If you felt Deimos would do that for anyone - for me as his sister who knew him before he even came to Caido, or even a child he may have in the future - why did you vote for him?" It's frank, but not unkind in its delivery; merely stunned. If Tal felt Deimos would forsake all of Halo for the love of one woman, why endorse him as Warden? "If this is how quickly you question his character, after years of seeing him give everything for Halo - of him proving himself to not only you, but everyone here - maybe it’s no surprise you hurt him enough to distance him."

It's certainly enough to hurt her, though she is far better at hiding it than Talyson, and it's partly why she doesn't follow up such a hurtful phrase with something kinder. Because - was she not exactly the same? Someone devoted entirely to Halo, but with a past that would always ensure loyalty and love for individuals beyond the land's borders? At least Evie was similarly devoted to Halo, unlike some of Hotaru's lovers; Wessex, Sunjata, Nate. But she had faced down Wessex and Nate both during the invasion, had ousted Morgan knowing it would enrage both of them. Would Talyson doubt her immediately, as he does now, if someone merely pointed out that she knew them longer than she knew Halo was even a country?

It's a thought that makes a cold sense of betrayal settle uneasy in her bones, and she keeps her face blank to not show the sick feeling that coalesces in her gut. All the same she moves the bundle in her arms to hold it against her chest unconsciously. If Talyson's loyalties and respect were so ephemeral, perhaps now would be the moment she lost him too. But she will bear that loss with her eyes on his; if he wants to throw her away because he doesn't like what she has to say - what she says to try and help him - then he will have to be man enough to look her in the eyes when he does it. She has not been granted the respect of that too many times in recent history. If he walks away, Hotaru wants the justice of seeing his back. She will not be robbed of her closure once more.
I've set a course for losing you
I've no remorse for what I do
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
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#14
Boreal's reaction had not been to Hotaru's suggestion but rather to her assumption and the conflicting emotions that had swept through the courier in response to it; but the dragon couldn't explain and the man was given no chance to when the Valkyrie continued in a welter of words that tangled and twisted into Talyson's heart in a conclusion that he refused to accept - though in the end that caused even more misunderstandings between them.

It was, perhaps, the comparisons she drew that continued to confuse him, and all he could do was shake his head in negation at what she said about Noah, but he was given no time to answer or explain before another question followed on its heels--

And before he could even try to answer that she cut him down where he stood and left him bleeding in the snow. Pale eyes stared at her in shock, confusion warring with betrayal at how quickly she twisted his words. The box with its cake dropped from nerveless fingers to land at their feet, and whatever grudging good intentions had gone into the gift earlier in the day, Evie would be understandably challenged to find anything salvageable from it now.

"You were th'one who said knowin' Evie longer meant he'd honor her 'bove other loyalties," he retorted, voice choked with hurt as he took a half step back from her. "More recent ones. Like me, sure, but I'm not th'only thing he hasn't known as long as her. I heard th'implication loud'n clear, an' I was the one who couldn't believe Deimos'd do that t'Halo. But fuckin' hail." His hands were free of the weight of the gift and he wrapped them around his chest as if to hold closed the reopened injuries both old and new that had been left there. Deimos. Delia. And now Hotaru.

He met her eyes, walking wounded but not walking away from her in spite of the damage her words inflicted. He hadn't walked away from Deimos, either. It had been the Sword who had walked away from him, those many months ago. Hotaru knew better than anyone how much deeper the knife wielded by a loved one could go compared to any mere enemy's blade. And for all his many faults and weaknesses perhaps the greatest was how deeply he loved those few he had given his heart to.

Hotaru among the foremost of them.

"I'm not th'one jumpin' t'question a friend's character." he rasped, fighting to keep the betrayal out of his voice and not entirely succeeding. He wore his heart on his sleeve even when he tried to emulate Deimos's stoicness, and even two years back among regular human contact hadn't taught him to hold a better poker face. "Thought - hoped - you knew me better'n that, Ru."


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