i keep on running toward the fire

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

Hotaru's offer had George raising his eyebrows. "Ready to meet my mother so quickly?" he teased. "And here we haven't even gotten to dinner." For all his teasing, his smile was grateful, his gaze affectionate, and he balanced his basket in the crook of his elbow to rest his free hand momentarily over hers on his arm.

But then she was talking about her own family, about her children. Not, notably, about any past love interests, save for the one mention of a one-night stand, for which he was almost grateful. Almost. In a way, it was almost painful to consider: children, but without someone to share the successes, the trials, the tribulations with? Losing children, with no one to understand that pain? Hotaru rose in his esteem, and he squeezed her hand with his own before releasing it to steady the basket. "I'm sorry," he said softly, but without pity. He didn't try to empathize; there was nothing he would be able to say to dull that pain, even if he understood its magnitude.

"I've heard of Deimos," he said with a nod, making a mental note to try not to piss Hotaru off. Though she was surely more than capable of taking care of herself, he didn't want anyone with the moniker "The Resurrected Sword" coming after him.

Thought George was happy to listen to her talk, her next question bought with it a sense of relief. He hadn't meant to pry at old wounds, and he hoped that he hadn't put too much of a damper on the evening. At least if he could change the subject, maybe things would be fine. "I don't have any," he said. He'd never wanted anyone to end up like him, alone but for one parent. "But I like kids. I just - I'd want them to have two parents, if at all possible."

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

Instead of being embarrassed outwardly she hides it gracefully, laughing away his teasing. "I never said I had to meet her with you. I'm sure I can charm her as a stranger." It's easier than examining the implications of what she had said and how easily it had escaped her without a second thought.

Condolences are as familiar to her as breathing, but his are thankfully empty of the pity most fill their words with. Hotaru does not want to be pitied. She loved her children with the intensity of twin suns, and losing them had broken her in ways that simply would never be fixed. But it didn't mean she had to lay down and die, or let their lives be forgotten. Hotaru didn't know how to be anything but a survivor. Anything less would not make her children proud of her, and when Mort finally takes her she will face them with as few regrets as possible.

"Thank you," she murmurs instead, at least able to be sincere with that. Content to move on to safer territory, she takes his answer in stride. "I understand that. I always wanted the same, but it never turned out that way." It would be rude to say that she has horrible taste in men normally, because hopefully for once she's making better choices with George and this date. "I was a young mom; honestly, we both have so many more years to think about things like that." It wasn't a deal breaker - Ru has always wanted to be a mother, but she has Flora, and still privately considers herself cursed. If she never has more children she will simply live with that.

"Your turn," she reminds him with a small smile, though it was very tempting to take the opening he'd given her to shift the scales out of balance.

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

He'd almost forgotten that they were taking turns, perhaps expecting a follow up question that never came. But as she turned the tables gracefully back to him, he smiled, gesturing with his free arm. "My turn will have to wait, because we're here." The Miana Pool was as picturesque as ever as the sun slowly dipped closer to the horizon. It was not quite sundown, which was perfect for his purposes.

He carefully extracted his arm from Hotaru's grasp, leaning down to set his basket on the ground. Opening it revealed a variety of items that, when taken together, revealed that their secret destination had been a beachfront picnic. George pulled out a single lily - he'd considered a rose, but he'd always had a preference for the former - and offered it to Hotaru. "If you'd be so kind as to hold that?" he asked with a quirked brow. He had every intention of sending her home with it, after, but for now, it would make a nice centerpiece for their picnic.

Pulling out a quilt of excellent craftsmanship, with fine needlework in a pattern around the edges, he shook it out and laid it down before rapidly arranging an array of sandwiches, salad, and sweets. He hadn't known what she liked, so he went with a little bit of everything. "Ah, here's a question for you: do you prefer red or white wine?" Whichever she chose, he would pull from the basket alongside two wine glasses, leaving the other bottle for later.

With everything set, he extracted a small vase, filled it with water from a flask, and held his hand out for the lily, sitting the flower in the middle of the quilt and the array of food. Then he looked back at Hotaru with a crooked grin, offering his hand. "Join me?" he asked, very much aware that she could choose to leave at any moment, that perhaps he could have misjudged her tastes, that perhaps he'd gone a little overboard in his attempt to be romantic. It had been a while, after all. Maybe women didn't like sunset picnics on the beach anymore.

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

She'd been so absorbed by their conversation that the journey had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and only now does she turn to take in Miana Pool anew. It is far more beautiful than she recalls it being in her brief forays through its territory. Whether that was the mood of the evening painting her opinion or the vibrant colors of the sky doing it for her wasn't important enough to distinguish between.

It's a shame to release him, but the lily that he places between her careful fingers is entirely worth it. Hotaru doesn't bother restraining herself and immediately brings it to her face to inhale its sweet scent, smiling immediately. "I love lilies," she remarks honestly, twirling it slowly in her fingers so as not to damage its petals while also watching its pale petals take on the colors of the approaching sunset.

The quilt he pulls out is positively stunning, and Hotaru - though a woman of nearly impossible quality - feels almost overwhelmed by the lengths he has gone and certainly reluctant to dirty something so beautiful. "White," she supplies instead, and can't help but hide her smile behind the lily as it is summarily pulled out. It is certainly over the top, but it has Hotaru melting like sugar in the rain and incapable of even properly hiding it; cheeks uncharacteristically rosy, fingers fiddling with the stem of the lily. She feels quite out of her depth and a little too bare. Almost girlish. People like her don't get soft things like this, and she keeps waiting for the sharpness of reality to intrude.

It doesn't come in that moment though, so she might as well enjoy while she can. Placing her hand in his, she steps out of her shoes and onto the quilt (still privately trying to preserve it) and folds gracefully to sit beside him. "This is..." Glancing around at the spread, she laughs, at a loss and happy for it. "Amazing, really. I can't remember the last time I went on a date, but this is still more than I expected." Leaning towards him, she presses a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Thank you."

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

All of the care that George had put into concocting a perfect date and all of the worry he'd felt that it was too over the top melted away the moment he heard her laugh. He shared in her joy, offering a genuine smile and enjoying her quick kiss before lifting her hand to his lips. "You're worth it," he said simply, his honesty clear in his hazel eyes as he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. It wouldn't matter if it was him or someone else - Hotaru was worth every bit of this, and more.

It was almost painful, the raw vulnerability that he felt, to put himself out there like this, to offer her a glimpse behind the confident, flirtatious mask that he wore. It warmed him as much as it scared him. He was a man who liked to have a plan, who liked to know where things were going, but something like this? It wasn't something that could be plotted out. It had to evolve naturally - or not. Some people thrived on the chase; George was not 'some people.' It was why he rarely dated.

Instead of divulging this, though, he turned the conversation back to something simple, something playful. "So, white wine. Does that make it your turn?" he asked, raising a brow at her. "Or did that question not count?"

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

She doesn't believe him, but for a moment she lets the sentiment envelop her anyway. It's softer and kinder than anything she has heard in a long while. While she can't say with certainty that he'll run the other way the more he gets to know her, she is jaded enough to assume the end result after a consistent pattern of abandonment. But just as she cannot stop living, she equally cannot stop trying, even when it might be better to. He's not the only one having a bit of a crisis over the required vulnerability of being on a date. Their first one admittedly but given their predispositions to flirtation and lack of entanglements it cannot be understated.

Humming as if contemplating a great philosophical question, she gently deposits the lily in the small centerpiece and begins eyeing the vast selection he had packed. "I will be magnanimous and allow you a true question." Expression playful, she takes one of the finger sandwiches in hand and bites into it, pleased by the sharp tang of cranberry mustard she finds there. Holding out the other half in front of his lips in an intimate gesture of feeding him, she licks the remnants off her lips and wonders where he sourced all this food.

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

Her gesture was surprising in its intimacy, and this perhaps showed a little on George's face in the moment before he accepted the bite. He hadn't been expecting - well, he didn't know what he'd been expecting. Normally, first dates were a little awkward, a little uncomfortable, a little bit of a dance between truth and white lies to hide the broken pieces of oneself behind. And while George was uncomfortable, it was in a more out-of-his-element way than anything else.

He took a moment to chew his bite of sandwich, using the time to contemplate an appropriate question. There wouldn't be enough questions, not on a first date, but he felt a certain pressure to ask the right questions. Not too intimate - they didn't know each other well enough for that - but intimate enough to get a feel for the other person. It was a fine line to walk, and he walked it with some difficulty.

"Alright," he said after he'd swallowed, toying with his wine glass thoughtfully. He knew now that she was an Outlander, about her family, that she had a wide variety of magics, and that she preferred white wine. He wasn't sure how many other surface-level questions he could come up with. "What's the biggest dealbreaker for you, when you start dating someone?" It was a rather more serious question than she deserved, but he'd rather know now than later.

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

It was perhaps a bit of a gamble to do it sincerely instead of flirtatiously, but it's easier than being verbally vulnerable. Compromise!

Hotaru thinks maybe he'll retreat back to safer territory since it's clear they're both really putting themselves out there, but he surprises her yet again by forging onward. It's more of a formal dating question (or so she assumes) but an entirely fair one. Ironically, it's one she can answer almost immediately.

"The desire for an open relationship or other partners." Brushing crumbs off her sundress - and then again off the quilt, which she has become so fond of - she tries not to judge herself for avoiding his gaze yet again as she considers the next snack to share with him. Plucking a sugar snap pea from one of the salads, she bites half of it before again offering him the remainder. "I don't intend to stop being who I am or using my looks to my advantage - nor would I anticipate you to - but I do not share." A sub-vocal growl softly radiates in her chest, something that is definitely not human. Belatedly realizing she has not told him she's a hybrid, she clears her throat to extinguish the noise and carries on. "I am a possessive woman as well, so anyone who cannot contend with that is not a good match for me."

It feels a bit like cheating to take his own question, but it had been very good. "Yourself?"

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

It was the answer itself that put him at ease, but its intensity warmed his veins. He watched her almost hungrily as she picked a snap pea and offered half to him. How could her answer be so in line with his own? He took the offered food silently before making his own selection - playing it safe by picking the same type of finger sandwich she'd selected the first time - and copying her, taking a bite before offering her the other half.

There was something in her voice that he couldn't quite identify - the possessiveness, sure; a hint of jealousy, maybe. But something low and feral and inhuman that, rather than putting him off, only made him more curious about her. Maybe it was fate; maybe it was time he had his head checked. After all, one did not simply chase after beautiful, magical women with a sub-vocal register to their voice. Did they?

It felt a bit like cheating to take her answer, but he chuckled, a low, rich sound, and said, "I also do not share." His voice, though entirely human, matched hers for intensity. "I don't mind a little flirting. Sometimes it's fun to watch," he added, thinking of the way she had charmed the bartender on the beach. "But I want to know its my bed you - my partner is coming home to."

He took a sip of his wine. "I don't believe that counts as a new question, my dear," he told her, and though his tone was playful, something possessive still lingered in his eyes.

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

The heat and intensity of his gaze is unmistakable, though Hotaru doesn't know why it burns there. Most would be off-put or express lightly positive agreement to such an answer. Whatever the reason, it captivates her, and when he begins to follow her lead and holds the piece of sandwich to her lips her stomach twists pleasantly as she eats it from his fingers. The slight brush of her lips against his fingertips strangely intoxicating for such a small touch.

Perhaps she could have deduced his answer given his reaction, but it still pleases her to have him say it so plainly. "Exactly," she croons, satisfied with his sincerity. "For example you; it would make me feel even more powerful to see you flirt and tease, have people falling at your feet. Knowing they would envy me? That just by saying your name I could pull you back in and away from them?" Her voice goes soft and silky as she paints the image for them both. "It's more than accepting you charming people. I would put you on a stage and watch everyone fall over themselves trying to reach you if I could." That humming purr returns, though now it's a distinctly pleased sound. "It is like being in possession of the world's most expensive jewel." One that couldn't be stolen away, because he was hers.

Shaking off those possessive tendencies (which were never clear on whether they were a human flaw or came from one of her shifts) she refocuses on a true question to ask him. "Are you devoted to any particular herald or god?"

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

Her possessiveness was intoxicating, and to hear her put his own thoughts into words so clearly was a heady thing. It was why he so enjoyed seeing her turn heads at the beach; it was why he always let a date walk into a room before him, just so he could see the envy in their faces. Without realizing it, he'd leaned in closer to her, his eyes fixed hungrily on her face as she talked. And when she shook off those tendencies, he came back to himself, leaning back with a satisfied smile.

Her next question was surprisingly simple after the intensity of the last, taking him aback. "I'm not," he said. "Not yet, anyway." He didn't have anything against the gods, he'd just also never really needed anything from them. Ludo with tricky, and it seemed like the logical choice for a thief, but George wasn't one to jump into a decision like that just because it seemed prudent to do so. Much like dating, he believed in building a relationship with a god or a herald, and he'd yet to have a chance to do that. "I haven't really gotten to know any of them, to know who I'd want to align with. What about you?"

Then, after her answer, because it was again his turn, he considered his next question, taking a sip of his wine. He'd leave her to ask the next hard question; for now, he'd stick to safer topics. "What do you do for fun?"

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

The way he leans in without thinking, eyes a dark blue fire, makes it hard to keep her hands to herself. She may be more inclined to casual sex than him, but she has some date-typical decorum. Enough to breathe through the spike of lust in her chest until he can distract her with his words instead of his magnetic expression.

It's a simple answer, though it does immediately make her wonder if he is the commitment issues type. Perhaps that is shallow of her, but given they're on a date it's only fair right? So why hold her tongue? "Careful, you might have me thinking you aren't the commitment type," she teases, keeping it lighthearted because she doesn't actually care who he follows. (That's a lie, she hates Safrin. That would definitely suck.)

Her own answer is incredibly easy. "Sex Frey. I've been devoted to them from the moment I arrived really. They've blessed me in many ways." So saying, she gracefully pushes her hair back over her shoulders and lets golden ears shift from the top of her head, pupils turning into the slits of her mountain lion form. "They Attuned me despite my magic. They have never judged me for my abilities, and saw fit to make me theirs regardless of my supposed taint." Keeping the appendages in case he wants to investigate them, she considers his next question.

He may have hoped for something easier, but admittedly this is far harder for her to answer than he could have possibly known. "I have been accused of being a workaholic the past two years," she murmurs, ears flicking and turning slightly backwards in a betrayal of her emotions that her face does not even hint at. Damn shifts. "Academy aside, I also run a spa in Snowcloak. I enjoy the work a lot, but in the end it is still work." Rolling her eyes a little given she doesn't want to admit that and lend credence to all her friends and family who accuse her of overworking herself, Ru sighs and picks up one of the desserts instead - something similar to a churro. "Honestly I don't do much for fun anymore, but I would say hunting, stealing, meddling." She shrugs her delicate shoulders and bites half of the churro before sharing it with him once more, coming up with her own question to hopefully distract him. "Tell me one of your fears." Not the greatest if he doesn't want to share it, but one of them.

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

She may have meant it in a lighthearted way, but it was so completely the opposite of how he actually felt that he found himself frowning slightly, shaking his head. "It's the opposite," he said without thinking. Then, realizing that that didn't sound better, he hastened to add, "What I mean to say is that I take commitment seriously. A relationship - of any kind, whether it be with a god or with a romantic partner or with a friend - is a two-way street. It requires communication and understanding from both parties. I wouldn't enter into a relationship with a god without knowing them well, and having built up that relationship first." Realizing that he'd gotten perhaps more serious than he should have, his cheeks grew faintly pink. "Sorry," he murmured. He hadn't meant to get quite so intense.

That she served sex Frey didn't particularly surprise him, but what did surprise him was that she was Attuned. Intrigued, he reached over slowly, allowing her the opportunity to stop him, to trace a finger lightly over her ears and down to caress her cheek. When her ears flicked back, he frowned, brow knitting at the uncharacteristic display of emotion. Whoever had called her a workaholic, it clearly bothered her, and he found himself wanting to say something to bring a smile back to her face. "Hunting, hmm? As your shift, or as a human?" It wasn't much, but perhaps it would distract her. Besides, he's be interested to see what weapons she knew how to use.

Her question about his fears took him aback, and he took the churro slowly to avoid answering right away. Sure, he could share any old fear, but they'd been vulnerable with each other so far this evening. Why stop now? So he gave it some thought, chewing slowly before swallowing. "Betrayal," he said finally. "Trusting someone, and having it turned against me."

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George

Hotaru

He need not apologize for his intensity because it reveals more about him than he may have meant to share, and Hotaru likes what she sees. Though, to try and comfort him, she keeps a lighter tone with her own response. "You can't build a relationship with them if you never meet them in the first place." Clearly teasing him by the slant of her smirk and the crinkle of her eyes. She gently touches his knee in passing to grab the churro, not wanting it to feel patronizing by lingering. "Don't apologize for your passion. Or any opinion of yours really; people will either agree or they can get out of your way." Her cutthroat expression fits the message, something regal hiding in the shadows of her confidence.

So few people touch her shifted appendages that it makes her entire spine curve with the touch, a breathy little noise escaping her lips against her will. She could have assumed how it would feel given Sunjata's constant reactions, but she had become a hybrid only after leaving him and Nate. She has never experienced the intimacy of it firsthand, and it is devastating.

Enough to make it incredibly difficult to focus on his follow up question. "B-Both," she stutters, and feels color in her cheeks immediately at having done something so juvenile. "I hunt for meat and other useful things, but I am also part of the Monster Hunters Guild. We dispatch all manner of inhuman threats, so I utilize anything from weapons to magic and shifts." Her weapons were more magical in nature in terms of personal ownership, but she could utilize nearly every weapon in the barracks to a devastating degree. Deimos would throttle her otherwise. (Or, worse, give her his disappointed eyes.)

As his touch falls away she is able to focus a little more, which becomes important with the vulnerability he is displaying. One she can relate to a little too deeply, as evidenced by her empathetic expression. "I understand all too well," she murmurs, and glances away to methodically clean the sugar and cinnamon from her fingertips as she considers her own response. "Mine is abandonment. Similar, but different. Being alone has been the hardest thing to bear." He might assume she means Enzo's death, but the reality is that she has been contending with nightmares and loneliness since she left Torchline and never looked back. It has gotten easier, but it has also been multiple years, so progress felt negligible. Shaking herself slightly, she gives him a reserved smile. "Your turn love."

Now you can quit, you can cave in
but just know you're not beyond saving