Description: Alma meets up with Hotaru at last and the two do a little catching up. Mushy social scene with No Epic Combat!
One doesn't have to be a psychic to know where Hotaru might be found many afternoons. Even if Alma has never been to the quiet, secluded 'religious property,' a simple inquiry with any number of people who know the girl would get him pointed this way or the Kyokugen Dojo. The time is not quite evening, but the shadows are starting to grow long with the slow descent of the sun in the horizon.
The church sits on a lot of a couple acres large, mostly hidden by a wall that runs around the entire border. An iron gate is the only opening from the street to this yard, and it always hangs open. The yard itself is divided up into sections: an immaculately maintained flower garden, the likes of which would rival the famous gardens of Seijyun, if only it weren't one tenth the size... a man-made creek that culminates into a small pond with frog-adorned lilly pads while being shaded by the long fronds of several weeping willow trees along the banks of it... a small fenced off cemetery, the marble tombstones sticking up out of long grass that bends with the passing breeze...
One section appears to have been made into a makeshift training spot. From a large branch of an oak tree hang several 2x4 boards, suspended in the air by ropes. Sometimes they will be found swinging wildly as Hotaru practices her evasive style in the midst of them, but right now they dangle silently, moved only slightly by a gentle zephyr. There is also a training dummy mounted into the ground - the likes of which one can punch and kick at endlessly only to have it just keep springing back into place to await more abuse.
It is in that corner that Hotaru can be found now. Dressed in the traditional Chinese styled outfit she always seems to prefer, she is staring at her right arm, her left hand clenching it tightly near the wrist. Over and over she focuses, bathing her right arm in a sapphire blue aura for a few seconds. Anyone who has seen her throw her little blue chiballs will have seen this manifestation before. After a moment, she will wince, or hiss, or flinch as if in pain and the aura fades away. A white dove from the bellfry rests on the girl's shoulder as she stands there staring at her arm. Occasionally it coos, as if offering solace in the only way it can. Hotaru's expression is one of unsettled worry.
He's just a little ashamed it took him so long.
On the positive side, the job that so preoccupies Alma's time now gives him even more connections with fighters than he had before, so it was short work to discover where he could go to find the blue-haired girl. Too short, in fact. He should have done this a long time ago. But Alma, though it is so important to him to recognize his faults and mistakes, does not dwell on guilt, and it is thus with a clear head, a settled spirit, and his usual mild, mellow expression that he enters the open gate to the lovely secluded churchyard.
~ No wonder she chose this spot. ~
The beautiful young man smiles softly, the warmth in his hazel eyes partly obscured by the way one clump of bangs drapes softly over one of them. The martial artist slash model slash non-profit vice-president is dressed casually -- it's about time, he can only think wryly to himself -- in a snug white and tan long-sleeved cotton top and slim fit milk chocolate brown designer jeans, a beige straw basket held loosely in one hand, the contents covered in a checkered cloth. He ambles onward, strolling in his contemplative and unobtrusive way, as though he instinctively compensates for his towering figure and often powerful presence by walking like this. It suits him, though.
Often spiritual and rarely religious, Alma has no particular affinity to churches, but the concept of the sacred itself means a great deal to him. To create a place where the boundaries of the normal world are transgressed, where 'irrational' rituals and rites can take place and, even more profoundly, add great meaning to a otherwise confined and constrained life-- to create a place where the limits of the discontinuous self are meant to be surpassed, where a kind of deep intimacy is strove for, perhaps in vain-- yes, even if it somehow has never occured to Alma to reach for religion himself, he feels he understands this. The importance of faith. A still foundation for a hurried, transient world. A place of peace and sacrifice, a home to return to.
Yes... Alma knows all about home.
The sense of her ebbing and flowing chi draws the prettyboy psychic near, so he soon finds her, cresting a low grassy knoll to observe her in silence for a few moments. His expression does not change, inscrutible in its own subdued way, but there is a slight hardening about his eyes that only a close watcher would notice, becoming concerned as he watches her. Then he blinks, and smiles, and it is gone; he calls out to her as he approaches, shoes brushing through the grass.
"Hotaru!"
It feels good even now, not calling her 'Futaba-san' anymore.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
Smile widening pleasantly, the eternally sincere and quietly earnest young man removes the draping from his basket, revealing it is full of fresh-baked cookies.
"I'm glad I found you here... I was hoping to pay a visit."
At the call of her name, Hotaru turns; just her head, as to not move the shoulder on which the dove perches. Whatever had preoccupied her thoughts a moment ago seems immediately forgotten, her expression warming. "Alma. Please do." she replies to his question, her voice soft.
One hand lifts to gently caress the visiting bird's downy chest and then the creature takes to the air, winging its way past Alma back up to one of the large, open arches of the bellfry's architexture, leaving a few white feathers drifting in the air in its wake. The pig-tailed girl's eyes lock on a couple of the feathers, observing how they drift lazily toward the ground, until a breeze picks up and carries them off to places unknown. Hotaru lifts her hand absently to brush a few errant stands of hair back over her ear.
Her eyes go back to Alma then before inspecting the basket of cookies, "Well, since you brought a treat, I guess you can stay for a while," she says, light laughter accompanying her words. Near here there is a stone bench facing a side of the flower garden and a low retaining wall. Both would make perfect seats, unless one wanted to simply sit in the grass.
As to why she might often be found here... well, to understand that fully would require knowing more about the girl and the past she hides so well.
"I hope everything has been going well for you," the sole Futaba heiress speaks, "The YFCC seems to be doing great. I don't know if you had noticed, but I am helping teach an introductory course on self-defense for my summer volunteer hours." She takes a couple steps to the side and seats herself on the three foot tall retaining wall, leaning back to run her fingers so very lightly along the petals of a large, pink rose in full bloom.
Alma grins.
There have been a couple times, just a couple, when he has felt the faintest of regret knowing that Jiro's affections have so long been aimed toward this girl, but never a hint of jealousy. This is partially of course to Alma's credit for his good and generous nature, but it is also because of how much he admires this girl, because she is such a warm and soothing presence. Alma is free with giving people the benefit of the doubt, always preferring to engage with others and be open to the new possibilities they offer rather than deny them even if it means error or betrayal, but that's not the same as trusting people. Trust, for Alma, is a quality made meaningful because it must be earned by those who deserve it.
Alma trusts Hotaru, deeply, fully, and he cannot deny it.
So when he sits down on the stone bench below the girl, settling the basket down on the wall between them and looking up at her with a smile in what is for the two of them a picture-perfect moment worthy of one of his magazine advertizements, he seems almost as at home as she is here.
~ Now that she's become so strong... ~
"Thank you," he murmurs calmly, plucking a molasses cookie from the basket.
~ ...I can't help but feel closer to her than ever. ~
With Jiro's trials and departure, Frei's return, and Tran's unprecedented alliance, Alma has become more appreciative than ever of the presence of his friends, and it shows in his eyes as he looks up at the blue-haired girl.
"Little thanks to me, I'm afraid," he responds modestly, smiling as he says it. "I have a lot of great help-- but I didn't realize you were helping too, no." He can't help but look slightly surprised, the emotion mitigated as always by his mild-mannered demeanor. "Now I really feel out of the loop, heh..."
He looks away for a moment, out at the garden.
"...I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, Hotaru."
The handsome youth smiles slightly, looking off at the horizon.
"This job... isn't really my style, but... fulfilling my promises is, and, heh, in a way, attempting to do things that aren't my style... is /also/ my style. Still..."
When he looks back to her, his eyes have warmed again, but his smile has turned just the littlest bit melancholy.
"...I have other promises I should be paying attention to."
Without elaborating, the melancholy fades from his expression, and his smile widens.
"Have you been well?"
As the basket is placed down, Hotaru's hand reaches over to extract a chocolate chip cookie before she idly glances around as if looking for someone. "Itokatsu must be asleep somewhere... or else he would have had first pick by now." she comments, her tone playful.
But her attention is back on Alma then, blue eyes, matching the rich blue of her vest, studying him, noticing the small details: the modesty about his role with the YFCC, the surprise at her revelation, the smile that hides the regret of a promise delayed... Perceptive. That's what many who spend much time with the girl will call her, possessing a gift of intuition inherited from her mother.
"Don't worry, it would be an easy thing to miss with all that is going on there," she comments. "What you're doing with your work there... it's important, Alma. I can't even imagine all the good things that have come about as a result. I know... well, I've heard some do not believe in what the center is doing." He would know of what she speaks, as it was he that had to bear the brunt of the violence the last time someone came to demonstrate their quarrel with the center. "But what you're doing is right."
A pause. A shift in topics. "Did Jiro tell you to watch out for me?" Hotaru asks, her eyes lighting up a little at the mention of the distant Stray. Her smile is knowing, the answer already certain within her heart. She feels she can guess the things the young man would have done in his final hours before leaving.
"A lot has happened. Some bad, but a lot of good. And I am well." Which, in this crazy world, is about all one can ask for really.
Alma smiles slightly but sincerely, quite pleased by the girl's encouragement even if he doesn't show it too overtly. "Thank you," he murmurs again. "It's been difficult, but-- even if I might sometimes doubt my ability to succeed at the tasks ahead of me, I haven't ever doubted my purpose." The man who challenged him has certainly aroused his interest, but if nothing else has certainly not shaken his conviction.
"...yes, he did."
Alma lowers his gaze again, staring quietly at his half-eaten cookie, thoughtful. It doesn't pain him to admit that, but neither is he pleased; the last thing he would want is for Hotaru to think he's only come to visit her for Jiro's sake. But he has more faith in her than that. She will surely know better, he is convinced.
"...I'm glad you'll be volunteering at the center."
He looks up, smiling again.
"That way, I can be close to you."
He says it in such a calm, matter-of-fact tone it sounds almost like the flirting of a very confident man, the sort of phrase that might otherwise be aimed to startle a girl into taking her breath away. Whatever its effect on Hotaru, it should only take a look into the depths of his eyes to know that his intentions are purely platonic and his devotion utterly true.
"Having you around... will be great."
Certainly her sunny attitude and gentle demeanor will make her a great asset to the facility, not to mention the fact that Alma can trust her in a way it wouldn't be wise to trust others, but-- he of course means more than just that.
His gaze is sweeping the gardens again, his smile remaining.
"Are you the one that takes care of this place? It's lovely."
Alma's confirmation of her question only seems to make Hotaru happier. It shows in her eyes, the way she hangs on the simple three word answer, or the smile still on her lips even as she bites into the cookie and begins to chew. And she says nothing of it. Alma will have to trust that she doesn't think so little of him as to believe that only the promise got him to come here.
The grin that appears when he mentions being close to her suggests that she also understands his words for what they are meant to be. An expression of friendship. A deep one at that. But it doesn't extend beyond that too far. It can't.
When he asks about the landscaping though, Hotaru nods her head slowly. "It is something I like to do," she states, eyes sweeping the flower garden itself, then wandering to the brick building that occupies the center of the property. "If I didn't take care of it, no one would. It's my mother's. It is for her that I maintain it."
Her gaze come to rest on the fenced off cemetery in the opposite corner, a hint of melancholy glistens in her eyes.
Alma is silent, looking toward the cemetary as well.
He has nothing worthy to say in testament to such devotion on her part, but one thing he can do-- is share in this moment with her, to pay his respects in his own way. To her mother's memory, and to Hotaru's own noble efforts.
Efforts she undertakes alone.
Slowly turning his head to look toward her again, the handsome youth feels himself swell with a sense of proud belonging, gratified that he might know someone like her.
"My mother..."
After some time has passed, enough to make it seem appropriate, he speaks.
"...my mother's ashes are scattered on a beach. It was actually one of my father's favorite places, but... I wanted them to be together."
He pauses for a long time, again looking toward the graveyard.
"I... often feel they are with me, because they... and the experiences I shared with them... have made me who I am so such a... great degree."
The look in his eyes cannot but echo her own.
"That's probably why I haven't visited since."
He smiles now, faintly.
"I'm like that, though. Losing them... made me open to allowing other people to... help create me. So I rarely feel like my missing friends are truly missing. But... that means that sometimes, when I could be spending valuable time with them... I don't, because it... it just doesn't occur to me."
He leans back on the bench, gazing up at the evening sky through a half-shroud of silky red and yellow.
"I don't want to keep making that mistake," he murmurs. "It's good to be so easily satisfied, but-- life is just too precious for that. Friendship... is too precious."
~ I never would have dreamed... I'd have the friends I do now. ~
As he speaks, her eyes are back on him, watching the young man share a sentimental moment - a fair trade for the one she gave him. She pictures Alma, a boy of years younger, scattering the ashes along some peaceful beach where the couple may have spent many an hour in each other's company. The thought brings a quiet smile to her lips even though the focus of her eyes seems so far off.
"I'm glad you came, Alma. It means a lot," Hotaru finally says. "With Jiro gone..." Her expression becomes solemn. "I... There are things... I might need some help. Not right now. But soon. I hope you can just trust that I'll tell you when matters."
Having finished her cookie, she rests her hands in her lap. "For now, just keeping me company is all I could ask for. If you can find the time to do that... now and then - just knowing that you're there when I need you is enough."
The girl falls quiet then, having made her request. There will be other times for telling him of the things that she harbors in her mind. The worries, the doubts, the suspicions. For now though, a peaceful minute amidst the storm of life, too wanderers travel near for a short moment. "Friendship is precious." she agrees.
Alma, still leaning back on the stone beach, feels himself relax, letting rarely shared emotion wash through him, the ambience of this place cleansing him, encouraging him to release memories long lovingly tended alone. He spreads his long arms over the top of the bench and tilts his chin back to gaze up at the girl, smiling peacefully as she settles her hands in her lap.
He nods once in understand at her silence. She doesn't have to tell him. She doesn't have to explain anything. As far as he is concerned, wherever she points, he will go.
That's what true trust means to him; what love means to him.
~ This kind of loyalty-- it's only what she deserves. ~
'Just knowing that you're there...'
He's silent for a moment, but when his lips part, he can't seem to manage any words. He swallows once, quietly, his ever-calm expression not revealing the emotion that has choked him up, only his eyes, his ever-truthful eyes, softening again.
"I would," he finally says, "be honored."
~ Thank you, Hotaru... after all... ~
That she would ask such a thing of Alma, of he whose crowning failure was once his inability to protect the ones he loved, means more to him than even she could know. In an instant, the only words of his father that he to this day can remember clearly return to him.
~ ...'a man has to be good for something'. ~
Looking out at this place worn by the passing of time, Alma reaches down and withdraws a small sugar cookie from his place in the basket, now gazing at it almost bemusedly, as though wondering at its secrets.
"It can't last forever," he murmurs quietly, maybe to himself, "but..."
And splitting the cookie in even halves, he looks back to her; with a wide smile now, he offers her a half of the cookie.
"Let's enjoy it while we may."
Log created on 02:12:07 06/05/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 12:51:37 06/05/2007.