Nothing more had been anticipated by the lovely maiden than the stoic nod that dipped Gaucho's pierced nares towards his chest, for there are far more pressing matters at hand - things like politics, peace and forgiveness. From what Hotaru had noted of the fierce leader, he did not seem the type to let his one-track mind wander when his family's safety was at stake. The exact reason why he'd stolen Hotaru away, after all. So in return all she offers is a breath, a silence that is sure to be read far more plainly than whatever fanciful words she could conjure. Such eloquence is unfitting, for they will not honor the memory of her parents, nor will they bring them back to her so she may atone for the wrongs she had cast upon them. Would they forgive her, in the afterlife? Was the love of a parent strong enough to withstand the abandonment of a child who had declared eternal hatred for them?

She is shaken from her thoughts by her unwillingness to leave Stella's side. She knows that Stella would never have loved the Arch, nor the Basin. Selfishness was no foreign idea to her. It was easy to admit she selfishly wanted to bury Stella herself - what did the bitch know? So she was the supposed Mother of Companions? That meant nothing to Hotaru, because Ampere didn't know Stella as Ru did. She never would. But with a grit of her teeth and the sincere promise of the blue bird, Hotaru stiffly nodded and reluctantly stepped away with one last look towards the beautiful bird.

She returned to Gaucho's side, though a tad farther away than when she had first arrived; he had declared her free, after all. It didn't mean she would leave Ophelia, however. Ampere's hooves carried her to Gaucho's side, and Hotaru's eyes narrowed surreptitiously as she found herself magnetized towards Ophelia in counter-point. They were held equal in number, a lead for a lead and their two warriors, ready to defend them. She wanted to find Gaucho's eyes, assure him of something she couldn't quite put into words, but they seemed impossibly stuck on Ampere as if daring her to try something against her Lady.

But weren't they supposed to be discussing peace? Or would that notion disappear, so quickly after being born?