The change that had overtaken her kingdom had not gone unnoticed, but it had slipped through her small, fragile fingers like sand. No matter how hard she clenched them into fists, it did nothing to stop the leak in the dam that would soon lead to a barren, empty reservoir. Still, she found herself desperately clawing for another chance, not sure why they were all so reluctant to do as she and Deimos bid. Why they did not seem to care, why they were so far from the family she once had proudly looked upon. There was only so much she could do, and it often led to frustration in the early dawn hours as she scoured her brain for the thousandth time for any other option that may have gone unnoticed. Alice could do little to comfort her, her mind archaic, primordial in ways her youth would never fully shed in the coming years. She didn't know why they weren't family, and could do little to ease Hotaru's worries. The Valkyrie still yearned for the presence of her once-mentor and predecessor, but Ophelia was as elusive as the morning mists disappearing beneath early-rising sunshine. Hotaru didn't even know what wisdom the Amaranthine could possibly share with her. 

So when the stag came for her and Alice, unfamiliar but undoubtedly beckoning, Hotaru fled with it willingly. Anything to give her purpose for one more day, anything at all. She was wearing herself to the bone trying to keep herself busy and useful. Trying and failing to come up with a way to save her crumbling ivory kingdom, because none of the denizens would help her in the fight for their unity. 

When she came across Frost Fyre staring deep into the shimmering, twisting depths of the mirror, Hotaru felt a wave of relief and gratitude sweep through her stoic heart. At least Frost Fyre was taking the mantle of her position seriously - perhaps there was progress at last. A chance, a sliver of a sign that not everyone was forsaken with their apathy. 

Hotaru came silently to the monochromatic woman's side, not wanting to interrupt whatever divine force may or may not have come over her. Alice slunk between her legs, having never faced a God and unsure how to proceed. Her deference was reserved for Hotaru, but if Hotaru respected the Gods...the pair stood in solidarity together at Frost Fyre's side, hoping for guidance and ready for change and criticism. 

OOC thingies here