[Day 7 - Evening - Closed] Family Dinner

Hisui holds Fuyuko's hand as she just watches.

There was so much to observe, so many details to note. The unbridled affection Mako had for Uetani was a good thing, in its own way. It would make things strange if the rest of the family was included, but the pink Otomo's affections would have done that even without the addition of the two Cranes. She was the same, whenever she and Fuyuko were alone. Affection and warmth freely from her like a fountain, even if she avoided it in public.

It made her think, look inward.

Mako had all the energy of youth, more than she ever did at any point in her life. She was relentless in her optimism, never allowing it to be crushed by anything. She was free with her affections, without restraint. Yet she was also considerate and her Compassion pushed and pushed. That she was beautiful even at her delicate age made Hisui twitch a little with envy. Here was Otomo Mako, a reflection of Utaku Hisui. But superior in every way that counted.

She squeezed Fuyuko's hand tighter.

Her internal thoughts are interrupted by, of all people, the cause of them. She smiles softly, to reassure this bright reflection of herself. It wasn't good to dwell on such things, not on what seemed like a happy occasion that everyone but her seemed to get dressed for. She tried to push the thought aside, but the parallels, the similarities, were too easy to see. They blinded her to the strange and awkward flirtation and relationship Mako and Uetani had. Which some small part of her knows should bother her on some level.

But then, since when has anything Mako did not slip by under Hisui's radar?

"I'm fine. I'm fine," she says as she lets the smaller woman take her hand and lead her off. "And no, I like the arrangement as-is. She's actually not one for public displays the way you and Uetani-san are, and I respect that."

She decides a switch of topics was in her best interest.

"So. How, exactly, did you two meet? And when?" she inquires, remembering that conversation in the hotsprings. "I thought of arranging for you two to meet, but as I told Uetani-san when we first met, I wasn't sure either of you was fully prepared for the other. I don't think I was ready for Fuyu-chan when I first saw her years ago."

"Well." She shoots a quick glance at Fuyuko. She turns back to Mako soon enough. "If someone had thought to tell me sooner, I might have tried to tell you. But as it stands, it doesn't seem like either of us had the full picture until the texts earlier. Those two seemed to know as of last night, though."

Hisui takes the hand. She smiles at the little Crane who has given her so much joy. Who has become so important to her in so short a time. The hand reassures her, anchors her.

Mako was many things and in many ways vastly superior to Hisui, that the Unicorn was sure of. The younger girl perhaps could have done what she could not, if their circumstances had been the same. But there was one soul in all the Empire for whom Hisui could not be so easily replaced. She believed that.

"Thank you."

She lets what she's thankful for remain unspoken.