this hearth, this home
Little sister of Kotone Kyomei, Warrior of Light, trailing ever in her shadow since the two girls fled Othard in the fires of the failed Doman rebellions, forced to watch as Kotone grew further than either of them could have ever imagined when their parents put them on the boat with Lady Yugiri.
✧─A Song In 3/4 Time
Chatty and spunky Honoka has always tread on the wild side, despite being born and raised under imperial reign. Uncaring of consequence and gossip, she lives each day loud and joyous, ready to seize each and any opportunity for a good time and eager to spread that same zestful energy to those who need it.
Despite her carefree, flippant attitude towards authority and the burdens of life in general, in truth Honoka's sensitive about what she has to offer the world—she's not dispositioned for combat and had to watch her sister and cousin leave her behind in order to free their homeland and then protect things bigger than the little garden gate of their childhood house. She's also petty, spiteful, and prone to teenage bouts of rebellion, unable to admit when she's wrong and defaulting to anger when things don't go her way. Even so, she loves and worries for her family and friends deeply.
While Kotone primarily focuses on singing, Honoka's put a full focus into playing music. Thrice a week, she travels to Kugane to perform at the Shiokaze Holstery and has gained a glowing reputation among Hingashi's youth.
Appearance
Image
4'11" and slender, almost stick-like.
Features
She has a round face, small nose, and considers herself to be a dopey version of her sister. While her horns are flat, they're closer to the shape of wide teardrops rather than fins. Her pride and joy is her hair—pitch black, falling to below her shoulder blades and trimmed straight with bangs. She has an embarrassing history of cutting her bangs herself, to the delight of her cousins. As of post-Endwalker she's been experimenting with dyes and has settled on an orange ombre.
Voice
Her singing voice claim is Aimer—her voice is low-pitched and when she laugh's it's full and deep.
Relationships
| Momoka Niwashi | |
| Rhea Rhenji | Honoka and Rhea were friends—keyword being were. Rhea arrived in Revenant's Toll during Heavensward while searching for Tala and quickly befriended the one other girl her age in town. Rhea helped improve Honoka's Eorzean Common. |
| Dal Park | Dal and Honoka get along like a house on fire, which has only fueled their ravenous fans' cries for fanservice. |
| Futaba Kurogane | Futaba oddly reminds Honoka of Kotone, so she tends to act as childish around the older girl as she does with her sister. |
| Tsutsuji Tsuji | |
| Laohu Li | Honoka loves this guy. He's kinda stupid. |
| Hanami Hagane | |
| Kotone Kyomei |
| Hien Rijin |
✧─Miscellaneous
Motifs
Etymology
Honoka is written as 和花, with "和" read as hono, harmony, and "花" read as ka, flower. Her surname, Naeuri, is a lore-canon name used by Doman farmers. The Raen name lore post says it literally means “seedling seller.”
Footnotes
Header photo by Oleg Laptev.