Kyu

hi threeheads. I wanted to work on this concept again so here’s my new iteration YAY. it’s a rough draft but I wanted to get it out there. yknow. also there’s a gray version here (v)

hornet beloved. i spent a ridiculous amount of time rendering her armour so you're getting a close-up

Please please let this image load please tumblr please

Ok

I think it uploaded. Anyway ramble headcanon time under cut.

She doesn't even say it like an insult?

She simply says it in the exact way that she adresses Runt or Nuu as children, or how she might call other NPCs sir, madam, call tall people 'tall bug' or short people 'little sonandso' or just [their job].

it's just a simple, neutral, objective descriptor not meaningfully different those she uses for most other characters.

She never even says anything like "you're behaving childishly" or phase it in a way related to behavior/criticism. She's not saying "brat" or "little twerp", she's simply saying "child".

What she does do is call Lace foolish at one point, specifically for thinking Hornet wouldn't figure out her Boss' identity, & implicitly accuses her of being all talk/ not having the bite to back up her bark ("you've already no match for me", "cease the prattle", "you return only mock?"), but while she's firm & taking no shit, she's never outright petty or personal. It's very serious/ high fantasy esque.

Heck, if anything she even sorta makes a point to use what seems to be proper Pale Being ettiquette/form of address (probably also a way to hint to Lace that she knows her deal, though it goes over her head until she makes it explicit.) & show basic decency despite their enemity (& showing zero response to Lace basically calling her ugly & dirty) - & she definitely wouldn't want to insult her after she starts having sympathy for her & comparing her to her tragically lost family members, much less in a way that, if the (totally unfounded/ evidence-free) 'shes an adult pretending' theory were true, would amount to saying 'your abuser is right'. It would be pretty much like deliberately misgendering a trans person with severe dysphoria or calling someone with body image issues "fatass" to their face. Or if she were constantly referring to the Knight as "failure"/ "failed experiment"

She's just not being petty or bantering in those interactions at all. At most she's annoyed & wants Lace to get out of her way so she can go deal with the Pale Monarch.

Compare/contrast how the indirection Fu goes between Hornet Caretaker for example, where it's made pretty clear that they've both figured each each other out even if he's playing dumb about it at first.(& he actually managed to see through Hornet in turn, psych her out a bit / get under her skin / directing subtle disses that she actually feels dissed by.) That's an interaction between two experienced knowledgeable & jaded old ppl who start antagonistic at first & slowly come to trust each other.