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RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-20-2024
[say]"Thank you,"[/say] Soh said, reaching out to squeeze Flora's hand gratefully. It would be nice to have somewhere to stay, even if she didn't stay for long. But if she was to make Torchline her base of operations for now... well, it would be helpful to have somewhere to come back to, when she wasn't out in the Wilds.
[say]"Next week, it is,"[/say] she agreed, smiling at her friend. It was easy, for a moment, to pretend that all was well and normal, that they were simply planning for a girls' trip for a spa day. And maybe, even if they were really there to search for lilies, they could make it a spa trip. Maybe that would help with the rest and recuperation that Soh so desperately wanted.
As for Flora's life lately, Soh nodded as the Queen described her weird few weeks. That Torchline was free of the Void was a relief to Soh - she would have somewhere truly safe to spend her time. But an attack by a Void creature... well, that had to have been harrowing. And then to follow it up with cleansing the Oerwoud... Flora had certainly been busy. Soh murmured a soft, [say]"I'm glad you're okay."[/say] And she was. If she'd returned to find Flora hurt, or infected, or even dead... well, she wasn't sure what she would have done.
Fortunately, the conversation seemed ready to turn to more exciting topics, and as Flora's cheeks turned pink and she shyly admitted that she was seeing someone, Soh grasped the topic with an excited gasp. [say]"Oh?"[/say] she squealed, straightening where she sat. [say]"Tell me all about them!"[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-20-2024
Feeling more than a little guilty for the brush rush of love that balled up in the back of her throat, Flora coughed slightly as she raised her glass to her lips, helping herself to a small sip as she considered how best to start.
Would it be disingenuous to include Koa in explaining who she was dating? Would it be cruel not to? Given that the last conversation that the Doubletake and Luminary had had about the dragoon, Flora had offered to bow out. Would it seem to Soh that the queen had gone back on her word? Nibbling at the inside of her lip and deciding she'd save the heartbreaking prelude to her romance for their time in the hot springs, Flora allows her smile to spread. [say]"His name is Jack. If you stick around in Torchline for a few weeks, you'll definitely run into him, or hear about him, but..."[/say] Grinning, Flora shrugs mischievously. [say]"Don't believe everything you hear."[/say]
Taking another sip and easing back onto the couch, the queen continues. [say]"I've known him since I first came to Torchline. I've always sort of had a crush on him, but in the last few weeks..."[/say] Her shoulders rise toward her ears as another pink flush roars across the bridge of her nose. [say]"I guess some things happened that brought us together, and...yeah."[/say] Practically beaming now, Flora tucks a curl behind her ear. [say]"If you go by the docks, his ship is called the Ark. It's the really big one with maroon sails."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-20-2024
That Flora's lover might have been Koa never even crossed Soh's mind. It had been so long since their last conversation that she had nearly forgotten that Flora and Koa had ever been a thing, and she never would have suspected that her friend would have gone back on her word. And even if she had, Soh couldn't have blamed her - not when she had been gone for so long that they might have assumed she'd died. Sure, she might have had feelings about it, but hoes before bros, right?
Anyway, the Luminary listened eagerly to Flora talk about her new beau, relieved by the vague sense of normalcy that enveloped her as they fell into girl talk. His name, apparently, was Jack - and that triggered a niggling sense in the back of Soh's mind that she'd met him before. It took a moment, but then she remembered - he'd asked about her maps, way back when she'd still been a simple cartographer traveling Caido. She also remembered that she hadn't liked him very much, but that was neither here nor there. If Flora was happy, that was all that mattered.
[say]"And he treats you well?"[/say] she asked, every bit the protective friend. Not that she would have much luck were she to go toe-to-toe with the captain, but if he hurt Flora, she'd damn well try. [say]"Oh, I'm so happy for you!"[/say] she added with a squeal of glee. At least one of them was happy!
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-21-2024
Laughing a bit at that, Flora grins and nods. [say]"He treats me like a real person, y'know? Like an equal."[/say] That wasn't to say that Koa hadn't, that the dragoon hadn't been a perfect gentleman at nearly every twist and turn, but with Jack there was never any pretense of trying to be more than he was, or treating her like she was more than she was. Maybe that was ultimately fucked up, but it worked for Flora in a way she couldn't really put into words.
[say]"My dads are furious about it."[/say] Happy to divulge that particular piece of gossip, Flora downs the remainder of her wine with a dramatic ahhhhhh at the end. [say]"He's a bit older, and his reputation isn't...I mean,"[/say] huffing, Flora rolls her eyes somewhat. [say]"This is Torchline. No one has a spotless reputation here, you know? But they basically cornered us in my bar, with Remi bullying Jack in one of the back rooms and Ronin giving me the third-degree out in the open. Then, even after they'd both apologized for being overbearing, they basically did the exact same thing when they invited us over for dinner."[/say]
Whatever bitterness had tightened the queen's expression suddenly disappeared as she looked down into her now-empty wine glass, her lips curling into a smile that was as sweet as it was twitterpated. [say]'But I love him. Like, really love him."[/say] She murmurs, her aqua stare flicking up a touch bashfully for a moment.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-21-2024
Soh was happy for her friend, who seemed genuinely in love as she talked about Jack. Although the Luminary couldn't pretend to understand, as the captain had seemed a bit rough around the edges when they'd met seasons ago, and perhaps a bit old for Flora, she didn't have to understand in order to be supportive. And Flora deserved no less than Soh's best - so she smiled and squealed and oo'd and ah'd in all the right places, genuinely pleased in spite of her reservations about Jack. They'd only met the one time, after all. She didn't know him well enough to judge.
As for talk of Flora's dads, Soh huffed along with her friend. [say]"I don't know much about your dads, but it seems like they should be happy so long as you are,"[/say] she said, wrinkling her nose with disdain. [say]"Were they just being protective? Not that you need it,"[/say] she added quickly, lest Flora get the idea that she was siding with the demigods, [say]"But at least that might explain why they gave you both such a hard time."[/say] Sometimes, she found, it was helpful to understand the reasoning behind a behavior. Even if it didn't make that behavior any easier to forgive.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-22-2024
[say]"Yeah, you'd think that wouldn't you."[/say] Flora grumbles, her eyes widening if only to underscore just how untrue it had turned out to be.
[say]"I mean...maybe? But protective over what? Like, we just started dating. It isn't like I'm pregnant or we're getting married, but they acted like it was the worst possible thing."[/say] Flora could, she supposed, understand why they might not love Jack being her boyfriend, but at the end of the day, that's all he was. Why everyone was constantly acting like it was the end of the world was beyond her, especially when he made her so happy.
[say]"If I'm ever not home at night, I'll probably be on the Ark if you ever need to find me."[/say] She says in an attempt to circle things back to how their conversation had started. [say]"And I definitely don't mind being there, so if you want more time to yourself, just say the word."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-22-2024
[say]"I dunno,"[/say] Soh admitted, shrugging. It wasn't like she had parents to be protective of her - but it just seemed like the kind of thing that fathers might do. [say]"I'm sorry that it happened that way. That really sucks. Maybe they'll come around."[/say] If Flora even wanted them to. Maybe she didn't care that much - but by how angry she seemed about it, Soh rather thought that her friend cared a lot.
In any case, it was easier to let the conversation shift away from their musings about Flora's dads, and they talked for some time about Jack, and about Torchline, and about any number of things until they finally parted ways - Sohalia to find Flora's home and Flora to return to her boyfriend aboard the Ark.
fin