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rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 09-28-2024
The Hanged Man was both familiar and foreign to Sohalia as she paused in the doorway, taking in empty tables and booths as she looked for the Queen of Torchline. It was midday, and the bar was mostly empty - probably a good thing, since she still wasn't sure if she was going to be welcomed with open arms or thrown out unceremoniously on her rear. At least with fewer witnesses, the latter was likely to be far less embarrassing. And after her disastrous meeting with Koa, the former Heart of Stormbreak wasn't sure what to expect with Flora. She hoped that her one-time best friend would be more forgiving than her jilted lover, but then, one could never be sure of these things.
Spotting the blonde behind the bar, Soh stepped inside, letting the door thud shut behind her, and made her way to a barstool. [say]"Hey, Flora,"[/say] she said, trying on a shy smile as she took a seat. [say]"How have you been?"[/say] It was painfully obvious small talk, but then, what was she supposed to do? Fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness? Word vomit the story of her kidnapping and then suspiciously-timed illness that had kept her bedridden and nearly unconscious for months? How was one to act when they hadn't seen a friend in seasons?
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 09-29-2024
Flora had been running on nervous adrenaline all that morning, so much so that Jack had very subtly suggested that she get the fuck off the Ark before her nonsense gave him a nosebleed. Surprisingly the queen hadn't argued, if only because it wasn't too hard to imagine the places her conversation with Sohalia might go when the pair were reunited, and Flora had been resolute about not wanting to talk about what had happened with Koa, with Jack. So she'd gone and fussed around her own home for a few hours before potteringly endlessly around the bar.
[say]"Soh—"[/say] Though the queen had been initially upset with her friend (all the more so when she'd wrongly thought that she and Koa had run off together because he'd gotten her pregnant), enough time had passed for her anger to have cooled, leaving only bright concern for the former-Heart's wellbeing. Besides, it was far easier to forgive someone that you weren't on the verge of falling in love with (#sorrykoa).
Dropping the cloth she'd been absently wiping and re-wiping the counters with, Flora flew across the room, throwing her arms open to scoop the Luminary into a tight hug. [say]"Gods I've missed you."[/say] She whispers fiercely against her friend's pale hair, holding her close as if worried that the Family might whisk her away again.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-01-2024
For whatever reason, the Luminary truly believed that her friends would have forsaken her, that she would be left alone in the world once more as penance for her inability to maintain her leadership position, for her crime of leaving Stormbreak in the hands of the Family, for the accidental abandonment of all she held dear. Somewhere deep down, perhaps, she knew that the events that had transpired hadn't been her fault, but that knowledge was buried deep beneath the guilt and shame that had plagued her ever since she'd woken from her Void-illness, so far removed from her current reality that it was impossible for her to grasp. At this moment, she truly believed that it was all her fault, and that her friends would hate her for her myriad failures.
And so when Flora flew across the room to wrap the ex-Heart in a fierce hug, it left Soh biting back relieved (if perhaps a bit guilt-ridden) tears. She didn't deserve such a warm welcome, not when she'd been weak and useless and idiotic, not when she'd failed everyone so miserably. [say]"Flora!"[/say] she choked out, voice thick with emotion, as she wrapped her arms around the Queen in return. [say]"I'm so glad -"[/say] she started, but the tears that threatened took her voice, and she couldn't quite finish: to see you.
She tried and failed to compose herself, and when she pulled back from Flora's embrace, silent tears tracked down her face. [say]"I'm so sorry, Flora,"[/say] she managed to say. [say]"I failed everyone, and now I don't know what to do."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-02-2024
Perhaps Flora hadn't realized how much she'd needed a friend until she found one back in her arms, but as soon as her arms wrapped around Sohalia, she felt tears spring to her eyes and a sob of relief clog the back of her throat. Trying to keep it in, the queen tugs the former Heart all the tighter against her, shaking her head into the crook of Soh's neck to wordlessly reassure the Luminary. [say]"Girl—"[/say] Despite the tightness of her voice, Flora manages a weak laugh as she sniffles, straightening just enough to be able to peer into her friend's face.
[say]"I've fucked up so much since you've been gone."[/say] She admits, the words carried on a tittery current of laughter that has the queen trembling a touch. [say]"It doesn't even matter. You're safe."[/say] In the end, that was all that mattered. To think that Flora had been upset with the Luminary for reaching out to Koa first instead of her, to have made such a big deal when she'd thought that they'd run off together.
[say]"Come on, let's go into the back where it's quieter and you can tell me everything."[/say] Or as much as she wanted to. Reaching for Sohalia's hand, Flora would lead the Luminary through the door into her guild where plush couches and a wide assortment of alcohol awaited.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-02-2024
Although it had ended with both girls in tears, it was altogether a better reunion than Soh had expected, and for the first time in many months, she felt like she might just be able to be herself again, if only for the afternoon. After all, Flora had never seen her as just the Heart, or as someone who'd failed her - the Queen had always taken Soh for exactly who she was. And even if the Luminary wasn't quite sure who that was anymore, finding herself in Flora's arms felt something like coming home.
The Queen's insistence that she had fucked up in Soh's absence had the girl squeezing her friend all the tighter. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who had made mistakes, who had disappointed people. Whatever it was that Flora had or hadn't done, however, Soh doubted very much that it was as bad as her own transgressions.
Releasing their embrace, Soh allowed Flora to take her hand and lead her to the back, where she halfheartedly browsed the assortment of alcohol before selecting a simple white wine, pouring herself a small glass, and collapsing onto one of the plush couches. She made a mental note to leave some money for Flora - after all, one didn't come to a bar and expect to drink for free. [say]"Gods, I don't even know where to start,"[/say] she told Flora, sighing heavily and wiping at the tracks that her tears had left on her cheeks. [say]"It's all such a mess."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-06-2024
Though Sohalia was perhaps not the sort of person who'd want membership into Flora's guild, the queen was fairly certain her friend would be able to keep its secrets. Ensuring that the door was locked behind them, the queen glanced quickly at one of the logbooks to ensure that there weren't any scheduled deliveries either coming or going, before following in Soh's lead and pouring herself a glass of white wine.
Sinking down onto the couch facing Soh before tucking her feet beneath herself, Flora gives her head a reassuring little shake. [say]"You can tell me as much or little as you want. I mean...I've never been kidnapped and then isolated like that, but I can imagine there's only so many times that you have it in you to talk about it."[/say] Glancing down into her wine, the queen gives her glass a little swirl as the smile she'd put on her lips for Soh's benefit fell gradually away. [say]"Koa did tell me a little about it, so..."[/say] She shrugs, trying to keep the tension free from her shoulders despite how she wanted to immediately curl into herself simply from having said his name. [say]"..I do know a little."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-06-2024
The wine was welcome, and Soh toyed with her glass as she listened to Flora. The Queen was right, of course; Soh would just as soon forget about her ordeal as repeat it again, especially when doing so might lead to the loss of one of her best friends. After all, everything she'd been through had been of her own doing. She'd been too trusting and naive, allowing herself to be kidnapped, and then she'd been cowardly in running away in the first place. And if she hadn't run, she wouldn't have gotten wrapped up in all the Void flora, and she wouldn't have been so sick that she hadn't known her own name. It all came back to her own inadequacy, and that was something that she was struggling to forgive herself for, much less asking someone else for their forgiveness.
And then there was Koa's name, and Sohalia blanched, unable to keep the emotions from her face. Their last meeting hadn't exactly gone well, although it wasn't like Soh could blame the Dragoon. After all, she'd hurt him time and again, and no matter what she felt for him - and, truthfully, she wasn't even sure she knew anymore - she couldn't go back and fix the past.
[say]"I was stupid,"[/say] she said finally, her mouth twisting into a frown. [say]"The Family kidnapped me. I guess they just needed me out of the way so that they could take over Stormbreak. Once they'd done that, they let me go, but I didn't know what to do, so... I ran. I was afraid to stay, and I thought if I could get away and think, maybe I could figure out what to do next. But I wasn't thinking about the Void flora, and I got stuck in a bunch of it and it made me sick for a long time. I didn't stay away on purpose - I truly didn't know how much time had passed until I finally got better. But by then..."[/say] She trailed off. By then, so much time had passed that it had been too late.
[say]"I failed everyone, and I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-07-2024
The prickle of jealousy that Flora felt seeing Sohalia's face twist at the mention of Koa was unexpected and unfair. In her defence, at twenty-one just because she'd fallen in love with someone else hadn't erased what she had felt for the dragoon—not by a long shot—though it was far easier now to swallow back the green tide rising in the back of her throat.
[say]"Babe."[/say] Reaching out a hand and placing it on Soh's knee, Flora pulses her fingers reassuringly. [say]"The Family nearly killed my dad. There's literally nothing you could ever have done to stand against them."[/say] No amount of training or smarts would have kept the Luminary from being spirited away in the middle of the night and while the queen understood why it was someone like Soh would place the blame squarely on her own shoulders, that didn't mean Flora was content to see it there.
[say]"You didn't."[/say] Leaning forward to nudge her friend's shoulder with her own, Flora shakes her head. [say]"Stormbreak is still standing. No one has died, and I mean..obviously, it sucks that Dahlia is leading, things could actually be so much worse. Imagine if you had tried to fight back, and the dragoons got involved? People would have died, and I'd bet everything I own that Dahlia would still be right where she is."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-11-2024
As Flora reassured her, Soh felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. The Queen had a point, after all; if a demigod couldn't take on the Family and win, there was no way that she could. She wasn't anyone big, or important, or even particularly special. She was just a girl with a reasonable aptitude for cartography and art, who had once led a region of Caido through what she believed now to be mostly luck. She was too young, too naive, too simple to have succeeded through skill.
[say]"I suppose you're right,"[/say] she admitted, placing her own hand over Flora's and giving it a squeeze. [say]"I just feel like I should have put up more of a fight. Like it shouldn't have been so easy."[/say] She shook her head, a bone-deep sadness reflected in her eyes. [say]"And... I know it's ridiculous, but I suppose I feel like... if nothing's really changed with the Family leading Stormbreak, then how good of a leader was I? Shouldn't things be... you know... worse now? I mean, I'm glad that it's not - obviously I want my people to be safe - but it's just... I don't know."[/say] She buried her face in her hands. [say]"It's a mess. And I'm not sure what to do next."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-13-2024
[say]"I mean...no one was there, you could always tell people you fought tooth and nail."[/say] Flora suggests with a tentative smile. It wouldn't have made any difference to the outcome, and though the queen knew her friend wasn't normally a liar, maybe it would help her retellings if they weren't always so shrouded in what the luminary saw as a failing on her part.
As for Stormbreak? Raising her eyebrows, Flora gives her head a quick but definite shake. [say]"I think it's the opposite. You left things so good that even though Dahlia took over, the city is able to still function. Ask anyone, but I haven't heard of Dahlia really doing anything. The fact that the city is still standing is a testament to you, not to her."[/say] Pulling her hand from beneath Soh's and letting her palm sweep across her friend's hunched shoulders, Flora didn't try and it'll be okay her, or otherwise offer platitudes that she doubted would mean much. Instead, she merely sat quietly, wondering the same thing.
[say]"Will you move back there, do you think? You always have a place here in Torchline, you know."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-13-2024
No one was there.
Except for Koa. Koa had been there, had evidently seen her be taken, and had tried to stop it. How he had managed not to get himself killed, Soh wasn't quite sure. It begged the question: if the Family weren't just killing anyone who got in their way, what was their end game? Wouldn't it have been easier to remove Soh, and maybe Koa, permanently? Was there something that they wanted from the girl and the Dragoon, something that they could only get by keeping them alive? Or perhaps the pair were simply not worth the effort. Maybe they weren't enough of a threat to bother killing - just enough of an annoyance to need them out of the way.
But those were considerations for another time. Soh inclined her head as Flora continued to reassure her. The girl wasn't sure if she believed the Queen, but she had to admit that everything that Flora said did make sense. Maybe her friend was right. Maybe Soh had been more successful than she'd realized. And if that was the case... should she try to go back, to reclaim what was once hers?
She would never be able to do it alone.
[say]"Thank you,"[/say] she said, and meant it. [say]"I'm not sure where I'll go. I want to return to Stormbreak eventually -"[/say] Once Dahlia and the Family were no longer players to contend with. [say]"- but for now? I might stay a while, but I thought I might travel a little. Nowhere dangerous, just... go back to my roots. Update my maps. See if there's anything I can do to help. I've heard there are some lilies in the Climb that might be useful. Maybe I'll try and find one."[/say]
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-15-2024
[say]"Stay as long as you like. You can crash at my house too if you need."[/say] Flora offers immediately. Spending only about half her days in her actual bed—the other half spent aboard the Ark—it might give Soh a nice balance between company and independence. [say]"I'm not always home, so you can have a bit of peace and quiet if you want it."[/say] She says with a slight shrug, knowing now was not the time to get into the recent complexities of her love life, but not wanting her friend to think she'd be an inconvenience, either.
[say]"In Frey's Breath?"[/say] Raising her eyebrows, the Doubletake nods. Taking a sip of her wine and leaning back against the couch now that things didn't feel quite so immediately dire with the Luminary, Flora grins. [say]"It's super relaxing there. I've gone a few times to look for lilies too. It's a good excuse to basically go to the spa for a day. I'd love to come, if you want some company?"[/say] Again, though, she'd understand if Sohalia needed some time to sort through things on her own.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Sohalia - 10-15-2024
[say]"If you're sure,"[/say] Soh said with a shy smile, [say]"That would be great."[/say] If she could have some independence, that would be lovely, but then so, too, would spending time with Flora. Perhaps staying with her friend would give her a nice balance, at least until she felt up to traveling again.
As for Frey’s Breath, she wasn’t exactly sure how she could have a spa day while scouring the area for a rare flower, but then, if anyone could show her how to do just that, she was sure that Flora could. And she wouldn’t mind a bit of rest and recuperation in her travels - even better if that rest and recuperation included
time spent with friends. She’d been alone for seasons, after all. It was time she rejoined the world, one way or another.
So when the Queen offered her company, Soh smiled and said, [say]”Of course! It would be fun!”[/say] Fun. When was the last time she’d done something for the sake of fun? [say]”Just tell me when it would be convenient for you, and we’ll make a trip.”[/say]
With her story out of the way and conversation shifting to lighter subjects, she leaned back and took a sip of her wine. [say]”So… what’s been going on with you lately?”[/say] she asked, genuinely interested in anything that Flora wished to divulge. It had been too long since she’d heard any real news from any of her friends, and this seemed like as good a time as any to catch up.
RE: rose garden filled with thorns - Flora - 10-17-2024
[say]"Babe, of course I'm sure."[/say] Lifting her eyebrows slightly if only so that Sohalia might be able to see the honesty in her blue-green stare, she gives her friend's shoulder a squeeze to reinforce the offer. [say]"There's a key hidden under the blue rock by the front door."[/say] Maybe not the best security, but given that she was queen of Torchline, Flora hadn't ever had cause to be concerned for her safety.
As for a trek to Frey's Breath? [say]"Mmmmm, how about next week? I've got a few things to wrap up right now, but then I can be all yours. There are Skyships that can basically drop you off right above the entrance, so it's super easy to go back and forth. "[/say] Flora explains, having now made the trip nearly a dozen times.
Groaning dramatically at the question, Flora combs her fingertips through her blonde curls before letting her head tip back. [say]"Gods, I've had a weird few weeks."[/say] She murmurs, tilting her chin to the side and opening one eye toward Soh and grinning sheepishly. [say]"Torchline is finally free of the void, but before we managed it this void-panther attacked on the beach."[/say] Flora's smile slips away as she straightens, hiding the grimace that wants to form behind the rim of her wine glass. [say]"It was bad. Like, really bad. "[/say] Taking a healthy sip, the Doubletake sighs.
[say]"But we managed, and I also got one of the lilies from Rae and we just cleansed the Oerwoud, so.."[/say] As far as Torchline was concerned, things were okay. But that wasn't really what her friend was asking, and Flora knew it. Peering down into her wine, her cheeks suddenly flushed with a pretty shade of pink, the Doubletake nibbles at the inside of her lip to keep her smile from running away from her before shooting a shy look over her shoulder. [say]"I'm...seeing someone."[/say]