strike a match on all my wasted time

flora

Flora listens without interruption this time, the last of her earlier mischief folding neatly away as Nina speaks of training and singular purpose. There is no mistaking the conviction in her voice, no softness around the edges of it, and Flora finds she rather likes that. Some people are built like bonfires—loud, devouring, hungry—others are like banked coals, steady and deliberate, and just as capable of burning forever. She nods, solemn and sincere. "That kind of dedication is admirable," she says, and there is no teasing threaded through it now. "To know your purpose that clearly, and to commit to it like that. Not everyone gets that."

When the question about the lighthouse returns to her, however, the crookedness creeps back in around the corners of her mouth. She huffs a small, self-aware laugh, shoulders lifting beneath the lingering weight of her scarf. "It isn't so much something we allow," she says lightly. "More something that..happens."

Her hands spread in a gesture that is half apology, half inevitability. "Our lightkeepers take their jobs seriously..just not quite as seriously as you Keepers, apparently." There is no defensiveness in it, only amusement grounded in the realism of the situation. "Sometimes someone leaves their post, sometimes a storm rolls in and knocks the fire out before anyone can save it, sometimes," she adds with a soft grin, "someone falls asleep."

She leans back slightly, warmth finally settling into her limbs, mischief returning like a tide. "Maybe I need to send them west for training," she muses aloud, brows lifting in playful speculation. "A little Halo discipline might do Torchline some good."

and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Nina

I was in my tower weaving nightmares
Twisting all my smiles into snarls

"Thank you," Nina said, her ruffled feathers smoothing in the wake of Flora's compliments. "It can difficult to find those who appreciate such dedication." More so in outsiders, Nina had found, but even within Halo, there were some who did not quite understand her dedication. She didn't have time to deal with such folk, if they were unwilling to listen to reason.

As for Torchline, Nina wasn't sure it sounded like the kind of place she wished to visit. In her mind, there was no such thing as an accident when it came to something like the First Flame or Torchline's lighthouse. Either those who tended their charges were successful, or they were not - and with disastrous consequences, being unsuccessful was simply not an option. And falling asleep on the job?! Gods, what kinds of lighthouse keepers were they finding in Torchline, anyway?

Appalled, Nina nodded. "I cannot speak for Halo as a whole," she said seriously, perhaps missing the mischievous set to Flora's expression. "But I am glad to train those who genuinely want to learn." And who would take such teachings seriously. She didn't have time for those who would fall asleep while tending a lighthouse!

They say what doesn't kill you makes you aware
What happens if it becomes who you are?

flora

Flora catches the seriousness and does not mock it, though her nose wrinkles in something that is almost fondness as she nods. "I will absolutely keep that in mind," she says, the promise light but not empty. The idea of shipping a handful of Torchline’s most salt-soaked, sun-dazed lighthouse keepers into Halo’s discipline makes her smile widen just a touch. "Though it might have to wait another year. I doubt I could persuade anyone from Torchline to spend extended time training in Halo in any season other than LongHeat."Her brows lift meaningfully. "And even then I would need to bribe them with rum." Which, you know, might contribute to the falling asleep on the job problem.

The warmth has done its work; her fingers no longer ache, and the colour has returned to her cheeks. When her gaze flicks toward the clock, her expression shifts, subtle, but decisive. "Oh." Her brows arch higher. "I am so sorry, I really should be going." There were shrines to build, after all.

She rises in one smooth motion, scarf still snug at her throat, reaching for her coat as she offers Nina a smile that is easy and genuine. "It was very nice to meet you, Nina." The name is deliberate now, remembered and respected. "And I will absolutely be telling my lighthouse keepers about you." There is humour in it, yes, but also intention.

Spice swoops back toward her shoulder as if summoned by timing alone, and Flora adjusts her coat before offering a final nod of gratitude toward the hearth—and its Keeper—before turning toward the door.

~FIN

and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!