this dagger in me

Sohalia

Don't try to wake me up
Even if the sun really does come out tomorrow

"But I'll be right behind you, I swear!" Soh said consolingly, holding up a hand and sticking out her pinky. She might not be headed directly back to Torchline, but it was as much of a home as she had at the moment, and if Flora was there, then it would certainly be worth the trip. Flora was better than anybody, she thought. Jack was an idiot not to have seen it. "Noooo, I just have a quest to finish up, but I'm almost done."

Another shot appeared in front of her, and Soh eyed it warily. The room was already spinning when she moved her head too fast, so maybe she should stop while she was ahead. She toyed with the glass until Flora was ready, deciding that if her best friend was going to take it, then she would, too.

"Gods, that sucks, Flora," Soh said sympathetically. Maybe Paige hadn't meant to disappear. Maybe something had happened to her. But even in her increasingly inebriated state, Soh couldn't decide whether that was better or worse. She was quiet for a moment in the wake of this revelation. "You know what I think? It's not boys or girls that are dumb. It's love. Love is just - painful, y'know? Maybe we're better off without it."

Don't believe anything you say anymore
In the morn, in the morning

i'd wipe the dirt off your name with the shirt off my back

Flora perks up, curls bouncing slightly as she tilts her head toward Sohalia. "Wait—what quest?" Her tone is bright, her eyes gleaming with the kind of tipsy curiosity that only gets louder with liquor. "Because I swear, if you’re off having weird solo adventures without me, I’ll riot."

Her gaze drifts back to the shot in front of her, fingers tracing the rim slowly. It’s probably a very bad idea—her stomach’s already doing lazy, sloshy flips—but she’s made worse decisions on less alcohol and more pride. She knows how it feels to ache with wanting something that doesn’t want you back, to carry the shape of someone’s absence like a bruise under the skin.

So when Sohalia says maybe we’re better off without it, Flora huffs softly and nods. "Love is stupid," she mutters. "There is literally nothing a good friend and a vibrator can’t solve." The words hang there, wobbly and defiant—but not quite true. Not with the ache in her ribs or the way her voice goes a little too quiet at the end.

So Flora lifts the final shot. "To love," she says, voice a touch raw but still wrapped in glitter. "And to getting over it the loud, messy way." She knocks it back, face scrunching as the burn claws its way down. "Fuck," she wheezes, eyes watering. But it was still better than crying over Jack.

Sohalia

Don't try to wake me up
Even if the sun really does come out tomorrow

Sohalia laughed - really laughed, reaching an arm to tug Flora even closer. "I wouldn't dream of having adventures without you," she reassured her. "It's just a little quest to help with some... gardening." Even in her drunken state - perhaps especially so - it seemed prudent not to shout her plans too loudly.

The last shots sat there taunting them, and Soh toyed with the tiny glass as she considered her options. When Flora agreed with her, she huffed a laugh - even if she didn't really believe Flora any more than she was sure the Doubletake believed her. And when they took the shot, Soh's face mimicked Flora's, and she slumped dramatically against her friend. "You can say that again."

fin

Don't believe anything you say anymore
In the morn, in the morning