love made me crazy

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Soh took the opportunity to study the rainbow of ice cream cones stitched into Nova’s dress, leaning forward a little to admire them. ”These are so cute,” she said approvingly. Soh held up the skirt in her hands, considering. It would be nice to have something to spruce up the garment a little bit. She normally gravitated towards plain things, but this was a special occasion, after all.

”Okay,” she said after a moment. ”I don’t leave for the Greatwood until tomorrow morning, so if you can do it before then, I would be so grateful!” She flashed a smile. ”I can pay you! Let me just go buy this…” And she made her way to check out, an excited bounce in her step.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

In all chaos there is a cosmos

Nova preened under Soh's gaze, lifting her head with pride and a bit of arrogance at the praise. She brightened even more when she was finally given permission to show what she could do, a bit of sparkles appearing around her head as she bounced in excitement. "Perfect! I'll meet you at the docks in the morning!" And once the skirt had been paid for, she piled it onto her wagon, giving an exuberant wave before hefting her weight into the handle, dragging it down the street as quickly as she could, eager to begin her work. 

---

She sprinted forward, the sunrise catching Nova's carefully curated green bomber jacket. It fought off the morning chill from catching the exposed shoulders of her lighter green sundress. In her hands was a small bundle of blue fabric, and when she skid to a stop in front of Soh, she unraveled it in a flourish of fluttering material that caught in the breeze. "Here you go! Just the promised!"

Her beaming smile peeked around the skirt, watching for the Attuned's reaction to her work. Having more than an hour to work on it, she'd managed to give the illusion that delicate flowers were falling down the skirt, shaken from their stems to settle gently in piles at the hem. The white thread was woven like magic into the fabric, making it look like the petals were still falling, rustling in an invisible breeze. Nova thought it was some of her best work thus far.

Nova

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Sohalia waited the following morning upon the docks, wringing her hands nervously as she waited for Nova to appear. It had been a leap of faith to agree to let the hybrid decorate the skirt: if it turned out poorly, she didn't have time to go find another. Perhaps she should have gone back and bought another as a backup in case something happened with Nova.

The other young woman appeared right on schedule, and Soh waved with her heart in her throat. But when the hybrid unraveled the fabric, allowing it to catch in the breeze, Soh gasped and clapped her hands together. "Oh, Nova! It's perfect!" She reached out reverently to touch the sewn flowers. "This is incredible work."

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

In all chaos there is a cosmos

Preening under Soh's praise, she lets out a chiming giggle of unbridled delight. "Thanks! I think it turned out perfect, and I know you're going to sweep that boy off his knees." Nova shot her a wink, knowing that she's going to look stunning and this boy would be an idiot not to fall in love with her (yeah, Koa). 

As much as she'd like to spend all day gossiping about the coming date, they were on a strict deadline. She spun Soh around and pushed gently but firmly against her back, bouncing as she guided her towards the dock and the ship that would take her to the Greatwood. "Now, don't miss your skyship and I expect to hear all about this later!" It wasn't until she was safely on the deck of the ship that Nova gave her an exuberant wave, sparkles fluttering from her fingertips in farewell and good luck. 

[FIN]

Nova