we show off our different scarlet letters
Well. At least that was the right thing to say.
Lifting her chin and sniffing somewhat, Flora realizes that they were as both blameless in all of this as they were innocent. They both could have said more, but going off of the information they had at the time, they'd done what they thought was best. And now here they were, with no one's tongue bitten off in a too-passionate kiss and with wounds that Torchline's fountain would heal with ease. Given all she now understood of the butcher, being able not to only to stop him but having him be able to stop as well was likely quite the step forward. So what did it feel like such a failure?
Why did she?
"Maybe your partners need little bite me here stickers to be put on before sex." She suggests. "Could even be foreplay to put them on." The smile that tugs at the corner of her lip feels like a betrayal, and quickly she bites it back as her breath lodges uncomfortably in her throat.
Not bothering to wrap his shirt any tighter around her body (there wasn't much point, and doing so would likely only bother her shoulder more), Flora lifts her chin in order to meet his gaze. "You can't have blood without pain." She says simply shrugging with her unmarked shoulder; he might not have wanted her to be in pain, but certainly he couldn't have what he did want without it.
"Me too." She agrees softly, her eyes drifting across the olive skin marred with faint streaks of red and pink before she meets his eyes. "Worst first date ever, huh?" It's meant to inject even the tiniest bit of levity into the situation, but the words only having her body tensing against new waves of rejection and defeat.
Swallowing before fresh tears could spill down her cheeks, Flora reached for the black patches of cloth that were her bikini, before moving to stuff them into her back. Another bottle of wine remained inside as well as some other goodies she'd planned to pull it later. Reaching for her compass, the queen turned and gestured vaguely at it. "I can go home instantly with this. I take it you can make your way back to the Grounds on your own?"
Lifting her chin and sniffing somewhat, Flora realizes that they were as both blameless in all of this as they were innocent. They both could have said more, but going off of the information they had at the time, they'd done what they thought was best. And now here they were, with no one's tongue bitten off in a too-passionate kiss and with wounds that Torchline's fountain would heal with ease. Given all she now understood of the butcher, being able not to only to stop him but having him be able to stop as well was likely quite the step forward. So what did it feel like such a failure?
Why did she?
"Maybe your partners need little bite me here stickers to be put on before sex." She suggests. "Could even be foreplay to put them on." The smile that tugs at the corner of her lip feels like a betrayal, and quickly she bites it back as her breath lodges uncomfortably in her throat.
Not bothering to wrap his shirt any tighter around her body (there wasn't much point, and doing so would likely only bother her shoulder more), Flora lifts her chin in order to meet his gaze. "You can't have blood without pain." She says simply shrugging with her unmarked shoulder; he might not have wanted her to be in pain, but certainly he couldn't have what he did want without it.
"Me too." She agrees softly, her eyes drifting across the olive skin marred with faint streaks of red and pink before she meets his eyes. "Worst first date ever, huh?" It's meant to inject even the tiniest bit of levity into the situation, but the words only having her body tensing against new waves of rejection and defeat.
Swallowing before fresh tears could spill down her cheeks, Flora reached for the black patches of cloth that were her bikini, before moving to stuff them into her back. Another bottle of wine remained inside as well as some other goodies she'd planned to pull it later. Reaching for her compass, the queen turned and gestured vaguely at it. "I can go home instantly with this. I take it you can make your way back to the Grounds on your own?"
