flora
Flora exhales sharply, her fingers still lightly tracing soothing circles against Sohalia’s back. As much as she hates to admit it, her friend isn’t wrong. The Family is always ahead, the Void is always spreading, and even when they claw back some semblance of a victory, it’s temporary at best. It’s fucking exhausting.
"Yeah," she murmurs, because there’s nothing else to say. Because for once, there’s no easy fix, no clever quip that will make it better. Flora tilts her head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment before sighing. "Maybe there isn’t anything you can do," she admits, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. "But I mean...maybe that's just because it isn't your job, you know? And not just because you aren't the Heart anymore, I mean...we have demigods for a reason, right? This is...sort of exactly the point of them." Maybe it was a cop out, but maybe it isn't. They were gifted strength, abilities, immortality; who the hell were the rest of them in comparison with those literally divinely picked?
Even so, her lips twist, knowing that’s not what Sohalia wants to hear. It’s not what she would want to hear if the roles were reversed. So, offering a softer alternative, she shrugs. "All your people can come to Torchline, you know," she says lightly, though there’s no humour in her voice now. "No drama, no bullshit. If they need a place to go, I’ll make sure they’re safe." It’s an offer she knows will go nowhere—Breakers are nothing if not stubborn, and Flora can’t see them willingly abandoning their crumbling city. And yet, she means it.
She leans in slightly, nudging her shoulder against Sohalia’s. "You don’t have to have all the answers, Soh. Sometimes, surviving is the answer." Her tone is softer now, quieter, an unspoken I need you to be okay laced beneath the words.
"Yeah," she murmurs, because there’s nothing else to say. Because for once, there’s no easy fix, no clever quip that will make it better. Flora tilts her head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment before sighing. "Maybe there isn’t anything you can do," she admits, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. "But I mean...maybe that's just because it isn't your job, you know? And not just because you aren't the Heart anymore, I mean...we have demigods for a reason, right? This is...sort of exactly the point of them." Maybe it was a cop out, but maybe it isn't. They were gifted strength, abilities, immortality; who the hell were the rest of them in comparison with those literally divinely picked?
Even so, her lips twist, knowing that’s not what Sohalia wants to hear. It’s not what she would want to hear if the roles were reversed. So, offering a softer alternative, she shrugs. "All your people can come to Torchline, you know," she says lightly, though there’s no humour in her voice now. "No drama, no bullshit. If they need a place to go, I’ll make sure they’re safe." It’s an offer she knows will go nowhere—Breakers are nothing if not stubborn, and Flora can’t see them willingly abandoning their crumbling city. And yet, she means it.
She leans in slightly, nudging her shoulder against Sohalia’s. "You don’t have to have all the answers, Soh. Sometimes, surviving is the answer." Her tone is softer now, quieter, an unspoken I need you to be okay laced beneath the words.
i scream for whatever it's worth
"i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
