Flora
Flora beams at him because gods—that sounds like an absolute nightmare, but it’s so bizarrely him that she can’t help but find it adorable. "That sounds super inconvenient," she chuckles, grinning brightly. "But I love it. Ghost Niki, rearranging things in the night, making sure no book stays neatly shelved. You are chaos disguised as order, babe."
She’s still smiling to herself when she hears it; the unmistakable sound of someone hitting the floor. Only it isn’t so much of a thud as it is a whump, like a damp blanket slipping off a bed, which is honestly worse.
"Niki?"
She’s at his side in an instant, breath caught in her throat as she drops to her knees beside him. Her hands move instinctively thanks to the things Vai had taught her as a girl, checking his pulse, pressing the back of her hand lightly to his cheek, taking in the fevered flush, the damp sheen of sweat, the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. The obvious solution would be to take him to Torchline, but even if she wrote Jack and had him fetch Isla, Flora wouldn’t be able to get back to him for days. And the thought of waking him up in a whole new place when he was already too sick to stand? Yeah, that sounded like a surefire way to traumatize him and ruin whatever friendship they were starting to build.
So instead, she tries to makes him comfortable on the floor.
Flora flits around the living room, pulling blankets and pillows from wherever she can find them. She carefully tucks one under his head, and another beneath his shoulders, making sure his bad leg is straight and cushioned to keep it from locking up on him. For a moment, she hesitates—should she try to move him to his bed?—but no, she’s fairly certain Niki would rather die than be carried anywhere, even by someone as unfairly strong as she was.
Satisfied (for now), she rises and makes her way to the kitchen, flicking through cabinets with idle curiosity before pulling down whatever looks even remotely healthy. Eventually, she settles on making a pot of soup, something warm and filling that won’t upset his stomach, something he can manage even if he’s too weak to sit up properly.
She’s still smiling to herself when she hears it; the unmistakable sound of someone hitting the floor. Only it isn’t so much of a thud as it is a whump, like a damp blanket slipping off a bed, which is honestly worse.
"Niki?"
She’s at his side in an instant, breath caught in her throat as she drops to her knees beside him. Her hands move instinctively thanks to the things Vai had taught her as a girl, checking his pulse, pressing the back of her hand lightly to his cheek, taking in the fevered flush, the damp sheen of sweat, the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. The obvious solution would be to take him to Torchline, but even if she wrote Jack and had him fetch Isla, Flora wouldn’t be able to get back to him for days. And the thought of waking him up in a whole new place when he was already too sick to stand? Yeah, that sounded like a surefire way to traumatize him and ruin whatever friendship they were starting to build.
So instead, she tries to makes him comfortable on the floor.
Flora flits around the living room, pulling blankets and pillows from wherever she can find them. She carefully tucks one under his head, and another beneath his shoulders, making sure his bad leg is straight and cushioned to keep it from locking up on him. For a moment, she hesitates—should she try to move him to his bed?—but no, she’s fairly certain Niki would rather die than be carried anywhere, even by someone as unfairly strong as she was.
Satisfied (for now), she rises and makes her way to the kitchen, flicking through cabinets with idle curiosity before pulling down whatever looks even remotely healthy. Eventually, she settles on making a pot of soup, something warm and filling that won’t upset his stomach, something he can manage even if he’s too weak to sit up properly.
Fatefully, I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me
Misery, Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep
Misery, Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep
Code stolen from Queen Sky
