you wouldn't be the first renegade to need somebody
Flora's gaze softens, a shadow of guilt passing across her features as she looks down into the steam rising from her mug. "I didn't really know her well enough to talk about her properly," she admits softly, chewing briefly on her lower lip as a deeper sadness flickers through her expression. "I mean... we went for a walk, just once, right before everything happened, and it was... nice. Better than I'd expected, actually."
She sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping slightly beneath the shawl wrapped snugly around them. "It's just...things were really complicated. Seren's parents were Ronin and Safrin," she explains, voice quiet, gaze distant. "And Ronin's basically like my Dad too—well, one of them. But given, like, how bad things were growing up with Ronin and the fact that her mother was a goddess, I just always assumed she'd be the favourite. Not to mention she'd been born on purpose rather than a weird accidental one-night stand...So I never even tried to reach out, not really, until it was basically too late." Flora gives a rueful little laugh, shaking her head gently. "Maybe I was jealous. Or petty. Probably both."
She pauses, realizing how much she actually did have bottled up, and glances warmly back toward Niki with appreciation and mild surprise. "Yeah, I guess maybe talking to you about it wouldn't be so bad after all." She offers him a softer, more genuine smile as she nods her head toward the door. "For you I suppose I can whisper," she hums, teasing affectionately as she heads toward the entrance. "I wouldn't want anyone to draw attention to you and have you inadvertently learn how to french braid someone's hair."
She sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping slightly beneath the shawl wrapped snugly around them. "It's just...things were really complicated. Seren's parents were Ronin and Safrin," she explains, voice quiet, gaze distant. "And Ronin's basically like my Dad too—well, one of them. But given, like, how bad things were growing up with Ronin and the fact that her mother was a goddess, I just always assumed she'd be the favourite. Not to mention she'd been born on purpose rather than a weird accidental one-night stand...So I never even tried to reach out, not really, until it was basically too late." Flora gives a rueful little laugh, shaking her head gently. "Maybe I was jealous. Or petty. Probably both."
She pauses, realizing how much she actually did have bottled up, and glances warmly back toward Niki with appreciation and mild surprise. "Yeah, I guess maybe talking to you about it wouldn't be so bad after all." She offers him a softer, more genuine smile as she nods her head toward the door. "For you I suppose I can whisper," she hums, teasing affectionately as she heads toward the entrance. "I wouldn't want anyone to draw attention to you and have you inadvertently learn how to french braid someone's hair."
