i could be the reason you can't sleep at night
Flora doesn’t cry, but gods does she come close. The moment Sohalia’s arms wrap around her, Flora’s entire body seems to exhale. Her spine curves forward as if her whole frame can finally bend under the weight it's been carrying, her face burying into the crook of Soh's shoulder. It's not elegant or composed—it’s clinging and breathless and half-raw, because for all the walls Flora can build, there’s nothing strong enough to guard against the quiet devastation of feeling like you’re losing everyone who matters.
"I did think about it," she whispers hoarsely. The words hang there like bruises, heavy and sore, before she pulls back just enough to look her friend in the face, expression scrunched in a mix of guilt and stubbornness. "That’s why I sent a letter to Remi. I told him to make sure Ronin was cured before I did it. Because if something happened to me—if I didn’t come back—I wanted someone who could bring me back. I didn’t just do this and hope for the best."
Her fingers clench in the soft fabric of Soh’s sleeve, her voice thick but firm now. "Wouldn’t you do it too? If you had something that could keep Stormbreak safe—really safe—wouldn’t you use it? Even if it was risky? Even if people didn’t get it?"
Flora blinks fast and hard, nose pink and eyes too shiny. "I didn’t tell you what was in the letters because I couldn’t. I’m not attuned, I can’t talk in my head the way you can, and if Vox or Dahlia overheard..." She trails off, shaking her head. "I didn’t want to put you in more danger than I already had. I thought... if you didn’t know the plan, no one could force it out of you. It wasn’t about trust. It was about protecting you." About protecting Jack and Hadama too so that when she stood in front of Dahlia she could confidently say that she hadn't told anyone what she was planning so that Reaper's wrath, if it came, would be focused on her and her alone.
"I did think about it," she whispers hoarsely. The words hang there like bruises, heavy and sore, before she pulls back just enough to look her friend in the face, expression scrunched in a mix of guilt and stubbornness. "That’s why I sent a letter to Remi. I told him to make sure Ronin was cured before I did it. Because if something happened to me—if I didn’t come back—I wanted someone who could bring me back. I didn’t just do this and hope for the best."
Her fingers clench in the soft fabric of Soh’s sleeve, her voice thick but firm now. "Wouldn’t you do it too? If you had something that could keep Stormbreak safe—really safe—wouldn’t you use it? Even if it was risky? Even if people didn’t get it?"
Flora blinks fast and hard, nose pink and eyes too shiny. "I didn’t tell you what was in the letters because I couldn’t. I’m not attuned, I can’t talk in my head the way you can, and if Vox or Dahlia overheard..." She trails off, shaking her head. "I didn’t want to put you in more danger than I already had. I thought... if you didn’t know the plan, no one could force it out of you. It wasn’t about trust. It was about protecting you." About protecting Jack and Hadama too so that when she stood in front of Dahlia she could confidently say that she hadn't told anyone what she was planning so that Reaper's wrath, if it came, would be focused on her and her alone.
