honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time
Flora's eyes drift once more to the open columns that frame the sea, the breeze tugging at the edges of her gown like a reminder. For just a moment, her mind slips elsewhere—she imagines a voice cutting through all this silence, dry and sardonic, asking if she'd carved out a little place for him to drop anchor. If Jack were here, she knows exactly what he'd argue for. The coast. Of course, it would be the coast.
But he isn’t here.
And as her gaze returns to the gathered crowd—Calypsoth her golden certainty, Isla ’s quiet pragmatism, Remi and Ronin watching from the back like quiet sentinels—Flora breathes in the jasmine-laced air and nods.
"Seems like the consensus is the city," she says, her voice steady now. "So unless someone has a really compelling reason to say otherwise…" Her eyes sweep the courtyard one last time, just to be sure. "We’ll begin by protecting Haulani."
But he isn’t here.
And as her gaze returns to the gathered crowd—Calypsoth her golden certainty, Isla ’s quiet pragmatism, Remi and Ronin watching from the back like quiet sentinels—Flora breathes in the jasmine-laced air and nods.
"Seems like the consensus is the city," she says, her voice steady now. "So unless someone has a really compelling reason to say otherwise…" Her eyes sweep the courtyard one last time, just to be sure. "We’ll begin by protecting Haulani."
