Hear those bells ring deep in the soul
Chiming away for a moment
Chiming away for a moment
Koa stares at the flower in his cousin's hands, not really trusting himself to look anywhere else. The yellow bloom flits about without a care in the world, utterly oblivious to the Dragoon's looming crisis, or the way it reminds him of another bouquet of yellow blooms. Sunflowers, the pet name he'd once given Flora, only to have it - and them - tossed back in his face.
Okay, maybe not actually, but it certainly felt that way. And now those feelings come sweeping back, herded by a well-meaning and bumbling shepherd with no idea of the wolves lurking among his flock.
"He dumped her?" He's angry on Flora's behalf, and then he's angry at his anger, because why the fuck should he even care? It's not his problem, she's not his problem, but try explaining that to a 23-year-old boy whose first summer love had left him just as bruised as the flower Kaisel flails. The rest of the story unfolds in pages that, were this a novel, might be considered outlandish or far-fetched- but this isn't a novel, it's Flora, and Koa has long since stopped believing anything outside her reach. Infected and cured and a realm protected, all in the, what? Six weeks? since he saw her. It's absolutely ridiculous, but he doesn't doubt it's true.
And he hadn't been there for any of it, because she hadn't wanted him.
She'd wanted Jack.
Kai concludes his recounting of the trials, a hand dropping from Koa's shoulder to cross over his chest. At some point Koa's shoved his hands in his pockets, and then taken them out again, and then rolled up his sleeves, and then rolled them back down. A part of him that he'd like to say is smaller than it positively preens in smug vindication; another part that he'd much rather ignore is shouting at him to ask more questions, to follow up and run to Flora, because he knows she must be absolutely falling apart. "That's... A lot," is all he musters, the understatement of the year, and he's about to ask his cousin why he's saying all of this when the master plan is revealed.
This is your chance, Koa. I know you loved her.
And, well.
Fuck?
"Dude, what the fuck? Koa blinks, incredulous, staring at his cousin as though he's sprouted whiskers and a second mouth. "Like... the fuck?" he repeats, because it bears repeating, because honestly, the fuck? Not even knowing where to begin wit his answer, Koa spins on his heel, a dull laugh radiating from his lungs. He raises his hands, flails briefly as he isn't sure where to put them, and settles on his face, fingers tugging into his hairline as he tries to rub understanding into his eyes. "What are you even talking about? 'Get her back'? She fucking dumped me, Kai!" And is apparently going through a full-blown crisis.
And didn't come to him.
A thought occurs to him, and before he can think better he's spun back on his heel and taken a step forward, peering into his cousin's face. "Did she... did she say something?" About me is left unsaid but obvious, because it's quite apparent she said a lot. But had Flora confessed to Koa's cousin that she missed him, regretted him, wanted him?
Would it change anything, if she had?
Okay, maybe not actually, but it certainly felt that way. And now those feelings come sweeping back, herded by a well-meaning and bumbling shepherd with no idea of the wolves lurking among his flock.
"He dumped her?" He's angry on Flora's behalf, and then he's angry at his anger, because why the fuck should he even care? It's not his problem, she's not his problem, but try explaining that to a 23-year-old boy whose first summer love had left him just as bruised as the flower Kaisel flails. The rest of the story unfolds in pages that, were this a novel, might be considered outlandish or far-fetched- but this isn't a novel, it's Flora, and Koa has long since stopped believing anything outside her reach. Infected and cured and a realm protected, all in the, what? Six weeks? since he saw her. It's absolutely ridiculous, but he doesn't doubt it's true.
And he hadn't been there for any of it, because she hadn't wanted him.
She'd wanted Jack.
Kai concludes his recounting of the trials, a hand dropping from Koa's shoulder to cross over his chest. At some point Koa's shoved his hands in his pockets, and then taken them out again, and then rolled up his sleeves, and then rolled them back down. A part of him that he'd like to say is smaller than it positively preens in smug vindication; another part that he'd much rather ignore is shouting at him to ask more questions, to follow up and run to Flora, because he knows she must be absolutely falling apart. "That's... A lot," is all he musters, the understatement of the year, and he's about to ask his cousin why he's saying all of this when the master plan is revealed.
This is your chance, Koa. I know you loved her.
And, well.
Fuck?
"Dude, what the fuck? Koa blinks, incredulous, staring at his cousin as though he's sprouted whiskers and a second mouth. "Like... the fuck?" he repeats, because it bears repeating, because honestly, the fuck? Not even knowing where to begin wit his answer, Koa spins on his heel, a dull laugh radiating from his lungs. He raises his hands, flails briefly as he isn't sure where to put them, and settles on his face, fingers tugging into his hairline as he tries to rub understanding into his eyes. "What are you even talking about? 'Get her back'? She fucking dumped me, Kai!" And is apparently going through a full-blown crisis.
And didn't come to him.
A thought occurs to him, and before he can think better he's spun back on his heel and taken a step forward, peering into his cousin's face. "Did she... did she say something?" About me is left unsaid but obvious, because it's quite apparent she said a lot. But had Flora confessed to Koa's cousin that she missed him, regretted him, wanted him?
Would it change anything, if she had?
Koa Carpenter
Feel your breath course frankly below
And see life as a worthy opponent
And see life as a worthy opponent
