flora
Flora grins, all white teeth and mischief as Kaisel accuses her of needing someone to torture. "You say that like you’re not holding up remarkably well," she hums, cocking her head just enough to give him an exaggerated once-over. And maybe her thumb brushes his knuckles again. Maybe she feels the way his fingers tighten around hers, just for a moment, before smoothing back into place. If she reads anything into it, she doesn't show it—though her eyes sparkle with something unspoken and slightly dangerous. Despite everything she’d just said about harmless, her mind hasn't stopped replaying how easily he’d lifted her earlier. If horny jail did exist, they both deserved to be locked up. No trial, no mercy. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
As he lifts her hand with that theatrical little inspection, Flora huffs in mock offense. "Excuse you," she gasps, eyes widening with feigned outrage. "Soh and I are supposed to go to the spa before the party—so she could look radiant for her maybe-boyfriend, and I could look radiant just for being me." With a melodramatic sigh, she slides out from the bench and disappears into the depths of her bedroom, returning moments later with a small, glittery cosmetics bag that she unzips with a flourish. She plops it onto the table between them—cuticle scissors, buffers, lotions, and of course the cherry-red polish already chosen to match her party outfit.
Settling herself with a little flip of her hair, she props her hand back into his. "Hey," she says, cocking a brow with the sort of smirk that promises nonsense is incoming. "Did Koa ever tell you about that time we were furious at each other, and we got paired up for this appreciation event?" She laughs, the memory bright with distance. "Most gruelling five minutes of my life. You had to constantly compliment your partner. Spoiler alert? None of our compliments were actually complimentary. At one point he said if I was in a fairy tale I'd be a queen obviously, but then named all the really wicked and terrible ones, and I said my favourite feature of his was his back because of how often he walked away from me." Gods, she hadn't thought about that day in years, and how just as they'd finally gotten all their bullshit out of the way, they'd been forced to switch partners.
As he lifts her hand with that theatrical little inspection, Flora huffs in mock offense. "Excuse you," she gasps, eyes widening with feigned outrage. "Soh and I are supposed to go to the spa before the party—so she could look radiant for her maybe-boyfriend, and I could look radiant just for being me." With a melodramatic sigh, she slides out from the bench and disappears into the depths of her bedroom, returning moments later with a small, glittery cosmetics bag that she unzips with a flourish. She plops it onto the table between them—cuticle scissors, buffers, lotions, and of course the cherry-red polish already chosen to match her party outfit.
Settling herself with a little flip of her hair, she props her hand back into his. "Hey," she says, cocking a brow with the sort of smirk that promises nonsense is incoming. "Did Koa ever tell you about that time we were furious at each other, and we got paired up for this appreciation event?" She laughs, the memory bright with distance. "Most gruelling five minutes of my life. You had to constantly compliment your partner. Spoiler alert? None of our compliments were actually complimentary. At one point he said if I was in a fairy tale I'd be a queen obviously, but then named all the really wicked and terrible ones, and I said my favourite feature of his was his back because of how often he walked away from me." Gods, she hadn't thought about that day in years, and how just as they'd finally gotten all their bullshit out of the way, they'd been forced to switch partners.
I want to be when you fall on me like night
I wanna kill the lights
I wanna kill the lights
