it's fine to fake it 'till you make it
Starlight answers before she does. It trickles like gold dust from the ceiling’s unseen seams, catching in the candle flames and dancing across the jasmine blossoms and the obsidian charm with approving warmth. The sea below stays quiet, reverent, as if waiting too. Then Safrin steps into being like she was always there—like the moment finally remembered her.
Barefoot on the lighthouse stone, draped in indigo and dusk, the goddess’s eyes glow with pride and mischief both as she glances toward the altar. "Volcanic glass?" she purrs, her fingers brushing the carved feather as if tasting its edges. "Sharp. Fitting."
With a languid flick of her wrist, Safrin lifts her hand and twirls her fingers once in the air—an elegant, lazy gesture that sends a bolt of concentrated starlight arching through the chamber. It streaks upward, out the window, and vanishes into the sky with a faint hum. Outside, far below where the Sugar Tide floats at anchor, the starlight finds its mark. It pierces the skyship like a blessing, like a kiss. Her sails flutter, catching a wind that wasn’t there before. The ship’s bones hum with a new harmony—balanced, braced, and ready now to carry two.
Safrin turns back to Flora with a knowing look, all starshine and sass. "You’ve done well," she says, her voice low and warm, her smile both affectionate and sly. She winks. "Try not to let whoever you bring aboard crash into anything either."
And just like that, she’s gone—dissolving into light and laughter, leaving the scent of jasmine and salt behind.
Flora has completed her quest and the Sugar Tide has been upgraded.
~FIN
Barefoot on the lighthouse stone, draped in indigo and dusk, the goddess’s eyes glow with pride and mischief both as she glances toward the altar. "Volcanic glass?" she purrs, her fingers brushing the carved feather as if tasting its edges. "Sharp. Fitting."
With a languid flick of her wrist, Safrin lifts her hand and twirls her fingers once in the air—an elegant, lazy gesture that sends a bolt of concentrated starlight arching through the chamber. It streaks upward, out the window, and vanishes into the sky with a faint hum. Outside, far below where the Sugar Tide floats at anchor, the starlight finds its mark. It pierces the skyship like a blessing, like a kiss. Her sails flutter, catching a wind that wasn’t there before. The ship’s bones hum with a new harmony—balanced, braced, and ready now to carry two.
Safrin turns back to Flora with a knowing look, all starshine and sass. "You’ve done well," she says, her voice low and warm, her smile both affectionate and sly. She winks. "Try not to let whoever you bring aboard crash into anything either."
And just like that, she’s gone—dissolving into light and laughter, leaving the scent of jasmine and salt behind.
Flora has completed her quest and the Sugar Tide has been upgraded.
~FIN
'till you do. 'till it's true.
