flora
Gods. She shouldn’t have asked. Not of Zavien, who she barely knew outside of shared sarcasm and borrowed training time. Who had his own life, his own scars, his own ghosts to look after, and who probably had reasons to dislike her if word of what happened between she and Koa had spread throughout the dragoon's barracks the way it probably had. And especially not here, in Stormbreak, where walls had ears and the wind liked to whisper. Flora felt her throat catch on guilt, lips parting like she might try and backpedal, only for his soft I would to land like a stone in her chest.
She didn’t smile; couldn’t. Her expression twisted instead, knotted with emotions she couldn’t untangle, let alone name. And when his voice quieted, touched with regret and caution alike, Flora’s eyes dropped to the ground between them. "I’m sorry," she whispered, biting the inside of her cheek. "You...you don’t owe me anything. I shouldn’t have—" She shook her head. "It’s stupid to ask someone else to put themselves in danger for my revenge."
But gods it was tempting.
"Do you think he’d go after people around me?" Her voice cracked a little around the question, barely above a breath. "If I do something reckless at his party, do you think he'd just...attack everyone else?" The wind tugged gently at her braid, like it wanted to steal the question and carry it away before she could regret it more.
Her arms crossed, her weight shifting in a slow, defeated sway. "I just hate how he got to kill me, and..and nothing happened," she snapped, voice rising despite herself before she yanked it back under control. She looked up at Zavien then, at the flecks of gold in his eyes and the worn understanding written in the lines of his expression. Her voice gentled, but it didn’t lose its edge. "Though I guess I'm preaching to the choir with you, huh?"
She didn’t smile; couldn’t. Her expression twisted instead, knotted with emotions she couldn’t untangle, let alone name. And when his voice quieted, touched with regret and caution alike, Flora’s eyes dropped to the ground between them. "I’m sorry," she whispered, biting the inside of her cheek. "You...you don’t owe me anything. I shouldn’t have—" She shook her head. "It’s stupid to ask someone else to put themselves in danger for my revenge."
But gods it was tempting.
"Do you think he’d go after people around me?" Her voice cracked a little around the question, barely above a breath. "If I do something reckless at his party, do you think he'd just...attack everyone else?" The wind tugged gently at her braid, like it wanted to steal the question and carry it away before she could regret it more.
Her arms crossed, her weight shifting in a slow, defeated sway. "I just hate how he got to kill me, and..and nothing happened," she snapped, voice rising despite herself before she yanked it back under control. She looked up at Zavien then, at the flecks of gold in his eyes and the worn understanding written in the lines of his expression. Her voice gentled, but it didn’t lose its edge. "Though I guess I'm preaching to the choir with you, huh?"
I can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland
