i can't help it if i want to kiss you in the rain, so
"Dozens of others would be in the firing line if I went behind that shield!" Flora yells back, her voice high and cutting across the wind like a drawn blade. "If you care so fucking much about keeping people safe, then what the hell have you and Remi been doing all this time, huh? Why haven’t you gone around trying to get everyone into Haulani? You could have been doing that this whole time instead of whatever it is the pair of you get up to."
She throws up her hands, laughter catching in her throat—raw, unamused, half-crazed from exhaustion. "You’re immortal, Ronin! All of you are! And the ones who aren’t? They’re still gonna die someday, and so am I. So maybe I’d rather die doing something that matters than watching everyone else suffer and die just because I was too much of a coward to do something about it."
She steps forward now, not to invade his space but to make herself clear, chin lifted with fury and fire behind her sea-glass eyes. "And if you’re so damn worried about who’s gonna bring me or anyone else back," she snaps, voice cracking, "then maybe you shouldn’t be throwing yourself into danger either. Sounds like the ones with resurrection privileges are the ones who should be benched!"
His plea for understanding, for softness, is met with nothing but the storm she’s become. "Yes you're allowed to be scared," Flora bites, arms outstretched like she’s baring herself for the worst of it. "You’re allowed to worry, but it doesn’t give you the right to stand here and act like I’m the one hurting you for not doing what you want. That’s not love, that’s manipulation, and it’s bullshit."
Her curls lash around her shoulders like storm-tossed surf, every inch of her radiating fury and betrayal. "And yeah," she finishes, scathingly quiet now, eyes locked on him with barely contained emotion, "I can say it’s my choice. The only reason you’re pissed is because it forces you to actually choose. And if you can’t just blame me for sitting on the sidelines, then the pair of you have to actually take accountability for what you decide to do next."
At his final remark, the one that’s meant to pierce, meant to wound—YoU'Re HUrtInG REmi AnD Me—Flora just exhales sharply through her nose and shakes her head, jaw set. "There it is again. Gods, Ronin. You don’t even hear how manipulative that is, do you?"
She throws up her hands, laughter catching in her throat—raw, unamused, half-crazed from exhaustion. "You’re immortal, Ronin! All of you are! And the ones who aren’t? They’re still gonna die someday, and so am I. So maybe I’d rather die doing something that matters than watching everyone else suffer and die just because I was too much of a coward to do something about it."
She steps forward now, not to invade his space but to make herself clear, chin lifted with fury and fire behind her sea-glass eyes. "And if you’re so damn worried about who’s gonna bring me or anyone else back," she snaps, voice cracking, "then maybe you shouldn’t be throwing yourself into danger either. Sounds like the ones with resurrection privileges are the ones who should be benched!"
His plea for understanding, for softness, is met with nothing but the storm she’s become. "Yes you're allowed to be scared," Flora bites, arms outstretched like she’s baring herself for the worst of it. "You’re allowed to worry, but it doesn’t give you the right to stand here and act like I’m the one hurting you for not doing what you want. That’s not love, that’s manipulation, and it’s bullshit."
Her curls lash around her shoulders like storm-tossed surf, every inch of her radiating fury and betrayal. "And yeah," she finishes, scathingly quiet now, eyes locked on him with barely contained emotion, "I can say it’s my choice. The only reason you’re pissed is because it forces you to actually choose. And if you can’t just blame me for sitting on the sidelines, then the pair of you have to actually take accountability for what you decide to do next."
At his final remark, the one that’s meant to pierce, meant to wound—YoU'Re HUrtInG REmi AnD Me—Flora just exhales sharply through her nose and shakes her head, jaw set. "There it is again. Gods, Ronin. You don’t even hear how manipulative that is, do you?"
