flora
She doesn’t hesitate when Sohalia slips into the seat beside her, doesn’t pretend she’s strong enough not to need the closeness. Her shoulder leans lightly into her friend’s, the familiar press of Soh’s presence more comforting than any medicine, and when she exhales, it’s not ragged with grief the way it was before, but softer—something like release. Her fingers stay curled around Sohalia’s, their hands a quiet anchor beneath the weight of everything else.
'Yeah, it’s all been pretty shit," she murmurs at last, voice wry with tired honesty. There’s no attempt to dress it up, no deflection or forced optimism—just a breath of truth between friends who have shared too much to bother pretending anymore.
She’s quiet for a moment, letting the hush settle over them again before adding, almost as an afterthought, "I got a letter from Hadama this morning, though. My bad, I probably should have led with it." Her thumb brushes lightly along the side of Soh’s hand, her voice quiet but clear as she continues. "Apparently he’s negotiated some kind of exchange. I don’t know the details, just that...they’re going to trade Dahlia. For peace. For the Family to leave Caido." She glances sideways, not with urgency but with quiet intention, meeting her friend’s eyes with something warm and worn in equal measure. "It means you can finally go home," she says, and though there’s a flicker of relief in her words, there’s something else too—something more complicated, tucked behind the edges of her smile.
There’s a pause before she adds, softer still, "Much as I’d love for you to stay in Torchline." Her gaze lingers on Sohalia’s face, fond and flickering, a light that’s dimmed but never gone out.
'Yeah, it’s all been pretty shit," she murmurs at last, voice wry with tired honesty. There’s no attempt to dress it up, no deflection or forced optimism—just a breath of truth between friends who have shared too much to bother pretending anymore.
She’s quiet for a moment, letting the hush settle over them again before adding, almost as an afterthought, "I got a letter from Hadama this morning, though. My bad, I probably should have led with it." Her thumb brushes lightly along the side of Soh’s hand, her voice quiet but clear as she continues. "Apparently he’s negotiated some kind of exchange. I don’t know the details, just that...they’re going to trade Dahlia. For peace. For the Family to leave Caido." She glances sideways, not with urgency but with quiet intention, meeting her friend’s eyes with something warm and worn in equal measure. "It means you can finally go home," she says, and though there’s a flicker of relief in her words, there’s something else too—something more complicated, tucked behind the edges of her smile.
There’s a pause before she adds, softer still, "Much as I’d love for you to stay in Torchline." Her gaze lingers on Sohalia’s face, fond and flickering, a light that’s dimmed but never gone out.
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22?
Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
