your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand
Flora lets out a warm, honest laugh at the image of Caly watching Torchline from the stars like it was her own personal soap opera. "I can’t imagine what that must’ve looked like," she muses, swirling the remnants of her drink. "But I bet even from all the way up there, Torchline still managed to sparkle harder than the rest." Her grin lingers, soft at the edges, fond despite everything that sits tangled between them now.
But when Caly leans in and says her name—like it’s some untouchable monolith of comparison—Flora’s smile fades into something gentler, more real as she listens. And when Caly says I get it, Flora winces, not from guilt, but because she knows exactly what it feels like to be the one left wondering if you’ll ever be enough. Still, when she speaks, there’s no pity, just conviction. "I don’t think it’s a bad trait, knowing the guy you like will go to bat for you," she says with a tilt of her head, tone edged with something wry but warm. "Even if it’s against a super dangerous man like my ex-boyfriend-slash-your-dad, who he has zero business going after." Her brows lift knowingly. "That’s just who Kaisel is. He stands up for people, does what he thinks right, even if it's something as stupid as goading Jack into a fight."
She leans forward slightly, fingers tapping idly at her glass. "As for not knowing how close we were...Caly, how awkward would it have been for him to list off every girl he’s tight with the night you met?" Her smirk resurfaces, equal parts playful and pointed. "And he did go home with you that night. Not me. I was just as single then, and I was right there."
The teasing fades as Flora straightens a bit, her voice softening again. "You’re a hell of a lot more than just Jack’s kid. You’re Safrin’s daughter, for one. You’ve got enough gold in your blood to blind the sun." She reaches across the bar, nudging Caly’s hand if she’ll let her. "I’ve just had a little more time to mess up and do dumb, wild shit along the way. But you? You’ve got the same fire, the same fight. You’re gonna do just as much—and probably way more—and you’ll do it all your own way."
Flora lifts her glass again, but pauses before the sip. "I don't want to get between whatever happens between you and Kai." She sets the glass back down gently, fingers splaying along the rim. "So I just wanted you to know that there's not, like, some sketchy thing going on in the background."
But when Caly leans in and says her name—like it’s some untouchable monolith of comparison—Flora’s smile fades into something gentler, more real as she listens. And when Caly says I get it, Flora winces, not from guilt, but because she knows exactly what it feels like to be the one left wondering if you’ll ever be enough. Still, when she speaks, there’s no pity, just conviction. "I don’t think it’s a bad trait, knowing the guy you like will go to bat for you," she says with a tilt of her head, tone edged with something wry but warm. "Even if it’s against a super dangerous man like my ex-boyfriend-slash-your-dad, who he has zero business going after." Her brows lift knowingly. "That’s just who Kaisel is. He stands up for people, does what he thinks right, even if it's something as stupid as goading Jack into a fight."
She leans forward slightly, fingers tapping idly at her glass. "As for not knowing how close we were...Caly, how awkward would it have been for him to list off every girl he’s tight with the night you met?" Her smirk resurfaces, equal parts playful and pointed. "And he did go home with you that night. Not me. I was just as single then, and I was right there."
The teasing fades as Flora straightens a bit, her voice softening again. "You’re a hell of a lot more than just Jack’s kid. You’re Safrin’s daughter, for one. You’ve got enough gold in your blood to blind the sun." She reaches across the bar, nudging Caly’s hand if she’ll let her. "I’ve just had a little more time to mess up and do dumb, wild shit along the way. But you? You’ve got the same fire, the same fight. You’re gonna do just as much—and probably way more—and you’ll do it all your own way."
Flora lifts her glass again, but pauses before the sip. "I don't want to get between whatever happens between you and Kai." She sets the glass back down gently, fingers splaying along the rim. "So I just wanted you to know that there's not, like, some sketchy thing going on in the background."
