you don't know that you're living 'til you're carrying scars
The silence between them stretches a little too long, and Flora, ever attuned to the shifts in mood—especially in people she loves—feels it settle in like a cold tide. She glances sideways, studying the set of Soh’s jaw, the too-careful rhythm of her steps. Gently, she bumps their shoulders together. "You okay?" she asks, her voice light but laced with real concern. "I know you’ve got a lot going on too, so..if there’s something you wanna talk about, I’m here, okay?"
Because yeah, she knows the ache of Tarak’s absence still lingers like a bruise that won’t fade, but there’s something else threading through Soh’s quiet today, and Flora’s not about to let it pass unnoticed if her friend needs a place to unload it.
As for the bar—ugh. Flora sighs, long and theatrical enough to make her curls bounce with the exhale. "When I went to talk to Caly about Kai—" here, she rolls her eyes hard enough to see the inside of her skull, "—she made the Hanged Man feel...cold. Like I didn’t belong there anymore."
Her fingers tighten faintly in Soh’s. "And since I got back to Haulani, none of them—Caly or the other triplets—have asked if I’m coming back. Not once." She breathes out again, softer this time. "They redecorated, by the way. Totally different vibe now. And after everything that happened with Kai, I just figured if I said I wanted the bar back, I’d look like some petty, bitter bitch clinging to things just to spite them."
Flora shrugs against Soh, the movement small but weary. "I talked to Enzo about it, and yeah, the Hanged Man is...it’s a part of me. But I don’t wanna ruin the memory of it because things are messy, you know?" She glances out toward the surf, lashes dipping low. "I did write to Caly asking if she wanted it. Haven’t heard anything back yet though." Another shrug, lighter, like she’s trying to let it roll off her. "Apparently ghosting me is something she and Kai have in common, so who knows."
Because yeah, she knows the ache of Tarak’s absence still lingers like a bruise that won’t fade, but there’s something else threading through Soh’s quiet today, and Flora’s not about to let it pass unnoticed if her friend needs a place to unload it.
As for the bar—ugh. Flora sighs, long and theatrical enough to make her curls bounce with the exhale. "When I went to talk to Caly about Kai—" here, she rolls her eyes hard enough to see the inside of her skull, "—she made the Hanged Man feel...cold. Like I didn’t belong there anymore."
Her fingers tighten faintly in Soh’s. "And since I got back to Haulani, none of them—Caly or the other triplets—have asked if I’m coming back. Not once." She breathes out again, softer this time. "They redecorated, by the way. Totally different vibe now. And after everything that happened with Kai, I just figured if I said I wanted the bar back, I’d look like some petty, bitter bitch clinging to things just to spite them."
Flora shrugs against Soh, the movement small but weary. "I talked to Enzo about it, and yeah, the Hanged Man is...it’s a part of me. But I don’t wanna ruin the memory of it because things are messy, you know?" She glances out toward the surf, lashes dipping low. "I did write to Caly asking if she wanted it. Haven’t heard anything back yet though." Another shrug, lighter, like she’s trying to let it roll off her. "Apparently ghosting me is something she and Kai have in common, so who knows."
you're either falling in love or you're falling apart
