yeah I got heartbreak that I reminisce about
It’s not a graceful dance by any stretch of the imagination. Bassian moves like a man trained for rigging and storm winds, not ribbons and waltzes. His hands are too big, his rhythm an awkward negotiation with the music, and Flora’s corset doesn’t make things easier—but she’s laughing, the bright, uncontainable kind that spills out between breaths and into the folds of the masquerade. "No, no—like this," she’s giggling, reaching up to adjust where his hands are clumsily hovering too high or too low or just somewhere. He’s stiff as a plank beneath her fingers, expression locked somewhere between sheepish devotion and barely contained panic.
Every now and then, Bassian shoots a quick, wide-eyed look toward the sidelines, as if expecting to be struck down by lightning—or worse, a dry comment—from a certain telepathic captain. But Jack doesn’t intervene, and Bassian survives the full length of the song with only minor trampling and a flourish that Flora absolutely makes up on the spot.
When the music ends, Flora grins up at him, tugging the mountain of a man down by his cloak with casual authority. She presses a glossy kiss to his cheek leaving a smudge of crimson and glitter behind. "C’mon, I’ll help you fetch drinks. You don’t have enough hands for everyone, big as they are."
Flora is tipsy enough now that the lanterns blur just a little at the edges, softening everything into a warm haze of music and colour and too many Ludos, but not so far gone that she’s unaware of where they’re heading. The Ark’s crew gathers in a loose knot near the edge of the feast, laughing and trading jabs the way they always have. Jack is there, of course, but whatever sharp edge her thoughts might’ve found is dulled by the cider. She doesn’t pause, doesn’t falter, doesn’t hesitate as she steps into the periphery of that familiar current and flashes them all a dazzling smile.
Then, because she’s already crossed one invisible threshold, Flora casually sidles in beside Jack, offering him the final cup of cider. The copper in his mask catches the lanternlight, throws warm glints across his face, and somehow—godsdamn him—it makes his eyes look even bluer. It’s infuriating, and unfair, and very on-brand. "Hey," she says, light as sugar on the rim. Casual. Sooooo casual. "Anything interesting going on?" Aka any good gossip?
Every now and then, Bassian shoots a quick, wide-eyed look toward the sidelines, as if expecting to be struck down by lightning—or worse, a dry comment—from a certain telepathic captain. But Jack doesn’t intervene, and Bassian survives the full length of the song with only minor trampling and a flourish that Flora absolutely makes up on the spot.
When the music ends, Flora grins up at him, tugging the mountain of a man down by his cloak with casual authority. She presses a glossy kiss to his cheek leaving a smudge of crimson and glitter behind. "C’mon, I’ll help you fetch drinks. You don’t have enough hands for everyone, big as they are."
Flora is tipsy enough now that the lanterns blur just a little at the edges, softening everything into a warm haze of music and colour and too many Ludos, but not so far gone that she’s unaware of where they’re heading. The Ark’s crew gathers in a loose knot near the edge of the feast, laughing and trading jabs the way they always have. Jack is there, of course, but whatever sharp edge her thoughts might’ve found is dulled by the cider. She doesn’t pause, doesn’t falter, doesn’t hesitate as she steps into the periphery of that familiar current and flashes them all a dazzling smile.
Then, because she’s already crossed one invisible threshold, Flora casually sidles in beside Jack, offering him the final cup of cider. The copper in his mask catches the lanternlight, throws warm glints across his face, and somehow—godsdamn him—it makes his eyes look even bluer. It’s infuriating, and unfair, and very on-brand. "Hey," she says, light as sugar on the rim. Casual. Sooooo casual. "Anything interesting going on?" Aka any good gossip?
some real big things I still gotta figure out
