you don't know that you're living 'til you're carrying scars
Flora shrugs, the motion loose and breezy, though there’s a glint in her eye that says danger was never really going to be a dealbreaker and because she hit level 13 so they'd both be fine. "My dads lived there for almost a year," she says casually, like living in an uncharted death-trap of a mountain range is just another line in the family scrapbook. "I’m sure they’ve got some tricks. And if we take the Sugartide"—her grin brightens at just the mention of it—"we can sail through the waterways, skip over anything too aggressive, and peace out the second it stops being fun."
Her fingers find Soh’s again, intertwining gently like they’ve done it a thousand times. Biting her lip, she gives her friend a look that’s all gleam and promise, wild with wonder and just a little breathless. "Okay, but imagine—a picnic at the base of an upside-down waterfall. Water rushing upward past the cliffs while we’re just…drinking rosé on a blanket like it’s nothing."
Her voice drops, quieter now, dreamy. "Or watching a sunset from Caido’s lighthouse. The real one. Not the replica on some tourist map, but the one tucked so far in the range it’s practically a myth." Then, with a flicker of reality threading through the dream, she adds, "I know there’s still a bunch of Void stuff up there—but my friend Amhran grew one of Rae’s Lilies. We could take it with us and plant it. Start clearing the shadows one bloom at a time."
Her fingers find Soh’s again, intertwining gently like they’ve done it a thousand times. Biting her lip, she gives her friend a look that’s all gleam and promise, wild with wonder and just a little breathless. "Okay, but imagine—a picnic at the base of an upside-down waterfall. Water rushing upward past the cliffs while we’re just…drinking rosé on a blanket like it’s nothing."
Her voice drops, quieter now, dreamy. "Or watching a sunset from Caido’s lighthouse. The real one. Not the replica on some tourist map, but the one tucked so far in the range it’s practically a myth." Then, with a flicker of reality threading through the dream, she adds, "I know there’s still a bunch of Void stuff up there—but my friend Amhran grew one of Rae’s Lilies. We could take it with us and plant it. Start clearing the shadows one bloom at a time."
you're either falling in love or you're falling apart
