flora
Flora’s gaze drifts toward the silver-and-blue vest as Sohalia pulls it free, and despite the weight in her chest, she still manages a quiet note of appreciation. "That’s gorgeous," she murmurs, watching the fabric catch the waterfall’s reflected light. "And sitting out here with just one lantern doesn’t sound too hard." Her eyes flick up toward the sky, where the first hints of twilight begin to melt through the brighter edges of sunset. "I bet the stars up here are insane."
But then Soh turns the question, and Flora exhales softly, her fingers combing slowly through her curls. Her shoulders round, like the very shape of her begins to fold in on itself, and when she speaks, it’s quieter. Like she’s trying not to shake apart with the words. "Things with Jack...are done," she says finally. Her voice doesn’t crack, but it thins, drawn like silk over a blade. "He—" she hesitates, then laughs once, low and pathetically fond. "He covered the Ark’s mast in flowers. Like...actual magical flowers. Just to let me know he was free. For, you know. A booty call." Quickly, she adds, "which is actually super sweet for him. Not just because he wanted sex but because he'd, like...display it like that, just for me."
The smile that curls at the corners of her mouth is brittle, a tired echo of what might’ve once been flirty bravado. "So I went, because why not? We had sex again, and it was...gods, it was good. But then afterward...he said he wanted to be with me again." The tears come before she can stop them. Quiet. Slow. Burning.
"We actually talked about what we’d need to do to make it work. I was like...99% in." She gives a soft, pathetic laugh, shoulders trembling. "If he’d asked me to marry him right there, Soh, I think I would’ve said yes." No, she knew she would have.
She has to look away. The shame of it, the hurt of it—how deeply she still wanted him even after everything—is too much to hold while facing her best friend. "But I told him about my feelings for Kaisel because I didn’t want to hide that. And Jack said I should go talk to him. That we’d meet again at the end of the week." Her breath hitches, and she swipes quickly at her cheeks, though the tears don’t stop. "Kaisel had stowed away on the Sugartide to try and talk to me. He gave me the parchment he’d quested for, and things were...getting better. And then—" her voice trembles, "—he kissed me in the market. Told me he loved me. Yelled it. In front of everyone." Her cheeks flush, hurt and overwhelmed, more tears slipping free despite her effort to contain them.
"And it just hit me—" she gasps slightly, trying to keep her voice steady. "Gods, I wanted so badly for it to work with Jack. I really did. But he’s never...shown up for me. Not like that. Kaisel does stupid things, reckless things, but he tries. He always tries." Quickly, her eyes lift to Sohalia, wide with pain and guilt. "I don't want it to seem like I'm choosing one over the other because I'm not. But I—" Her voice breaks, truly this time. "I asked Jack if he thought he could make me happy."
And it’s there, in that small question, where all her strength dissolves. Her face crumples, and her shoulders curl inward as a sob punches through her chest. "He didn’t say yes," she whispers. "Didn’t even say he’d try his best. He said..he’d try harder than before." And that’s it. That’s the part that breaks her, because harder than before wasn’t enough, not anymore, but fuck she wished it was, with every fibre of her being.
But then Soh turns the question, and Flora exhales softly, her fingers combing slowly through her curls. Her shoulders round, like the very shape of her begins to fold in on itself, and when she speaks, it’s quieter. Like she’s trying not to shake apart with the words. "Things with Jack...are done," she says finally. Her voice doesn’t crack, but it thins, drawn like silk over a blade. "He—" she hesitates, then laughs once, low and pathetically fond. "He covered the Ark’s mast in flowers. Like...actual magical flowers. Just to let me know he was free. For, you know. A booty call." Quickly, she adds, "which is actually super sweet for him. Not just because he wanted sex but because he'd, like...display it like that, just for me."
The smile that curls at the corners of her mouth is brittle, a tired echo of what might’ve once been flirty bravado. "So I went, because why not? We had sex again, and it was...gods, it was good. But then afterward...he said he wanted to be with me again." The tears come before she can stop them. Quiet. Slow. Burning.
"We actually talked about what we’d need to do to make it work. I was like...99% in." She gives a soft, pathetic laugh, shoulders trembling. "If he’d asked me to marry him right there, Soh, I think I would’ve said yes." No, she knew she would have.
She has to look away. The shame of it, the hurt of it—how deeply she still wanted him even after everything—is too much to hold while facing her best friend. "But I told him about my feelings for Kaisel because I didn’t want to hide that. And Jack said I should go talk to him. That we’d meet again at the end of the week." Her breath hitches, and she swipes quickly at her cheeks, though the tears don’t stop. "Kaisel had stowed away on the Sugartide to try and talk to me. He gave me the parchment he’d quested for, and things were...getting better. And then—" her voice trembles, "—he kissed me in the market. Told me he loved me. Yelled it. In front of everyone." Her cheeks flush, hurt and overwhelmed, more tears slipping free despite her effort to contain them.
"And it just hit me—" she gasps slightly, trying to keep her voice steady. "Gods, I wanted so badly for it to work with Jack. I really did. But he’s never...shown up for me. Not like that. Kaisel does stupid things, reckless things, but he tries. He always tries." Quickly, her eyes lift to Sohalia, wide with pain and guilt. "I don't want it to seem like I'm choosing one over the other because I'm not. But I—" Her voice breaks, truly this time. "I asked Jack if he thought he could make me happy."
And it’s there, in that small question, where all her strength dissolves. Her face crumples, and her shoulders curl inward as a sob punches through her chest. "He didn’t say yes," she whispers. "Didn’t even say he’d try his best. He said..he’d try harder than before." And that’s it. That’s the part that breaks her, because harder than before wasn’t enough, not anymore, but fuck she wished it was, with every fibre of her being.
& someone else lights up the room; people love an ingénue
will you still want me when i'm nothing new?
will you still want me when i'm nothing new?
