Flora
As Kaisel starts peppering her face with kisses, Flora lets out a laugh that’s half squeal, half protest, theatrically trying to turn her head away while still keeping herself curled against him. She scrunches her features like she’s annoyed, but the way her arms refuse to let go of him gives her away entirely. Her nose wrinkles again as he pulls back, and she sighs with mock exasperation that melts into something breathless and fond.
"Just because my best friend isn’t Stormbreak’s leader anymore doesn’t mean they’re not still one of Torchline’s closest allies," she says, brushing her fingers along the side of his ribcage. "Though I guess that means I'll actually have to make political ties up there again, rather than just solidifying our alliance with sleepovers and hot chocolate."
But when talk turns to Koa, the humour drains quietly from her eyes. She listens, but her frown deepens with every word he tries to offer, and when he finishes, she leans in, brushing her nose gently against his in a motion that’s more tender than it is playful. "No, that’s what I mean by dibs, though," she murmurs. "That just because he had feelings for me...doesn’t mean no one else could. You wished for me to be happy, right?"
The thought of that day—the last day—comes back sharp. Koa’s voice echoing through the Celestine, his words too loud, too cruel as her goodbye turned into a fight. The way he'd said I love you for the first time, but springing it on her like a trap. Like a knife. She can understand every harsh word and every defensive tactic the dragoon had, but gods it was such a far cry from how Kaisel had acted today in almost identical circumstances. Her body stiffens briefly against Kaisel’s as the memory cuts through, but she shakes her head, as if trying to fling it away like sand from her curls. "This is already so much more than that ever was."
Flora's hand drifts up without quite meaning to, fingers brushing Kaisel's jaw as if searching for something solid—something real—and when she finds it, when her eyes lift to his again, there’s a different kind of ache stirring behind the aqua. She leans in slowly, not for drama or distraction this time, but because her heart needs the reassurance. Her lips find his in a kiss that’s soft and warm and steady. A hum of satisfaction shivers out from her, boneless and quiet, as if her whole body was exhaling into the space he’s made for her.
Then he asks about Sohalia, and she groans, dropping her head dramatically to his chest like the weight of it might drown her. "Ugh. They had this weird hook-up after the party. Didn’t even sleep together," she mutters, voice flat with unimpressed clarity. Her cheek shifts against his skin, but her jaw stays tight; he’ll feel the way it feathers against him, little flashes of tension that say more than her tone does. "And then after Tarak died, he just...basically vanished."
Her voice dips quieter, but her frustration doesn’t fade. "He chased her for so long, said all these sweet things about wanting to be with her, and then the second she was ready? He just—" She clicks her tongue. "Pulled all the way back." Lifting her head, Flora raises her brows, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and a grim kind of amusement. "I’m pretty sure we saw him dancing with Nova at Ludo’s thing," she says. "Didn't even try to find Soh."
"Just because my best friend isn’t Stormbreak’s leader anymore doesn’t mean they’re not still one of Torchline’s closest allies," she says, brushing her fingers along the side of his ribcage. "Though I guess that means I'll actually have to make political ties up there again, rather than just solidifying our alliance with sleepovers and hot chocolate."
But when talk turns to Koa, the humour drains quietly from her eyes. She listens, but her frown deepens with every word he tries to offer, and when he finishes, she leans in, brushing her nose gently against his in a motion that’s more tender than it is playful. "No, that’s what I mean by dibs, though," she murmurs. "That just because he had feelings for me...doesn’t mean no one else could. You wished for me to be happy, right?"
The thought of that day—the last day—comes back sharp. Koa’s voice echoing through the Celestine, his words too loud, too cruel as her goodbye turned into a fight. The way he'd said I love you for the first time, but springing it on her like a trap. Like a knife. She can understand every harsh word and every defensive tactic the dragoon had, but gods it was such a far cry from how Kaisel had acted today in almost identical circumstances. Her body stiffens briefly against Kaisel’s as the memory cuts through, but she shakes her head, as if trying to fling it away like sand from her curls. "This is already so much more than that ever was."
Flora's hand drifts up without quite meaning to, fingers brushing Kaisel's jaw as if searching for something solid—something real—and when she finds it, when her eyes lift to his again, there’s a different kind of ache stirring behind the aqua. She leans in slowly, not for drama or distraction this time, but because her heart needs the reassurance. Her lips find his in a kiss that’s soft and warm and steady. A hum of satisfaction shivers out from her, boneless and quiet, as if her whole body was exhaling into the space he’s made for her.
Then he asks about Sohalia, and she groans, dropping her head dramatically to his chest like the weight of it might drown her. "Ugh. They had this weird hook-up after the party. Didn’t even sleep together," she mutters, voice flat with unimpressed clarity. Her cheek shifts against his skin, but her jaw stays tight; he’ll feel the way it feathers against him, little flashes of tension that say more than her tone does. "And then after Tarak died, he just...basically vanished."
Her voice dips quieter, but her frustration doesn’t fade. "He chased her for so long, said all these sweet things about wanting to be with her, and then the second she was ready? He just—" She clicks her tongue. "Pulled all the way back." Lifting her head, Flora raises her brows, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and a grim kind of amusement. "I’m pretty sure we saw him dancing with Nova at Ludo’s thing," she says. "Didn't even try to find Soh."
I hope you're sweating the bigger stuff,
finding some peace in an honest love
Hope you stop when you've had enough & throw the towel in
finding some peace in an honest love
Hope you stop when you've had enough & throw the towel in
Code stolen from Queen Sky
