we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Spice trills a lazy reply to Sol and flops down beside him, her small white body curling into an elegant coil as she lets out an exaggerated yawn. Flora laughs, light and easy, her earlier energy settling into something warmer as she leans against her staff. Her curls sway gently as she shifts her weight, shoulders relaxed, smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.
So when Zavien says be careful, at first she assumes it’s something about splinters, or the dangers of balancing on a weapon, or maybe something terribly earnest and Dragoon-like.
But then Kai’s name leaves his lips.
Her brows rise, surprise flickering through her expression like the momentary stillness between a wave’s crash and retreat. It only takes a heartbeat for her to smooth it away, her mouth quirking with a private, knowing sort of amusement. "He did tell me," she says with a soft chuckle, tapping the pads of her ringed fingers thoughtfully against the smooth grain of the staff. "We tell each other everything." There’s no edge to the words, no possessive barb or territorial claim, just the fact of the matter that unless their mouths were otherwise occupied, neither Kaisel nor Flora was very good at keeping quiet.
When Zavien explains further, Flora listens, head tilted slightly, curls brushing the side of her cheek. "For what it’s worth," she says finally, "I’m on his side about it. And not just because we’re together." Her brow lifts slightly, and she gives a shrug that feels casual despite the weight of the topic. "Just because someone knows something doesn’t mean they’re entitled to tell it to other people." Her aqua eyes lift to meet his, bright and steady, no hesitation or guilt clouding their clarity. She'd been keeping Jack's secret for years now, and maybe it was for having grown up around the Fae who couldn't lie, but she'd found all sorts of ways of avoiding that particular truth coming out.
"In the hypothetical world you created, where Koa somehow asked you directly about me and Kai," she continues, her tone very much suggesting just how improbable they both knew that situation was, "saying you needed to talk to your cousin would’ve been a perfectly upstanding and honest answer." Her voice is measured, calm in a way that for those who knew Flora well, might suggest that there was reason for concern.
Then, as if something’s only just occurred to her, a little smile tugs at her lips. Her head tilts as if in confusion, lashes fluttering just so. "But what did you mean, exactly?" she asks, gaze innocent as a rising tide. "Why would I want to be careful?"
So when Zavien says be careful, at first she assumes it’s something about splinters, or the dangers of balancing on a weapon, or maybe something terribly earnest and Dragoon-like.
But then Kai’s name leaves his lips.
Her brows rise, surprise flickering through her expression like the momentary stillness between a wave’s crash and retreat. It only takes a heartbeat for her to smooth it away, her mouth quirking with a private, knowing sort of amusement. "He did tell me," she says with a soft chuckle, tapping the pads of her ringed fingers thoughtfully against the smooth grain of the staff. "We tell each other everything." There’s no edge to the words, no possessive barb or territorial claim, just the fact of the matter that unless their mouths were otherwise occupied, neither Kaisel nor Flora was very good at keeping quiet.
When Zavien explains further, Flora listens, head tilted slightly, curls brushing the side of her cheek. "For what it’s worth," she says finally, "I’m on his side about it. And not just because we’re together." Her brow lifts slightly, and she gives a shrug that feels casual despite the weight of the topic. "Just because someone knows something doesn’t mean they’re entitled to tell it to other people." Her aqua eyes lift to meet his, bright and steady, no hesitation or guilt clouding their clarity. She'd been keeping Jack's secret for years now, and maybe it was for having grown up around the Fae who couldn't lie, but she'd found all sorts of ways of avoiding that particular truth coming out.
"In the hypothetical world you created, where Koa somehow asked you directly about me and Kai," she continues, her tone very much suggesting just how improbable they both knew that situation was, "saying you needed to talk to your cousin would’ve been a perfectly upstanding and honest answer." Her voice is measured, calm in a way that for those who knew Flora well, might suggest that there was reason for concern.
Then, as if something’s only just occurred to her, a little smile tugs at her lips. Her head tilts as if in confusion, lashes fluttering just so. "But what did you mean, exactly?" she asks, gaze innocent as a rising tide. "Why would I want to be careful?"
