flora
Flora exhales hard through her nose, the sound part sigh and part plea for patience as she tries to make sense of the sudden wall between them. Her shoulders rise and fall with a helpless little shrug that means I don’t know how to answer that, and when she finally speaks, her voice comes gentler than the tension deserves. "This is Torchline, Kai. I've told you that. Nudity’s just...a thing here." Her tone tilts incredulous if only to show how little she understood his upset. "No one thinks it’s a big deal." Except him, apparently. "Besides with the bubbles going and the different lights it isn't like you'd even see anything. It's just to be comfortable."
She starts to add, "I’m not trying to do anyth—" but Kia's next words slice right through, catching her mid-breath. Her head jerks up, blinking at him like he’s just spoken another language. "Wait—what?" The disbelief lands sharp in her chest as she straightens again, arms crossing over one another as if to defend against any more of his blows. "No, of course I don’t want them," she says, each word punctuated by a shake of her head. "Believe it or not, I can be in the presence of a dick and not feel the need to hop on it." The edge of exasperation breaks through now, bright and bitter that apparently he thought so little of her loyalty.
Then she laughs—quick, breathless, and disbelieving—because the absurdity of it all hits her at once. "Sorry," she says, blinking at him like she’s trying to make sense of the words even as they leave her mouth. "Are you seriously being jealous right now and telling me you don’t trust me?" The question hangs there, half incredulous, half wounded, her aqua eyes sharp and searching as though she might still find the version of him she recognizes underneath the accusation.
She starts to add, "I’m not trying to do anyth—" but Kia's next words slice right through, catching her mid-breath. Her head jerks up, blinking at him like he’s just spoken another language. "Wait—what?" The disbelief lands sharp in her chest as she straightens again, arms crossing over one another as if to defend against any more of his blows. "No, of course I don’t want them," she says, each word punctuated by a shake of her head. "Believe it or not, I can be in the presence of a dick and not feel the need to hop on it." The edge of exasperation breaks through now, bright and bitter that apparently he thought so little of her loyalty.
Then she laughs—quick, breathless, and disbelieving—because the absurdity of it all hits her at once. "Sorry," she says, blinking at him like she’s trying to make sense of the words even as they leave her mouth. "Are you seriously being jealous right now and telling me you don’t trust me?" The question hangs there, half incredulous, half wounded, her aqua eyes sharp and searching as though she might still find the version of him she recognizes underneath the accusation.
I hope you're wetting your appetite, finding your way into someone's eyes
I hope you're dreaming in black and white, and seeing in colour
I hope you're dreaming in black and white, and seeing in colour
