flora
Flora giggles, a bright, unrestrained sound that rolls through the gazebo like sunlight after rain. "Okay, new plan," she declares, eyes dancing. "We need a pegasus signal. Like, if I’m pulling your mane too hard, you flick your wings or something. And if my butt’s too bony and I’m bruising your back, you...I don’t know, neigh dramatically?" Her grin widens. "That way we both survive the maiden voyage."
When Soh agrees to the girls’ trip, Flora’s face lights up all over again. "Deal!" she echoes, squeezing her friend’s hand once more. "You, me, Colt—" she pauses, lips pursing thoughtfully as she mentally scans Torchline’s roster of chaos. "—and maybe…who else would you want to invite? Do you know Melita?"
At Soh’s lingering hesitation about moving back, Flora raises both hands in mock surrender, curls bouncing. "Okay, okay, I’ll stop trying to convince you," she says with faux innocence, only to immediately bounce her brows, undoing the promise in an instant
When Soh pulls her into another hug, Flora hums softly, the words "I love you" warm against the Luminary’s hair. "Same," she murmurs, giving her friend one last squeeze before straightening again, her expression still soft with affection.
Then comes the inevitable topic shift. "Oh, girl," Flora groans, dragging the word out as she leans back dramatically and throws an arm over the back of the bench. "Zavien." The sigh that follows is theatrical enough to earn her own standing ovation. "So apparently, he and Kai got into some kind of fight, total dumb boy stuff. It was sort of about Koa, actually, but never mind. But when I ran into him after, he decides to warn me." Her tone sharpens, still full of disbelief. "He took this tiny scuffle between friends and turned it into this big political thing, all ‘imagine if this had happened to a less understanding leader’. Like, thank you for the unsolicited lecture, Ambassador Mansplain."
Flora rolls her eyes, curls swaying as she does. "Anyway," she says with a little huff, "I put him right back in his place. I get he’s probably under a ton of stress, but he came across like a real ass."
When Soh agrees to the girls’ trip, Flora’s face lights up all over again. "Deal!" she echoes, squeezing her friend’s hand once more. "You, me, Colt—" she pauses, lips pursing thoughtfully as she mentally scans Torchline’s roster of chaos. "—and maybe…who else would you want to invite? Do you know Melita?"
At Soh’s lingering hesitation about moving back, Flora raises both hands in mock surrender, curls bouncing. "Okay, okay, I’ll stop trying to convince you," she says with faux innocence, only to immediately bounce her brows, undoing the promise in an instant
When Soh pulls her into another hug, Flora hums softly, the words "I love you" warm against the Luminary’s hair. "Same," she murmurs, giving her friend one last squeeze before straightening again, her expression still soft with affection.
Then comes the inevitable topic shift. "Oh, girl," Flora groans, dragging the word out as she leans back dramatically and throws an arm over the back of the bench. "Zavien." The sigh that follows is theatrical enough to earn her own standing ovation. "So apparently, he and Kai got into some kind of fight, total dumb boy stuff. It was sort of about Koa, actually, but never mind. But when I ran into him after, he decides to warn me." Her tone sharpens, still full of disbelief. "He took this tiny scuffle between friends and turned it into this big political thing, all ‘imagine if this had happened to a less understanding leader’. Like, thank you for the unsolicited lecture, Ambassador Mansplain."
Flora rolls her eyes, curls swaying as she does. "Anyway," she says with a little huff, "I put him right back in his place. I get he’s probably under a ton of stress, but he came across like a real ass."
I can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland
