ditch the clowns, get the crown
Flora is mid-smile—warm, bright, charmed—her whole expression softening at the sight of the Butcher as she calls out, "Asta, you look handsome tonight—" And then Kai’s drink leaves his hand. It splashes across Asta’s chest in a glistening arc of strawberry mojito and absolute horror, and Flora’s breath cuts short in a sharp, startled gasp. Her fingers twitch at her side, eyes going wide, her whole body jerking as if someone has snapped a whip next to her ear.
"Wh—" But he’s already peeling away from her, stepping in, squaring up to a man who is not only half a foot taller but who's also quite a powerful ancient with more than the capability as well as the inclination to tear Kaisel apart for ruining his outfit.
Her heart lurches painfully against her ribs as the shadows begin to shift, slipping up Asta’s frame in a sick, crawling bloom she knows too well. She’s seen his haunt—she knows it’s terrifying—but her pulse doesn’t drop into her stomach the way Danta’s does. The Maverick’s hand clamps around hers and she glances over her shoulder to see the panic in him, breath tight, tail lashing like he’s caught between fight and flight.
Flora's fingers stiffen in his grip instead of following; she doesn’t pull away, just holds firm, whispering back a quick, urgent, steady, "No—but—" barely loud enough to be heard over the rising din. Because this wasn't Asta losing control, it was Kaisel.
She tries not to look directly at Asta’s monstrous form, but instead blinks up at Kai, voice pitched sharp with alarm as she tries to position herself in his eyeline. "Babe—!" The word comes out half-plea, half-warning, her aqua eyes wide and bright with urgency. Then, louder, clearer: "Rupert." A single name. Their codeword. A lifeline thrown across firelight and growing shadows, begging him to stop whatever the fuck has seized him before this becomes something none of them can pull back from.
Flora is with Kai/Asta, and Danta-ish
"Wh—" But he’s already peeling away from her, stepping in, squaring up to a man who is not only half a foot taller but who's also quite a powerful ancient with more than the capability as well as the inclination to tear Kaisel apart for ruining his outfit.
Her heart lurches painfully against her ribs as the shadows begin to shift, slipping up Asta’s frame in a sick, crawling bloom she knows too well. She’s seen his haunt—she knows it’s terrifying—but her pulse doesn’t drop into her stomach the way Danta’s does. The Maverick’s hand clamps around hers and she glances over her shoulder to see the panic in him, breath tight, tail lashing like he’s caught between fight and flight.
Flora's fingers stiffen in his grip instead of following; she doesn’t pull away, just holds firm, whispering back a quick, urgent, steady, "No—but—" barely loud enough to be heard over the rising din. Because this wasn't Asta losing control, it was Kaisel.
She tries not to look directly at Asta’s monstrous form, but instead blinks up at Kai, voice pitched sharp with alarm as she tries to position herself in his eyeline. "Babe—!" The word comes out half-plea, half-warning, her aqua eyes wide and bright with urgency. Then, louder, clearer: "Rupert." A single name. Their codeword. A lifeline thrown across firelight and growing shadows, begging him to stop whatever the fuck has seized him before this becomes something none of them can pull back from.
Flora is with Kai/Asta, and Danta-ish
Flora
baby i'm the one to beat
