slow down, you're doing fine
Flora’s frown forms slowly, the kind that gathers in the soft pull of her brows and the faint downturn of her mouth, a quiet ache of recognition settling beneath her ribs. Of course he’s right. It had simply been easier—cleaner—to pretend the whole ordeal had been more dramatic than dangerous, more theatrical than devastating. But hearing it said aloud, gently and without judgment, is like a pin slipping into a balloon she’s been patching for seasons. "Yeah," she murmurs, almost too soft for the bubbling water to carry. "You’re right." Her eyes lift to him when he nudges her, and she offers him a crooked, rueful smile; something warm, something grateful, something that acknowledges the part of her that still twitches at the name Jack.
When his arm drapes around her, she slides in without hesitation, fitting herself against his side with a naturalness that feels older than it should be. The solid warmth of him, the strength beneath the healing wounds, is grounding in a way she hadn’t realized she needed. She lifts her hands and starts toying lazily with the bubbles the jets keep sending up, letting the foam slip between her fingers like drifting bits of seafoam breaking on a summer shore.
"Maybe what you and Danta need," she muses, voice brightening as she spins a little cluster of bubbles into a miniature whirlpool, "is some kind of item. Something that lets you know when the other is in danger, and then just teleports you right to them." She glances up at him with raised eyebrows, shrugging lightly against his side. "So if it’s quiet, you know they’re safe. And if it lights up or glows or sings at you or something, you can go charging in and save the day." She’s half teasing, half utterly serious, and entirely sure that Dygra could likely make the pair something like that.
The moment he mentions Sunjata, though, her eyebrows shoot up before she can temper her expression. "Ewwwuh." she huffs, incredulous and a little horrified, pulling a face that scrunches her nose as if she’s been offered a drink that smells faintly like seawater and questionable decisions. Sunjata might not officially be her step-dad yet, but that was the place he occupied in her mind.
The absurdity of it all makes her laugh under her breath, shaking her head. "As much as I adore spending time with you," she says warmly, "I don’t think I could ever offer something like that to Kai." Her nose wrinkles again, the corners of her mouth tipping in amused disbelief. There’s no judgment in her tone, just honest curiosity as she looks up at him, aqua eyes bright with interest. "Does it ever bother you? Or...is it fine for you two?"
When his arm drapes around her, she slides in without hesitation, fitting herself against his side with a naturalness that feels older than it should be. The solid warmth of him, the strength beneath the healing wounds, is grounding in a way she hadn’t realized she needed. She lifts her hands and starts toying lazily with the bubbles the jets keep sending up, letting the foam slip between her fingers like drifting bits of seafoam breaking on a summer shore.
"Maybe what you and Danta need," she muses, voice brightening as she spins a little cluster of bubbles into a miniature whirlpool, "is some kind of item. Something that lets you know when the other is in danger, and then just teleports you right to them." She glances up at him with raised eyebrows, shrugging lightly against his side. "So if it’s quiet, you know they’re safe. And if it lights up or glows or sings at you or something, you can go charging in and save the day." She’s half teasing, half utterly serious, and entirely sure that Dygra could likely make the pair something like that.
The moment he mentions Sunjata, though, her eyebrows shoot up before she can temper her expression. "Ewwwuh." she huffs, incredulous and a little horrified, pulling a face that scrunches her nose as if she’s been offered a drink that smells faintly like seawater and questionable decisions. Sunjata might not officially be her step-dad yet, but that was the place he occupied in her mind.
The absurdity of it all makes her laugh under her breath, shaking her head. "As much as I adore spending time with you," she says warmly, "I don’t think I could ever offer something like that to Kai." Her nose wrinkles again, the corners of her mouth tipping in amused disbelief. There’s no judgment in her tone, just honest curiosity as she looks up at him, aqua eyes bright with interest. "Does it ever bother you? Or...is it fine for you two?"
Flora
you can't be everything you wanna be before your time
