Got a spark in your heart so strike it
The time it takes him to answer her has nothing to do with the hesitancy of what he says, but that he's never considered it that way until she framed it as much. "With everything I've got," he agrees wholeheartedly. While he has always been willing to fight to defend Flora, to protect her, to save her, he has often started with not fighting for her. When he let his feelings be buried for the sake of Koa, when they agreed to still do the same for Caly and Jack too, both following their first kiss and then later, following their first decision to make an attempt at how they felt. How often he just let others just step in front of his love for her, like it mattered less than her wellbeing when it came to taking a stand. Not anymore.
At her very curt refute that her beau is not some disfigured monster, he can't help but laugh faintly. "Well, I'm happy for you then," he says simply, grin still edging into one side of his face as he leans into the work. "I think you'll know, when you're ready," he reassures, knowing that he and Flora are not necessarily the prime example to follow, not that he'd let that change their trajectory in the slightest. "You just kinda realize...life's not complete without them anymore. You miss them even when it hasn't been very long, and you want to tell them all the dumb and silly stuff about your day because you know they'll actually care, and if they feel the same way, that's when you know you got something real. That's when you share it with people." Simple, clearly.
As Mel angles it back towards his dinner though, he chuckles into the draw of his scrubbing motion, shaking his head. "Well Remi was talking about me in another language, so I've no idea what he was saying, but Ronin caused a scene in the kitchen by trying to threaten me a little, and the way he asked it pissed off Flora...rightfully so." He grimaces at that memory, rolling a shoulder a bit. "I think I passed though, because we all managed to sit down and eat still." And all this after being repeatedly told the bar was in the ground, and yet they'd all still managed to trip over it. "There's a lot about that...family dynamic I need to learn still, I think. Flora's told me some, and time will help, but it seems real easy to open up a scar again." The history of Remi and Ronin as dads is not a subject class went over much at all, usually just whatever demigod influence they swept throughout history. Legends, to be sure, and therefore absolutely able to smite him if they choose.
Her appraisal of his idea is a relieving one, smoothing out the areas of concern that've creased a bit with overthinking. He nods, "yeah, her family too. They mean a lot to her, even if they drive her crazy." Relatable, even if not in the exact same ways.
Her muttering about her needing to think of a gift draws his grin back into full bloom. He glances over at her as they each clean, wringing out his rag and dunking it again. "Some people don't like gifts," he offers. "Flora's basically a crow in disguise, collecting every little trinket she can, so I think gifts go over well for her, and I like getting to give her things when I can." So far his gifts have been either a bridge to her or a promise he felt he should maintain, regardless if she agreed, so this one would be the first he makes purely of his own thought to make her happy or give her peace. "It's like uuuuh, I think people call it love languages? Gift giving is one of them, but there's also words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, and acts of service. So everyone kinda has one they prefer, or two maybe. I mean all of them are nice, right, but sometimes people find nice words empty and want you to do things, or the doing things is expected and it's the gifts that really show them you care." He shrugs, no expert, especially since he'd argue both Flora and him lean more towards physical touch, but other than dressing up in some kind of outfit and offering himself for her birthday, he wants to get her something more tangible than that, at least this time. "So might not need to worry too much about gifts, but could be good to figure out what each of you like."
At her very curt refute that her beau is not some disfigured monster, he can't help but laugh faintly. "Well, I'm happy for you then," he says simply, grin still edging into one side of his face as he leans into the work. "I think you'll know, when you're ready," he reassures, knowing that he and Flora are not necessarily the prime example to follow, not that he'd let that change their trajectory in the slightest. "You just kinda realize...life's not complete without them anymore. You miss them even when it hasn't been very long, and you want to tell them all the dumb and silly stuff about your day because you know they'll actually care, and if they feel the same way, that's when you know you got something real. That's when you share it with people." Simple, clearly.
As Mel angles it back towards his dinner though, he chuckles into the draw of his scrubbing motion, shaking his head. "Well Remi was talking about me in another language, so I've no idea what he was saying, but Ronin caused a scene in the kitchen by trying to threaten me a little, and the way he asked it pissed off Flora...rightfully so." He grimaces at that memory, rolling a shoulder a bit. "I think I passed though, because we all managed to sit down and eat still." And all this after being repeatedly told the bar was in the ground, and yet they'd all still managed to trip over it. "There's a lot about that...family dynamic I need to learn still, I think. Flora's told me some, and time will help, but it seems real easy to open up a scar again." The history of Remi and Ronin as dads is not a subject class went over much at all, usually just whatever demigod influence they swept throughout history. Legends, to be sure, and therefore absolutely able to smite him if they choose.
Her appraisal of his idea is a relieving one, smoothing out the areas of concern that've creased a bit with overthinking. He nods, "yeah, her family too. They mean a lot to her, even if they drive her crazy." Relatable, even if not in the exact same ways.
Her muttering about her needing to think of a gift draws his grin back into full bloom. He glances over at her as they each clean, wringing out his rag and dunking it again. "Some people don't like gifts," he offers. "Flora's basically a crow in disguise, collecting every little trinket she can, so I think gifts go over well for her, and I like getting to give her things when I can." So far his gifts have been either a bridge to her or a promise he felt he should maintain, regardless if she agreed, so this one would be the first he makes purely of his own thought to make her happy or give her peace. "It's like uuuuh, I think people call it love languages? Gift giving is one of them, but there's also words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, and acts of service. So everyone kinda has one they prefer, or two maybe. I mean all of them are nice, right, but sometimes people find nice words empty and want you to do things, or the doing things is expected and it's the gifts that really show them you care." He shrugs, no expert, especially since he'd argue both Flora and him lean more towards physical touch, but other than dressing up in some kind of outfit and offering himself for her birthday, he wants to get her something more tangible than that, at least this time. "So might not need to worry too much about gifts, but could be good to figure out what each of you like."
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
