with each love i cut loose i was never the same
Flora's jaw drops open in immediate, theatrical offence, her free hand flying up as though she might clutch at pearls she isn’t wearing, eyes flashing wide as she fixes him with a look that’s all mock scandal. "Nikandr," she scolds, drawing out every syllable like it ought to sting.
When his cane snaps toward her again she doesn’t flinch so much as meet it, one hand lifting with almost lazy precision, and she catches the strike with the smallest possible point of contact—her pinky finger braced against it as though that’s more than enough—still balancing on one leg, still wobbling just slightly as she does it, her expression tipping into something smug.
His mention of the floor being lava has her grin widening as she straightens just a fraction, shoulders loosening into the rhythm of the game. "Well, that is one of Kai’s favourite games," she says. "And he does come up with ways to beat me all the time."
The cane comes again, lower this time, and she reacts without thinking, pushing off her standing leg to spring up and clear it, the motion light but just unsteady enough to make the landing less graceful than she’d like. Her foot hits the stone with a small, corrective shift, balance catching at the last second as she exhales sharply through her nose. "Damn," she breathes, a short laugh following on the heels of it as she glances back at him, eyes bright. "This is more of a workout than I thought. Who'd have known only using one leg would be so hard."
3/4
When his cane snaps toward her again she doesn’t flinch so much as meet it, one hand lifting with almost lazy precision, and she catches the strike with the smallest possible point of contact—her pinky finger braced against it as though that’s more than enough—still balancing on one leg, still wobbling just slightly as she does it, her expression tipping into something smug.
His mention of the floor being lava has her grin widening as she straightens just a fraction, shoulders loosening into the rhythm of the game. "Well, that is one of Kai’s favourite games," she says. "And he does come up with ways to beat me all the time."
The cane comes again, lower this time, and she reacts without thinking, pushing off her standing leg to spring up and clear it, the motion light but just unsteady enough to make the landing less graceful than she’d like. Her foot hits the stone with a small, corrective shift, balance catching at the last second as she exhales sharply through her nose. "Damn," she breathes, a short laugh following on the heels of it as she glances back at him, eyes bright. "This is more of a workout than I thought. Who'd have known only using one leg would be so hard."
3/4
