flora
Flora grins brightly at that, though the expression tips almost immediately into a playful roll of her eyes as she sinks a little deeper into the glittering warmth. "Ugh, just people who are clearly lying to me about things so that my ring goes off," she says, lifting one hand from beneath the water so the gold on her fingers catches the hotsprings’ starlit gleam, droplets sliding over the band. "And then they try to weasel their way out of it, like I’m going to be dazzled by semantics and suddenly forget that my jewellery just called them shady." Her nose wrinkles as the amusement thins into something more genuinely annoyed, and with a huff that stirs the steam in front of her lips, she adds, "And then all that drama with Colt at my birthday."
The congratulations catches her in a softer place, though, tugging her expression luminous before she can quite armour it with sass, and Flora turns her head coquettishly with her chin angled just so, smile blooming over her mouth at the acknowledgement of both her divine promotion and engagement written into the stars. "Thank you," she purrs, and if the words come wrapped in an absurd amount of pleased sparkle.
At the mention of her magic, though, Flora’s grin sharpens wickedly, and she leans forward through the steaming water with her aqua eyes widened, every inch of her suddenly lit up with the kind of dangerous excitement that says she has been given both a weapon and a party trick and fully intends to make both everyone else’s problem. "I can replay entire scenes that have happened to people," she says, "so I never have to take anyone’s word for shit ever again." Flora pauses performatively before sinking back a touch as the starlight in the water ripples around her. "It’ll be perfect for catching people out on their shit, obviously, but it can be really sweet too, like getting to see happy memories replayed."
As for her dads, Flora sinks back against the stone wall of the pool, the heat curling around her shoulders as her smile settles into something less glittery and more careful. She nods, because no, she isn’t stupid, and she isn’t pretending not to understand why Ronin and Remi might look at Safrin’s hands on her life and see teeth instead of stars. "No, I can too," she says, letting one hand drift lazily through the water while her rings send fractured gold through the shimmering surface. "But like...Ronin literally had sex with Safrin. Like, is it any wonder she got jealous and possessive over him?" The question lands with all the rhetorical certainty of a woman who feels no particular need to diagram the obvious, especially not when Safrin’s history of wanting to ensnare the men around her using sex includes Melita's uncle. "Anyway, since I don’t plan on sleeping with her or being weirdly in love with her, I think I’ll be good."
The congratulations catches her in a softer place, though, tugging her expression luminous before she can quite armour it with sass, and Flora turns her head coquettishly with her chin angled just so, smile blooming over her mouth at the acknowledgement of both her divine promotion and engagement written into the stars. "Thank you," she purrs, and if the words come wrapped in an absurd amount of pleased sparkle.
At the mention of her magic, though, Flora’s grin sharpens wickedly, and she leans forward through the steaming water with her aqua eyes widened, every inch of her suddenly lit up with the kind of dangerous excitement that says she has been given both a weapon and a party trick and fully intends to make both everyone else’s problem. "I can replay entire scenes that have happened to people," she says, "so I never have to take anyone’s word for shit ever again." Flora pauses performatively before sinking back a touch as the starlight in the water ripples around her. "It’ll be perfect for catching people out on their shit, obviously, but it can be really sweet too, like getting to see happy memories replayed."
As for her dads, Flora sinks back against the stone wall of the pool, the heat curling around her shoulders as her smile settles into something less glittery and more careful. She nods, because no, she isn’t stupid, and she isn’t pretending not to understand why Ronin and Remi might look at Safrin’s hands on her life and see teeth instead of stars. "No, I can too," she says, letting one hand drift lazily through the water while her rings send fractured gold through the shimmering surface. "But like...Ronin literally had sex with Safrin. Like, is it any wonder she got jealous and possessive over him?" The question lands with all the rhetorical certainty of a woman who feels no particular need to diagram the obvious, especially not when Safrin’s history of wanting to ensnare the men around her using sex includes Melita's uncle. "Anyway, since I don’t plan on sleeping with her or being weirdly in love with her, I think I’ll be good."
The rumors are terrible and cruel
But honey, most of them are true
But honey, most of them are true
