Loca

// Ther's no competition //

After all the daggers of information Flora had assaulted her with, Nova is surprised by the gentle encouragement of her words. It just confirms her earlier instincts of liking the Queen (LOL). She lets the sentiments wash over her, soothing some of the raw emotions that had been exposed with purpose and aspirations. As simple as it is, something resonates in the young hybrid's chest (probably the part about being the strongest in Caido). 

Sniffling heavily, she nods her head, a small, tentative smile spreading across her face to match Flora's "Right." It's soft, but there's a glimmer of her previous light in her eyes. She's Nova and she's going to be the best, brightest, strongest person in all of Caido! So she straightens her back a little more, content to set aside existential crises for now, willing to revisit them later with her fellow victims siblings. At the moment, she just gives the Doubletake a slowly brightening smile. "Thank you." Not for telling her by any means, but for helping her process the revelations, nonetheless. Nodding decisively, she says, "We're going to be good friends."

Nova

// because nobody can be me //

flora

Flora nods, a smirk tugging at her lips as she watches the spark catch fire behind Nova’s eyes. "Oh, is that so? Well, stranger things have happened." Her voice is teasing, light, but there’s a flicker of genuine admiration beneath it. "And hey—if you’re planning to be the strongest in Caido, I guess it wouldn’t kill me to cozy up to the winning side."

She laughs as she pushes to her feet, the sound as easy and sun-warmed as the breeze. Sand clings to the hem of her dress, and she brushes it off with a dramatic sigh before offering a hand to Nova.

"Now, enough with the heavy stuff." Her grin returns full force. "What about a swim?"

The ocean behind them shimmers like spilled glass, and for a moment Flora just lets herself be, her hand still extended, eyes squinting into the brightness. Thoughts of Jack rise like driftwood beneath the surface—his smile, his silence, the ache of everything they never say. But she’s gotten good at this: choosing the now over the maybe. The sunlight. The salt on her skin.

She wiggles her fingers at Nova. "Come on. Race you to the water!"

~FIN

The rumors are terrible and cruel
But honey, most of them are true

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!