[SE] killing me slow

you put me on & said i was your favourite

Flora glances at Soh—at the claws retracting and the half-shift melting away like steam off a summer tide—and grins wide, bright, breathless. "Gods, you’re such a badass," she says with a kind of reverence that’s laced with delighted awe. Her hand presses briefly to her own chest, feeling the lingering thrum of her heartbeat like a festival drum.

"I’m fine," she confirms, nodding as adrenaline still paints her cheeks a flush of rose-gold. Her curls are tangled, skin glowing with sweat and thrill, but she looks alive in that uniquely Flora way—like she’s made of sun and sea and stubborn defiance.

With a dramatic spin, she turns on her heel and faces the bridge behind them, planting her feet and lifting her hand high to deliver a bold, two-handed middle finger salute toward the whispering fog. "Get wrecked, fish freaks," she declares triumphantly, before dissolving into a musical laugh, rich and unbothered now that they’re clear.

Turning back to Sohalia, Flora claps her hands together, an impish gleam lighting her eyes. "Okay. Now that that drama’s behind us, I want to hear everything. How did your night with Koa go? Spill." She wiggles her fingers in front of her like she’s summoning the gossip from Sohalia’s soul.

Sohalia

Sohalia had been called many things in her lifetime, but never before had she considered herself a badass. She was so rarely on the front lines of anything, and when she was, she usually fell before someone or something bigger or badder than her. So when Flora regarded her with something like reverence, Soh stared at her, bemused by the notion that someone might think her worthy of such awe. The moment passed quickly, though, and with both women being none the worse for wear, there was nothing to keep them from continuing to chat and gossip.

With the delphinids behind them and Flora looking at her expectantly, a stain of pink tinged Soh's cheeks. "I don't really... know," she admitted, her brows knitting together in thought. "I mean, it went really well in some ways, but I still don't know what we are." She fidgeted with her hair, running a hand through golden waves dampened with sweat, wincing as her fingers snagged on a tangle.

As she tried to fix her hair, she told Flora everything - the awkward avoidance, the body shot, the finished quest, and the hookup in the back room. "I don't regret it, exactly," she told her friend when she was done, frowning out over the landscape. "I just... I guess I thought that it might change things. But we're not a couple, and I'm not even sure if we're friends or - or allies, or what."

these aching memories still dance around me

you put me on & said i was your favourite

"In some ways?" Flora echoes, brows lifting with the kind of dramatic flair that comes so naturally to her—like she’s about to lean in with both elbows and demand details over bottomless mimosas.

But she doesn’t have to press. Soh starts talking, and Flora listens. And listens.

By the end of it, her lips are slightly parted, one hand lifting to rake through the curls that have started to frizz around her crown, seawater drying into salt and chaos. "Wait. You didn’t even—" she gestures vaguely, trying not to look too shocked that the pair hadn't actually had sex, though it peeks through anyway. "Huh." That...wasn't the Koa she knew, but then, as they'd all come to see, the way the dragoon wanted the Luminary was not at all what it had been with the Doubletake.

There’s no judgment in it, just surprise. Honest, full-bodied surprise. "That’s more than you’ve done for, like, years," she points out with a huff of laughter, though the sound softens almost immediately. "So... I mean, that’s something, right?"

She means it. It is more, it’s just not what she expected to hear. If anything, she expected the former queen to be effervescent and bubbly with joy after finally getting Koa all to herself. But then Soh says exactly, and Flora’s amusement fades. Her gaze sharpens, lips pulling into a subtle frown as her arms fold across her chest. "What do you mean, you don't regret it exactly?" she asks, voice still light, but gentled with concern now.

Sohalia

When Soh had arranged her hair as well as she could, she started fiddling with her clothes, straightening this here and tucking that there. Then she moved on to her jewelry, fidgeting with her necklace until it hung just so and twisting a ring around her finger over and over again. She was nervous, she realized - perhaps a little shy, and a little embarrassed, and a little anxious, but mostly she was just... worried. That somehow, after all this, there was still some way for her to break the friendship between she and the Doubletake by oversharing.

She needn't have worried; Flora was just as understanding as ever, even if she was surprised. "I mean, we were interrupted," Soh said, maybe a smidge defensively, as though there was something wrong with not actually having sex. "And I thought about inviting him in when he walked me home, but..." But she hadn't wanted to ruin the evening by extending it, not when everything had seemed to go so well.

And if she was honest, she wasn't exactly sure what she felt. She didn't regret what she and Koa had done, but she wanted... more. Physically, yes, but also emotionally. She dropped her hands to her sides, a strange look on her face, like she was trying and failing to work through her emotions. "Maybe 'regret' is too strong a word," she admitted, frowning at the ground. "But I just feel like... like I'm in limbo. I just - wish there was a resolution, one way or the other, so I could either celebrate or -" Or not.

She huffed out a breath that was equal parts frustrated with Koa and with herself. "But that's stupid, right? I mean, it's not like there isn't a ton of crazy things going on right now, and this shouldn't be the priority. I know that." But that didn't mean that it wasn't all she could think about. "I should be trying to figure out how to make a difference with everything going on, or making a plan for how to get Noe to leave Stormbreak, or any number of things other than whining about my love life." And yet, here they were.

Here she was, over and over again, choosing her personal problems over the greater good.

Maybe she was just as selfish as Jude had once told her she was.

these aching memories still dance around me

you put me on & said i was your favourite

Flora’s grin tugs wide and wicked at the mention of being interrupted, a laugh already curling at the edge of her throat. "Oh my gods—I bet you were mortified." She practically sings it, even as her fingers fly up to her mouth like she’s trying to stifle the mental image. "Did you go full panic mode?" Her tone is pure mischief, but it’s laced with affection, the kind reserved only for the person who knows exactly what that expression looks like in a mirror.

But when Soh fidgets and glances away, Flora’s teasing fades. That smile becomes something smaller, more understanding. Of course she hadn’t wanted to ruin it. Of course she’d wanted it to be perfect. Because that’s just who Soh was—heart first, every time. Always believing in magic, even when it burns. Even when her prince charming was acting like a total toad.

Flora’s arms cross loosely beneath her chest, her weight shifting as she listens to the rest, brows lifting only slightly at the word limbo. "Ugh," she groans, dragging the word like a nail through silk. "It feels like you've been stuck there for, like, a hot minute now."

But when Soh starts calling herself stupid, Flora straightens. "Hey—no." Her voice isn’t sharp, exactly, but it’s firm in that queenly, no-room-for-argument way she’s grown into. "The world’s been crazy since before either of us were born and people fell in love still. There’s always some god rampaging or tower falling or city crumbling, and yes, it’s all important, but if that’s all we ever care about?" She gestures vaguely, frustration ghosting across her features. "Then why are we even fighting to save any of it? What’s the point of winning the world if we don’t get to live in it?"

Flora exhales slowly, shaking her head as the fire cools to something quieter as her
gaze lifts to Soh again, curious and careful. "So...where did you two leave it?"

Sohalia

Soh grimaced at Flora's laugh, her mortification at being barged in on resurfacing. "Koa was actually very gentlemanly and tried to cover me up," she said, her lips twitching with amusement at the memory. Actually, it had all happened so fast that she'd hardly had time to be embarrassed before the couple who'd interrupted were already gone. It was only after the fact that she'd felt so completely exposed. "Anyway, they were super drunk, so hopefully they don't remember much about us." She might have lost her virginity technically in public, but she was hardly into voyeurism.

As they continued to talk, Soh began to relax, fidgeting less and able to meet Flora's gaze more. Still, as she really thought about it all, she felt... sad. Like there was unfinished business that she had no way of resolving, like she was headed for inevitable heartbreak but was too stubborn or stupid or romantic to avoid it. "Tell me about it," she said, pursing her lips and rolling her eyes. But it was a poor front for what really bothered her: that every rejection, or every lack of acceptance, stung.

She wanted him to choose, and she wanted him to choose her.

Flora protested Soh's stupidity, but the Luminary remained unconvinced. Sure, people still lived their lives throughout all the chaos of the world, but not her. She was supposed to be fighting for Stormbreak, for the people she'd left behind. Still, she softened to Flora's frustration, leaning to bump her shoulder against the Doubletake's affectionately. "Still," she said softly. "It's time for me to do something. I just... don't know what."

As for where she and Koa had left things, Soh shrugged. "He knows how I feel. He knows what I want. And I'm trying to give him time to figure out his side of things." She didn't know what else she could do. "I'm supposed to meet up with him at the pool party, and then... I don't know. We'll see, I guess."

these aching memories still dance around me

you put me on & said i was your favourite

Flora cackles, head tipping back as if the laugh is pulled from the soles of her bare feet. "Gods, if it’d been me, I probably would’ve invited them to stay." There’s a wicked glint in her eyes as she nudges Sohalia back with a hip, her grin equal parts playful and pointed. "Guess we both got lucky back there." Wickedly, Flora bounces her eyebrows at her friend.

The teasing softens when Soh bumps her shoulder, and Flora leans in without hesitation, letting their arms press together as though she can anchor her best friend through sheer proximity. "Then we’ll figure it out," she says gently. "Together." Her gaze lifts, catching the flicker of distant sunlight through the fog behind them. "And if weird aliens or void monsters are trying to stop you from getting the love story you deserve?”" Her smile turns fierce, all teeth and glittering intent. "That’s just one more reason to take ‘em down."

At the mention of the pool party, Flora hums thoughtfully, curls bouncing as she glances ahead. 'Oh right. That," she says, tone light but careful. "Just...don’t get too close to the action." Her gaze flickers sideways, words vague but meaningful so we don't break timelines. Not quite a warning—more a thread of caution sewn into silk.

Sohalia

Flora bounced her brows at Soh, drawing a snort from the Luminary. Less anxious now, she reached out to find some nearby birds, using her Attuned abilities to call them closer. They twittered and flitted about the girls' heads, Soh cutting her eyes at Flora as she compelled one particularly pretty one to land on her friend's shoulder. With an innocent grin, she blinked at the bird, which chirped quite happily from its perch.

They both softened as Soh bumped her shoulder against Flora's. "Together," she agreed. At the mention of the pool party, though, Soh blinked at Flora, her eyes narrowing. That sounded suspicious, but she had her own concerns at the party - Noe, and how to cure her. "I make no promises," she muttered ruefully, feeling that she was sure to be included in some kind of action - even if she wasn't yet sure what that would entail.

In the meantime, though, they were overdue for dinner, and Soh linked arms with Flora to tug her along. The compelled bird remained firmly seated on Flora's shoulder, nestling into her golden hair with a chirp. "Will Spice get jealous, do you think?" she asked, motioning towards the bird. "I can let it go, but I think it suits you."

these aching memories still dance around me

you put me on & said i was your favourite

Flora coos dramatically as the bird settles on her shoulder, tilting her head with the same spoiled smirk she reserves for fresh mango or compliments from people she isn’t sure she likes. "Excuse you," she tells the bird, mock-offended, as it snuggles into her curls like it’s always belonged there. ['say]"You better be bringing me gossip if you’re staying rent-free in the hair."

But as Sohalia links their arms and tugs her forward, Flora leans in with a lopsided grin, letting the motion carry her. There’s something grounding in the closeness—something that eases the knots still lingering under her ribs. " Oh, Spice is gonna throw a fit," she says with relish, the word stretching like a sun-drenched cat. "She already thinks I’m cheating every time I pick up a seashell that isn’t hers. You’re gonna have to call for a peace offering for her later. Maybe a crab. Can you do crabs?"

They walk on, and Flora lets their steps find a rhythm together, her sandals brushing bone and ancient tide-worn stone as they go. The bird flutters once but stays perched, and though she rolls her eyes at the fluffball, there’s a secret kind of joy humming beneath her skin. "I think it does suit me," she adds, quieter now. "And I think I like it better that you picked it."

She doesn’t say thank you. She doesn’t need to. It’s there in the way her fingers squeeze Soh’s arm just a little tighter, in the lightness of her laugh, in the way her eyes glint as they set their course for food and something resembling normalcy. Just two girls, walking home from an adventure, with feathers in their hair and chaos on the horizon.

~FIN