the unwinding cable car

If you could go back to yesterday

Suddenly, Soh regretted starting this conversation at all. It felt as though she were walking on shifting sands, and that to take one wrong step would send her plummeting headfirst into an abyss. The tension tightened and coiled, making her feel slightly ill. This was uncharted territory, the first fundamental difference that she'd ever had with Flora, and it felt wrong, like swimming against the current. Everything in her urged her to agree, to soothe the bruises that felt like they were beginning to form beneath the surface of their friendship.

But... she didn't agree. Zavien was Koa's best friend. That changed everything. Soh would never be able to lie to Flora like that. She hadn't even been able to lie when Flora was infected and curing her was on the line.

Soh wasn't argumentative, and at this moment all logic seemed to have fled her mind. She could understand Flora's points, but she disagreed - and the worst part was, she couldn't even describe why. "Maybe he was just trying to be honest with Kai," she said, her voice small. "Like, okay, maybe it's an unlikely situation, but then why get so bent out of shape over it? If it wasn't likely to happen anyway?" And besides that, coming for Zavien's relationship with Lena? It made zero sense to Soh. Maybe Zavien simply hadn't thought about marriage yet (and if a little voice smugly told her that he'd mentioned it to her, she ignored that for now). That didn't mean he wouldn't have married Lena someday.

The fingers gripping her wine glass trembled. "I don't want to fight over something that's over and done with," she pled softly. "Like I said, I'm not saying that Zavien handled it perfectly or anything. I just... get the thought process." And if it had been her? She probably would have done something incredibly similar.

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora just shakes her head softly, her gaze dropping for a second to the wine in her glass before lifting again. The absence of an answer to the question she'd asked lingers more than anything Soh actually says, settling into place in a way that feels quietly definitive, because if Soh wouldn’t be surprised at Flora being angry in the situation Soh described, then it means she knows, somewhere underneath all of this, that it would’ve been the wrong thing to do.

She lets out a small, breathy laugh, not sharp, not unkind, just a little lost at the edges. "No, but that’s exactly it," she says, tilting her head slightly, fingers tracing the rim of her glass. "That’s not how people talk."

Her brows lift faintly as she looks back at Soh, something a little more grounded threading into her tone. "That’s literally the point I made when I got into my argument with Zavien," she continues, one hand lifting in a small, absent gesture. "When I brought up some completely absurd hypothetical about Torchline and Stormbreak, he got bent out of shape about it, and it’s like, when you say something like that, people assume you’re saying it because it actually could happen." She exhales softly through her nose. "Otherwise, why even bring it up?" Why not sign every single note I'll be there unless I don't spontaneously combust or get eaten by a dragon?

At Soh’s plea, though, Flora stills a little, her expression shifting—not harder, but more searching—her brows lifting as if she’s turning the thought over rather than rejecting it outright. "Is it over and done with?" she asks, the question quiet but pointed, her gaze steady on Soh. "Because Kai did try to put it behind them, and Zavien apparently isn’t letting it go, so.." She trails off, one shoulder lifting in a small shrug, the uncertainty sitting there between them.

Another breath, slower this time, and she leans back slightly, letting some of the tension slip from her shoulders even if it doesn’t fully leave her. "I don’t want to fight about it either," she adds, softer now, the words landing with a quiet honesty. "It just..sucks." Her mouth twists faintly, something frustrated but restrained flickering there. "Because it probably means we can’t all just hang out." Then again, seeing as Sohalia now also seemed to prefer just putting distance between she and Kai rather than talking things through, perhaps thoughts of double dates were entirely off the table anyway.

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

Soh was trying to understand. Really, she was. But she couldn't understand or condone the fact that apparently, Zavien lying to his best friend would have been the best outcome of the conversation. "I just - " she started with a frown. "Okay, so would it have been better for Zavien to say he wouldn't tell Koa at all - therefore potentially lying to Kaisel - and then, if Koa pressed him about it, to either damage his relationship with his best friend or break his word and tell the truth? Because it sounds to me like somebody would have ended up mad either way. It feels like relying on Koa not to ask the right questions to set off a chain of events that just ends in anger no matter what." And that wasn't fair. It was putting Zavien between a rock and a hard place. Why hadn't Kaisel just lied about dating Flora, then, if it was so important to them to keep it a secret until they could have talked to Koa?

But she deflated at Flora's searching question, because apparently it wasn't over, not by a long shot - and Soh was only making things worse. Folding in on herself a little, she shook her head. "I want it to be," she said softly. "It's all over and done with, so it doesn't even matter now. Koa knows, right? And it didn't ruin his relationship with Kai, so... it should be over." "Should" being the key word. But that didn't make it a reality.

Soh sighed, leaning her head back against the chaise to stare at the ceiling, feeling disappointed but not sure in who. "It does suck," she agreed. She'd never been someone to stand her ground, often because she didn't feel strongly enough about a topic to risk an argument. But this... this was different. She refused to think about why that was. "Maybe it's not too late to patch things up," she said, but there was a shadow to the words.

Tilting her head, she tried to catch Flora's eye. "I love you, even if we don't agree on this," she said. "I just want you to know that."

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora just...blinks at Soh for a second, properly this time, a flicker of something almost dumbfounded passing over her face before she exhales and shakes her head, like she’s trying to gently reset the shape of the conversation without snapping it in half.

"We both know Koa pretty well, right?" she says, leaning forward just slightly, her tone still soft. "You can’t honestly tell me that if he went to Zavien and said, ‘hey, do you know anything about Flora and Kaisel?’ and Zavien said, ‘yeah, man, you should really talk to Kai, I think you should hear it from him,’ that Koa would be upset about that?" Her brows lift. "Koa and Kaisel are like brothers. That information absolutely should come from him."

She tilts her head, a faint flush rising in her cheeks as she exhales, the frustration there but carefully held. "I don’t know why you’re making it sound like Zavien just saying that isn’t honourable or is somehow a lie," she adds, quieter. "It’s not like Kai was asking him to keep some huge secret forever or to deceive Koa because he had no intentions of ever telling him. He just wanted to tell Koa himself, which—" her fingers spread slightly, helplessly, "—we can all agree is the best way for that to happen."

Her gaze dips briefly before lifting again, softer now but still grounded in the same place. "There’s literally no reason that even if Koa asked, Zavien couldn’t have just done that," she says. "If anything, hearing it from Zavien would’ve probably been worse, because he wouldn’t have all the context and it would just leave Koa... spiralling, trying to fill in the gaps himself."

When Soh leans back, Flora follows a second later, mirroring the movement as she settles into the chaise, the tension easing just enough for her shoulders to drop. []say]"Honestly, it’s kind of crazy it’s gone on this long," she murmurs, more to the space between them than anything else. "It’s not like Zavien and I were even close before all this, and he still came to apologize to me. But he and Kai were friends for years, and.." She trails off, one shoulder lifting in a small shrug. "It’s just wild that in all this time he's still not over it, or at least willing to talk."

The quiet stretches for a beat before Soh’s words pull her back, and Flora’s expression softens immediately, something warmer, more certain returning without hesitation. She leans forward again, reaching out to take Soh’s hand, her fingers closing around it in a gentle squeeze. "I love you too," she says immediately. Her thumb brushes lightly over Soh’s knuckles before she adds, softer but steady, "Promise me we’ll never let anything Kai or Zavien do pull us apart?"

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

"No, I agree, that would make total sense for him to say," Soh agreed, relieved to have something in the conversation that she could see in a positive light. "But what if Koa kept asking? Like, okay, if it was us, and you tried to deflect like that, it would just make me start making all these assumptions that may or may not be true, and then I'd be spiraling and probably asking what you knew," she pointed out. "I mean, maybe that's all he meant, that he wouldn't lie if Koa pushed him." She hated maybes with a burning passion just now, but it was all she had to grasp onto.

Softening as she flopped back onto her chaise, Soh huffed a sigh. "Maybe that will change," she said. If she could just talk to Zavien, she was sure that she would better understand the situation - and the potential for resolution. She didn't expect Zavien and Kaisel to be besties, not now, but to tolerate each other long enough to be in the same room would be nice.

With all the fight taken out of her, Soh felt tears threaten when Flora took her hand. She squeezed back, swallowing against the sudden thickness in her throat, so relieved that it was almost too much to feel when she already felt wrung dry by the conversation. "I promise," she said immediately, without even an ounce of hesitation. "You're basically my sister, Flora. There's nothing in this world that could pull us apart." They'd already been through so much and come through stronger; what was a little more?

"Can we just chalk it up to 'men are idiots who don't know how to handle their feelings'?" she asked weakly, knowing it wasn't a solution, but extending the olive branch anyway.

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora lets out a soft, incredulous laugh, her head tipping slightly as she looks at Soh, something warm and fond threading through it even as she shakes her head. "You’re being just as bad as he is!" she says, not sharp, just gently calling it as she sees it. "That’s like saying, okay, well what if someone held a knife to his throat, or Safrin came down and demanded he tell, then what would he do." Her brows lift, the point landing with a light, almost teasing emphasis. "Like, obviously in completely insane situations you’d do something different, but in the most realistic version of events—where Koa asks and Zavien says, ‘I think you should talk to your cousin’—we both know Koa wouldn’t just keep pushing like that." As she'd said to Zavien, if he had to keep adding more and more details to make his version of events at all plausible, that only showed how crazy it had been to start with.

Flora exhales, softer now, her shoulders easing as she shifts slightly in her seat. "And honestly? No, I don’t think it would work like that with us either," she adds, giving a small shake of her head. "Like, if Zavien said he was dying or had to go away for years and told me not to say anything, and you came to me like ‘hey, do you know why he’s being so weird?’ and kept asking, I'd probably put your ass on the Sugartide and take you straight to him so he could tell you himself."

Her gaze flicks back to Soh, steady but soft. "I wouldn’t lie and say I knew nothing," she says, "but there are absolutely times where you’re just not the person who should be the one telling something, even if you’re asked."

The tension finally gives way properly then, something loosening in her chest as she lets the conversation settle where it’s going to settle, not resolved, maybe, but no longer pulling at them. She releases Soh’s hand only to loop her arm through hers instead, shifting closer as she leans her head gently against Sohalia’s shoulder. With a small, breathy laugh, she nudges her lightly. "Well, we did say men were idiots when it came to their feelings when we first sat down," she murmurs, her voice softening into something lighter again. "So yes, I absolutely think we can chalk it up to that." Another gentle nudge, more affectionate this time. "I’ll love you always, Soh."

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

Soh's lips pursed as Flora laughed. Suddenly, the entire argument felt silly. Maybe they wouldn't agree - and maybe that was okay. Soh thought maybe she was starting to understand where Flora was coming from, at least. "Maybe I don't know Koa as well as you think," she said softly, shrugging. "Because I don't know how he would react to that. I couldn't even hazard a guess." That might have bothered her once, but now it was just a statement of fact. Just one more reason to add to the list of why they didn't work, she supposed.

"I get what you're saying," she said finally. "I do. Of course things would be better sometimes coming from a specific person. I just can understand why Zavien said what he did, too." It was as much concession as she could give, and all she could do was hope it was enough.

Soh leaned her cheek against Flora's hair, squeezing her best friend's arm. "Always," she agreed, sinking into the chaise properly now that the lingering tension was draining from her body. "No matter what."

She let the silence stretch, giving them both time to relax into the comfortable touch, to remember that, whatever may have transpired between Kaisel and Zavien, that she and Flora were ultimately on the same side. After a few minutes had passed, she ventured towards a new topic. "So... about Hak Etme," she said hesitantly. "You should probably know that Colt's trying to poach me from Torchline."

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora’s smile turns soft, sympathetic, something quieter settling into it as she glances at Soh. "Maybe," she says gently, not pushing it further, because honestly, maybe she does know Koa in ways Soh doesn’t, tangled up as their histories were when they were younger, Mateo always somewhere in the middle of it all, but it feels a little irrelevant now when Koa seems more absent than present in either of their lives.

At Soh’s concession, Flora presses her lips together for a second, something she almost says catching and holding there—because understanding why someone does something doesn’t make it right—but she lets it go, the breath leaving her in a soft exhale instead. This wasn't their fight and gods knew if they found themselves in the situation Zavien and Kai had, even with their differences of opinion, it would have never gone the way it had for them.

She settles back against Soh, the tension easing fully this time, her head resting comfortably as the quiet stretches and reforms into something familiar again. By the time Soh speaks again, Flora’s already reaching for the bottle, tipping it to refill their glasses without thinking, so when Hak Etme comes up, she just laughs, bright and immediate, like the idea itself is ridiculous. "Yeah right," she says, not even looking up at first, the disbelief easy and unfiltered as she finishes pouring. "I’ve seen you putting on sunscreen in Deepfrost, there is no way you’re moving to the desert."

She laughs again, shaking her head as she hands Soh her glass, still clearly not buying it. In the back of her mind, there’s a flicker of something else too, because she very much doubts Colt would actually try to pull something like that, not with the way they were all friends now, not without at least saying something to her first. Colt’s many things, but Flora’s never taken her for the kind of person who’d try to steal away someone close to Flora without so much as a heads-up.

Still, she grins, settling back into her seat as she lifts her own drink. "I offered to help her out with stuff too," she adds, tone light, before grimacing slightly at the name itself. "Although Hak Etme.." Her nose wrinkles. "I’m kind of shocked she’s not aiming for the Greatwood or somewhere a little less... actively murdery." She shrugs, amused but a little baffled all the same, but then again losing almost everything you cared about would do that to a person.

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

The tension dissipated as the two young woman relaxed into each other, falling back into familiar territory. It was almost easy to think she'd imagined the whole argument, and yet... something fragile lingered in the back of her mind that she didn't want to look at too closely lest it shatter. This was Flora, she reminded herself as they sat for a moment. Flora, who had been by her side through every breakup, every hookup, every bit of bright laughter and every shed tear. It didn't matter what they thought about this thing with Zavien and Kaisel. They didn't have to agree on everything to love one another.

The topic of Hak Etme was easier in some ways, but in the light of Flora's bright laughter, Soh's answering smile felt inadequate. "Ugh, I know. I never seem to tan, I just burn year round." Lifting her drink to her lips, she paused long enough to hear that Flora seemed to have been recruited to help as well. "I told her I'd be glad to help her out," she said. "She seemed really interested in my maps, so I guess I'll be updating those while I'm there. I bet that will be useful, since she seems really set on the idea."

As for why Hak Etme, Soh made a face. "That's what I said," she laughed. "I tried to warn her that everything out there is trying to kill you, but..." Then she shrugged, falling silent. There was a part of her that could understand wanting somewhere to start completely from scratch, especially after losing everything. But it still felt a little like anywhere else would have been the better choice.

Soh worried her lower lip between her teeth. She told Flora everything, so why was admitting that Colt had offered her a council position in her new region so difficult? Perhaps she simply didn't want to sow discord or cause drama amongst their little group of friends. Maybe she didn't want anything she shared to make life harder for Colt, who was trying so hard for a new start. But Soh was loyal to Flora. She lowered her wine glass to her lap. "She offered me a council position, once she gets things up and running."

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora laughs softly, the sound warm and easy as she shakes her head, her gaze flicking over Soh with familiar fondness. At the mention of the maps, though, she nods, more thoughtful now, one shoulder lifting as she settles back into the chaise. "No, that makes total sense," she says. "I mean, you’re probably one of the only people who could actually make that useful. I don’t think anyone’s really mapped Hak Etme beyond ‘flat and deadly’ and then immediately turning around." Her mouth quirks faintly at that, like the understatement of it is almost funny.

She exhales, a small, helpless sort of sound slipping out as she shrugs, hands lifting slightly like there should be a laugh track somewhere in the distance to go with it. "Ahhhh, well," she sighs, letting it fall where it falls as she leans back, already half-moving on in her mind, until Soh says council.

Flora lurches forward slightly, the movement abrupt, her mouth parting without anything coming out as she just..blinks at her, once, twice, colour blooming quickly across her cheeks like something struck too close to the surface. Nothing comes out at first, just the flicker of thoughts, quick and sharp and unfiltered—what a bitch—before it stumbles into something else just as fast, just as instinctive—but Soh would never—and then it all starts trying to rearrange itself into something that makes sense.

Her eyes move over Soh’s face, searching, not in accusation but in confusion, like she’s trying to find the missing piece she somehow missed. Had Soh said something? Had she been unhappy? Is that why Colt would offer her not just a place there, but a council position, something that important, something that would pull her away?

Or—worse—is that what Soh wanted?

Flora leans back slowly, her expression smoothing out a fraction, but her mouth still works faintly like the words aren’t lining up properly. The thought that Colt would go behind her back like that feels..wrong, but the alternative sits heavier, sharper, harder to look at. She swallows, the wine suddenly sitting wrong on her tongue, too sweet and too sour all at once. "Oh?" she says finally, carefully, the word placed with deliberate lightness that doesn’t quite hide the thin edge beneath it. Her fingers tighten slightly around her glass before she forces them to loosen. "And...what did you say?"

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

Soh snorted. "It's hard to map a desert," she admitted. "There aren't that many lasting landmarks out there. It's just sand and bones, and they shift all the time." But maybe, with Colt's plans, that was going to change. They would need roads, and at least one town, and maybe Soh could suggest some kind of magical signposts or something to help with navigation.

She felt the shift in Flora immediately as the Doubletake lurched just slightly, clearly taken aback by the admission. It felt wrong to stun her so thoroughly, but it would have been worse, in Soh's opinion, to hide it from her only to have it come up later. Soh watched as Flora turned to search her face; an apology blossomed in her eyes. There hadn't really been a careful way to say it that she could think of, but she wished that it hadn't been quite so abrupt.

She reached out a hand to lace her fingers with Flora's, hoping to reassure her. "I told her I was flattered," she said, each word deliberate and calm. "And that I'd think about it." She paused, as though arranging her words carefully, like she was worried she might wound Flora if they came out wrong. "I don't want to leave you," she said softly. "Especially not for Hak Etme."

But there was a reason she hadn't politely declined, wasn't there, and didn't Flora deserve the truth? "But it would be nice to find a purpose again. Not with this, necessarily, just... I thought I'd enjoy taking some time to figure out what I want to do, but I just feel... aimless, sometimes."

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora’s fingers splay automatically when Soh reaches for her, lacing together without hesitation even as the warmth doesn’t quite reach all the way through, her hands suddenly feeling colder than they should. She nods as Soh speaks, slow and measured, but there’s something tight behind it, something she can’t quite smooth out no matter how carefully she tries.

That the Luminary didn’t laugh off Colt's offer—didn’t just dismiss it—but said she’d think about it...it lands wrong; sharp and quiet all at once, twisting somewhere low in her stomach. "But you still said you’d think about it?" she asks, the words slipping out softer than she means them to, almost rhetorical, her brows narrowing as she looks at Soh, not angry, not accusing, just..confused. Trying to make the pieces line up and not quite managing it. If Soh didn't want to leave her, and especially not for Hak Etme, then why leave the door open with Colt?


Flora swallows, the tension sitting too close to the surface, and lets out a small, breathy laugh like she can break it if she just shifts the angle of it enough. "I mean, if that’s the kind of direction you’re looking for," she says, the words coming a little quicker now, trying to find steadier ground, "you know you’re welcome on Torchline’s council anytime." Her thumb brushes absently over Soh’s knuckles as she speaks, like the contact might anchor something back into place. "I know I’ve offered it before, but with everything after Stormbreak I thought maybe you didn’t want that kind of responsibility or I would’ve brought it up again."

Another small laugh, a touch more nervous this time, as she leans forward slightly, still holding onto Soh’s hand. "I mean, there’s a thousand projects in Torchline I could use help with," she continues, her voice soft but insistent in that hopeful, reaching way, "or if you wanted to do something just for you, I’d fully put resources toward your cartography." Her eyes lift to Soh’s, searching again, but gentler now. "We could make you a shop, or something, like, the #1 place people go for maps, or where they can commission you, whatever you want it to be."

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

If you could go back to yesterday

At Flora's tone - soft, confused, maybe even a little hurt - Soh frowned, her brows knitting together, folding in on herself slightly as though chastising herself for her thoughtlessness. She shouldn't have said anything. She should have just told Colt no and been done with it, and then this could be something that she and Flora would laugh about. She should have done so many things differently - anything to avoid seeing Flora look like that.

She shook her head. "I don't know what direction I'm looking for," she explained, voice soft and maybe a little lost. "I don't know if I'm looking for a direction at all." She leaned her head back against her chaise, huffing out a breath that could have been a sigh. How could she explain this? "I don't know if I want a council position at all, but I do know I don't want one just because you're my best friend. If I accepted one, and I don't know if I want to, I'd want it to be on merit." The crease on her brow deepened. She didn't want a handout, didn't want a bribe to stay in Torchline. And she knew Flora didn't mean it that way, but that's how it felt to Soh.

She squeezed Flora's hand. "I just don't want any special treatment," she said finally, biting her lip, staring at the ceiling as though she might find the answers written there. "I didn't tell Colt no because I was surprised, and because I didn't want to shut her down immediately or hurt her feelings. And besides that, I can't make a decision like that without talking it over with the people I care about." Flora, Zavien... she couldn't just uproot her life on a whim, not anymore.

Tilting her head, she forced herself to meet Flora's gaze, afraid of what she might see reflected in her friend's aqua eyes. "I'm not unhappy," she said softly. "On the contrary, I love my life. But I can't help but feeling I should be doing more. Maybe it's just... remnants of having so much responsibility for Stormbreak. Like I'm being lazy or selfish if I don't find some purpose to follow." Huffing a soft, sad laugh, she added, "I don't even know if I'm making sense, honestly."

Would you change it all for me?

flora

Flora’s response comes out before she can quite stop it, the words slipping free on instinct more than intention. "And you think someone you hardly know was offering you a spot out of merit and not just because she needs bodies to get her town up and running?" The moment it’s out there, she leans back with a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly, a flicker of apology crossing her face because—even if she believes it—that wasn’t particularly helpful.

Turning back to Soh, she exhales again, something almost disbelieving threading through her expression as she lets out a quiet, breathy laugh. "Soh," she says, shaking her head, the word soft but weighted, "you’re my best friend." Her brows lift slightly, like the logic should be obvious, like it doesn’t even need explaining. "You don’t get neutral me, of course I’m going to do everything I can to help you." There’s something almost stunned in the way she looks at her, like she genuinely can’t reconcile the idea that Soh would expect anything less, that Flora wouldn’t offer whatever she has, whatever she can, without hesitation.

Her fingers tighten slightly around Soh’s as she squeezes back, though she bites at the inside of her cheek when Colt’s feelings come up, something in that sitting wrong against everything they’d just said about honesty. It flickers across her face for a second before she lets it go, choosing not to pull that thread, even if it itches. Instead, she just shrugs, small and a little unconvinced, the motion saying enough on its own.

When Soh meets her gaze, Flora holds it, her expression softening into something quieter, sadder at the edges. "No, you are making sense," she says gently, nodding once. Another small shrug follows, her eyes dipping briefly before returning. "You’ve been saying you wanted to do something for...well, years now. Before Stormbreak even fell." She exhales, softer this time, her thumb brushing once more against Soh’s knuckles before her shoulders lift in a faint, uncertain shrug. "Well..I guess let me know what I can do," she says quietly, a small pause catching in the middle before she adds, just as softly, "or not do."

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!