I wanna drink cheap wine with you

we show off our different scarlet letters

While Flora had been on dates with both Asta and Jack, she couldn't recall whether or not she'd been nervous about them. Likely that had to do with her time spent with Asta snowballing rather quickly, and her date with Jack coming as payment for a future visit to Safrin, but either way, the night before the Doubletake had laid away in bed thinking and rethinking her choice of outfit, mulling over how she'd do her hair and makeup, before keeping herself up the rest of the night imagining all the sorts of things she and Koa might do together.

Needless to say it took several cooling eye masks to hide the effects of such a restless night.

Having arrived at the Celestine a touch early in order to leave her overnight bag at the entrance gate, Flora had taken a bronze summerdaisy from the bouquet Koa had left for her—the colouring a near-perfect match for the hue of his eyes in the sun—and now stood twiddling the stem between her fingers.

Having opted for a classic little black dress with a twist (the twist being that it was made mostly of lace with a satin slip beneath), the queen's long blonde hair was tied up in a bun meant to resemble a flower, held there by a single pin. A pin which when pulled would send her curls tumbling down her back. She wore the bronze and turquoise bangle that the dragoon had gifted her before the Midwinter ball, and had left her makeup naturalesque, save for the bright red of her lips.

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

Did Koa throw up from nerves last night?

He'll never tell.

He's put a lot of effort into arranging this date. Bargains had been struck. Contractors had been arranged. There may have been some begging involved. In the end it had come together - or, at least, so far. Koa has plans for the evening, you see. Plans that, gods willing, will unfold without a hitch.

He's put a great deal of care into his appearance, too: fresh haircut, shaved face, wood smoke cologne Noe recommended. Foregone is the Dragoon uniform; in its place the boy has donned a simple yet classic ensemble of black slacks and a cream button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled back to show off muscular forearms and the bronze bangle on his left wrist. A coat hangs over his right shoulder; it's too warm for it now. He's a picture of handsome elegance, of someone who knows how to use his body and is comfortable within. He's sexy and he knows it.

And he doesn't hold a candle to her.

"Wow." The soft exclamation breezes through his lips, admiration of Flora's beauty leaving Koa well and truly without breath. It takes a valiant amount of effort not to run the rest of the way toward her, and even with that self-control he cannot hide the spring in his step. Drawing up before her with thousand-watt grin in place, Koa reaches for her fingers to raise up to his lips. "You look incredible, Flora. Really, just... wow. Give us a spin?" the Dragoon requests, raising their hands to twirl her around.

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

Simultaneously trying not to seem as though she was actively looking for Koa while absolutely doing just that, to say that Flora lit up as he came into view was an understatement. Hardly able to contain her smile as her gaze drank in his effortless sex appeal and his Oh this old thing? choice of outfit, the Doubletake was likewise forced to temper her legs' urge to run forward to meet him.

"You look ama—" She begins to say at the same time as him, her words cut off by a bright huff of laughter as she slides her fingers comfortably against his. Butterflies lift off in droves inside of her stomach as she feels Koa's copper stare drink her in, and gods but no one looks at her the way he does with that mixture of boyish lust made golden by summer kisses, and the much more mature consideration of a man putting in the effort for something he wants.

Spinning as instructed, given that the dress hugs her figure, Flora ensures that her hips roll sensually with her turn in order to give Koa's eyes something to look at as she completes her revolution. "For you—" She murmurs almost bashfully, holding out the golden and bronze daisy. Yes it was from the bouquet he'd given her and so might be seen as having been a lazy gift, but in reality, the Doubletake simply didn't need to go out and search for things that reminded her of the dragoon's eyes; not when she simply saw them everywhere.

Then again, how could she not?

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

Their laughter rolls in a melody of youthful hope and infatuation, the mutual compliments lifting off like swallows in choreographed flight. Koa's smile widens further, earthen gaze drinking in the Queen as though she were an oasis in the desert, a priceless work of art. "Stunning," he repeats in murmured prayer, making no effort to conceal the way his eyes snag on the creamy skin which peeks out from curtains of black lace.

The daisy is accepted with outward delight, Koa's cheeks darkening as he raises the flower to his nose. "You shouldn't have," the Dragoon murmurs, gazing adoringly through bronze petals and into Flora's aqua eyes. He tucks it in behind his ear, masculinity blissfully unthreatened, before reaching out to brush a thumb over the floral band on the Doubeltake's arm. "Now we match," Koa smiles, leaning down to place a kiss on Flora's forehead.

Ah, but let's get this show on the road!

Koa offers his arm for Flora to take before starting down the path. "Now I know it's early, but I thought we might start with a stroll around the Celestine. But first, perhaps, some wine?" Rounding a corner, the pair will find a table set with a bottle of chardonnay and two empty glasses. It's being guarded by long, black, absurdly fluffy, bow-tie wearing dragon - Pip, like Koa, is doing her best to make a good impression tonight. Alas, neither of them are sommeliers, so they've had to go off Mateo's wine recommendation. Koa can only hope his friend hasn't pranked him with a bottle of exquisite atrotiousness.

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

Though she doesn't realize it just yet, Koa's laughter will come to be one of her favourite sounds, brightening her mood when memories of moments like this flow into her mind unbidden, and hurting her heart on days when their tempers flare and youthful misunderstandings and mistakes pull at the seams their smiles constantly try to weave and strengthen.

"Obviously I had to look good for you." Flora purrs, though the normal confidence in her tone is a touch shaky if only because of just how true the words were. She had wanted to look good for Koa—better than good, actually—and gods this moment felt like such a long time coming that she hadn't even wanted to risk a single hair being out of place.

"Of course I should." The queen counters, and not simply because of how often Mateo got onto his soapbox about how unfair it was that women received flowers much more than men. Beaming at the placement of the daisy, as Koa's lips brush against her forehead, Flora has the sudden wild urge to strip everything but the bangle and flower off of the dragoon. Her fingertips pulse at her sides as a shaky breath parts her lips. Swallowing, she flashes him a crooked smile as he straightens, already feeling heat flush across her cheeks though she does her best to stifle the immature urge to derail their date before it had properly begun.

Finding herself as distracted by the hard body at her side as by the way Koa's lips formed the words he was saying, as they rounded the corner Flora couldn't help the laughter that spilled from her lips at the sight of Pip playing sommelier. As it turns out, Mateo knows just as much about wines as Koa and his dragon I checked, such that the botanist's recommendation was actually the house brand that Flora served at the Hanged Man (aka cheap and a touch watery). Thinking perhaps Koa had picked it because it precisely because it was something her tavern served, the queen mentally shrugged as she lifted one of the glasses in a toast. "To first dates, and...to doing things right."

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

Well, look, they can't all be winners, and the wine will make a good story to tell their grandkids. Even if she'd laughed aloud at his choices Koa's mood would remain the same; it would take far more than the realization of his blunder to dampen his spirits on this perfect night.

Flora's laughter at Pip's outfit has his heart clenching, warm delight spreading over his cheeks. "This is the fourth one," the boy stage-whispers, leaning in close enough for his breath to brush against her ear, for the sweet and spicy aroma of her to light small fires in his gut. "Tore off the other three within five minutes. I'm shocked she's managed to keep it on." He chuckles, pressing a kiss to Flora's shoulder before pulling back to claim his wine.

"To doing it right," Koa agrees, tapping his glass against Flora's. As the glasses leave the table Pip scrambles onto it, rising weasel-like onto hind legs and stretching toward Flora for pets. "So... any particular animals you want to try and see while we're here? I had some thoughts, but I'd like to hear yours first."

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

"Well, you'd better not let Lena see or you're liable to get us kicked out for animal cruelty." Flora jokes, though the playfulness in her tone is disrupted by the way Koa's mere presence has every fibre of her being hyperfocused on where they touch. Never before would she have thought her shoulder capable of being so sensitive, but as his lips press against her skin Flora is quite sure that she could feel every minuscule movement, right from where his lips brushed against the delicate white hairs to the exact pressure of his kiss before he pulled away. It left her feeling vaguely dazed, as if she'd drank too much in the heat of the afternoon and had then tried to sit up too quickly. Rather than the accompanying wave of nausea though, the queen only felt butterflies take flight in her stomach.

"Sorry I left Spice at home." The queen croons to the dragonling, scratching just behind where her jaw hinged against her skull. "She doesn't really like to travel." She explains as if feeling the need to justify why she hadn't brought along a friend for Pip who'd presumably be accompanying them for the majority of their date.

"Mmmmmmm...actually." Turning toward him, Flora combs back his dark hair even though it was all still perfectly in place. "It's been a long time since I was able to go back and visit the Greatwood...maybe if the Celestine has anything from there?" While the Greatwood would always inspire rather complicated feelings in the pit of her stomach, it had been where she was born, and where she and Enzo grew up.

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

Pip, who is more than happy to be the center of attention, exhibits nothing but purred delight at Flora's ministrations. Koa watches through hooded eyes, the warmth in his chest expanding outward as he takes in this perfect little scene: Pipsqueak, now rolling onto her back in open demand of belly rubs; Flora, her face as radiant as a summer morning, slender fingers dancing across inky fur. It feels like hope and the potential of a future, like belonging, like family - all the things Koa's been desperately seeking, ever since his world turned upside-down.

Then those fingers are seeking him, and Koa bends forward obligingly, giving Flora better access to his dark hair. "Mmmmmm?" he hums, thoughts momentarily brushed away by the nails on his scalp, all the words he'd spoken moments earlier lost in the depths of her aqua eyes. "Oh... yeah, actually, there's a rehab section for Greatwood creatures displaced by the Void."

Slipping his empty hand into hers, Koa gestures to the south. "This way, I think," he declares with unearned confidence, not particularly bothered by the prospect of getting lost. He knows his way around the Celestine well enough, and if it takes a little longer than usual to find their destination, well, at least he couldn't ask for better company at his side. "Have you been to the Celestine before?"

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

Smoothing down the last of the pretend flyaways, Flora leans ever so slightly into the dragoon as if time spent pressed against his body was still something that needed to be stolen away under the guise of mere happenstance. "Is there?" She wonders, surprised that there'd be a need for such a thing. "I hadn't realized that things had gotten so bad up there..." Though it makes her frown, being so near to Koa chases away the violet dread that thoughts of the void's spread would otherwise inspire in her.

That Koa's fingers fit against hers so comfortably, her palm intimately familiar with the calloused feel of his, and yet—for Flora at least—the gesture hadn't once failed to steal her breath.

Happy to follow his lead, Flora gives her head a little shake. "I never have, actually. I always meant to when I'd come up here to see Mateo, but..." Her eyes drink in the various enclosures, noting how none of them seemed like cages at all. "..I just never got around to it." Shrugging, her shoulder brushing up against his bicep as she does so, Flora glances up at him with a crooked smile. "What about you? You seem to know your way around?" Indeed that was how it seemed, now whether or not it was true was something else entirely.

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

"I haven't been, but reports aren't good." Koa sighs, shaking his head as a line forms between his brows. Everything he's heard about the current state of the Wilds frames a picture that's rather bleak - in other words, not what he wants to dwell on now. Not when Flora's fingers are laced through his, intertwined and interwoven by invisible threads of fate. Better to stay with her in the sunlight. Their story has had enough gloom.

He lifts their hands up to his lips, a kiss as natural as a thought brushed over the knuckle of her thumb as they carry on.

"Well, I'm honored to get to share your first time," Koa grins down at Flora, nudging her back as their upper arms brush, sending electricity down his spine. As for his familiarity? "Yeah, I come here whenever I can. Sometimes I volunteer - Lena's been great about letting me tag along. Or I try to get assigned for patrol."  The boy shrugs, his smile dimming into something bittersweet. "When I was a kid I sometimes thought I'd be a caretaker when I grew up. Or a vet." He laughs, shaking his head as if to say can you imagine a stranger dream?

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

Sighing softly, though Flora's political stance had always been fuck the other regions, I'm just worried about Torchline, now that she was actually thinking about the Greatwood as her childhood home, guilt tried to wrap its chilly fingers around her throat and choke the words from her lips. 'Well...that sucks.' She says lamely just as Koa lifts their clasped hands towards his mouth, and as his lips brush against her knuckles, suddenly her duties as a leader seemed wonderfully far away.

Giving his hand a punishing squeeze in lieu of referencing their other first time together, Flora rolls her eyes affectionately up at him before nodding. "I've never actually met her, but she seems really nice." Lena's reputation just was the Celestine's reputation, as you could hardly have one without the other. "Wait, really?" Eyeing him for a moment as if to try and decide if she thought he was pulling her leg or not, Flora laughs softly under her breath, finding the idea of Koa working with wounded animals utterly charming.

"I thought you always wanted to follow in your mom's footsteps?" It's gently said given the tragedy that had befallen her, with Flora's fingers pulsing softly against Koa's as she peers up at him.

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

"Oh, she's great," Koa agrees brightly, and were he Accepted he would certainly be wagging a golden retriever tail at the thought of his friend. "I never spent a ton of time with her before, but we've bene talking a lot more since... y'know, everything." The void, the stormcloud that crosses his face for a slightest moment fills in.

Once again Koa shrugs, suddenly bashful at the memory of his childhood aspirations. "Yeah, well... I really like animals," he mumbles in explanation, pausing to take another sip of his wine. He falters further at Flora's next comment, returning the squeeze between their hands with a grateful one of his own. "It's not that I always wanted to, so much as I was always going to? I basically lived at the Nest, and I was good at fighting, and my mom was a Captain and I guess it just... was kind of a given, that I'd be a Dragoon. The only time I thought seriously about doing something else was when I was a teenager, but then the war happened and..."

And his mother had died, and suddenly all Koa had left of her was a legacy to protect.

His throat bobs as he swallows down the lump rising within it, and the smile he offers down to Flora is only slightly forced. "What about you? Did you always plan to be Queen of Torchline? You must've had other childhood dreams."

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu

we show off our different scarlet letters

Lifting her eyebrows in return, Flora adds Sohalia leaving to the list of everything, and finds her own smile fading ever so slightly. "Yeah...yeah." >>>

"Sorry," she whispers softly; not necessarily for mentioning his mother, but for the hurt it still caused him. Having lost Enzo at the same time, Flora was keenly aware that time didn't always play a huge factor in the healing process. "You were always so good with swords like she was, I guess I just assumed you liked it too." He probably did, though certainly the expectation that came along with it probably took some of the joy he'd have gotten out of it otherwise.

Leaning softly against him now, not bothering to try and mask the movement by pretending to stumble into him or something else equally cliche, Flora laughs under her breath. "Enzo and I were going to be travelling artists. Or, he was, and I was going to be his manager." She says, and now it's hurt turn to feel the melancholic twist of speaking of plans long since forgotten. "We were going to have a magical wagon that was bigger on the inside and be pulled around by a unicorn. We'd go from town to town wowing everyone, and when we got bored, we'd just..pick up and go." Feeling her stomach begin to clench with the memory, Flora hid her wilting smile behind the rim of her wine glass before helping herself to a healthy sip.

I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

"I did like it," Koa's quick to confirm, nostalgia brightening the hum of his voice. "Don't get me wrong - I love the Dragoons. I don't regret becoming one. They've given me purpose, and a family." Even if that family is currently fractured, with Anju one one side and Koa cast across the way. "But I still wonder... would I have chosen it, if it'd been up to me? And would I be as happy, doing something else?" Hypothetical lives and choices coil like smoke within his mind; Koa shrugs, letting them fade, never one to dwell.

But the things that roll off Koa's back adhere on Flora's skin, and now it's his turn to offer comfort as she shivers in the rain of what will never be. It's a role he takes on willingly, his arm slipping around her shoulders as she tucks in at his side, holding her close in a promise of it's okay, I'm here. Aloud, he says, "That sounds exactly right. Sign me up for a ticket. Or as a roadie. Maybe I could be your caravan guard? Or juggle!"

He grins briefly, then lets his expression grow soft, leaning forward to press a kiss against her golden crown. "I wish I'd gotten to meet him," Koa says seriously, the fingers of his left hand rubbing circles on her arm. "He sounds truly exceptional. Just like you."

Koa

And I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now

totally sniped from odd ilu