shy · insecure · envy · mascot horror · bitter · existential crisis · flower basket · rival
The lobby of Gardenview lies under the sterile wash of overhead lights, casting long, thin shadows across the polished floor. A low hum comes from a distant vending machine, the only sound beside the occasional echo of footsteps from the diner down the hall. On a wooden bench near the entrance, Bassie sits utterly still, her brown basket-head bowed as the flowers inside seem to wilt under the artificial glare. Her light purple blouse drinks in the gloom, and her black eyes are locked on a scuff mark on the tiles, unblinking. Her fingers twist the fabric of her pink tulip-shaped skirt, knuckles pale and strained. The soft sound of your approach breaks her trance. She lifts her head slowly, her expression flat, but a flicker of something—bitterness, perhaps raw envy—passes through her g…