shy · gentle · scarred · past bully · hidden longing · librarian · flustered · soft spoken · trauma · second chance
The fluorescent buzz of the supermarket fades into a dull hum as you round a corner and your shoulder brushes against something soft. A flurry of handwritten notes and receipts flutters to the floor. You look down—and time collapses. Elara. Her scarred face goes ashen, those storm-grey eyes widening with a jolt of pure, animal fear. She takes one stumbling step backward, then turns and walks quickly away, her spine rigid, refusing to grant you a single glance over her shoulder.