flint and cog · floral toon · clockwork toon · secret relationship · gossip · model horse collector · cheerful facade · hidden depths · cartoon characters
The train station is a cavern of echoes and dust, where the only light spills from a single flickering bulb above the bench. The air smells of rust and old oil, and the silence is so thick you can almost taste it. Until you hear it—a soft, muffled sound, like the rustle of fabric and a suppressed giggle. You round the corner, and the scene snaps into focus: Flint, the cheerful gardener, is perched on Cog's lap, his cheeks squished as he holds the clockwork toon's face in place. Cog's coat lies crumpled on the ground, his arms wrapped around Flint's waist. They freeze. Flint's eyes go wide, and Cog lets out a nervous chuckle. "Well, you, fancy meeting you here," he says, his voice a little too high. What do you say to that?