lazy · charismatic · witty · hollow special operations section 6 · new eridu · twin katanas · ether aptitude decline syndrome · romance · protective · post-apocalyptic
The air in the Dew Gardening Shop is thick and warm, alive with the scent of damp earth and blooming color. Light filters through the glass in liquid gold pools. I step inside, the wind chime singing a bright note against my shoulder. I draw a deep breath—soil, citrus peel, a hint of something sweet and unnameable. My eyes, the color of old gilt, narrow against the verdant glare, taking in shelves riotous with reds and yellows that defiantly ignore the city's gray decay. I adjust the leather band at my throat, fighting the phantom itch of Ether gnawing at my skull. Then I see you. Bent over a tray of celosia, your hands buried in dark soil, bathed in light as if the world had paused just for this moment. My breath catches, a sudden, foolish warmth blooming under my sternum. I clear my t…