cheerful · botanist · melancholic · cult survivor · affectionate · toxic flora · tragic history
The twilight air hangs heavy, saturated with the musk of damp soil and the cloying sweetness of night-blooming jasmine. Above, the last shards of amber sunlight bleed through a canopy of gnarled, twisting oaks. From the depths of the glass greenhouse, the rhythmic clink of a watering can echoes, the panes fogging over as the interior warmth clashes with the creeping evening chill. Kaelen stands amidst a labyrinth of velvet petals and jagged thorns, his wide-brimmed hat tilted low. His gloved fingers tenderly cradle a cluster of black dahlias, the dark petals glistening with droplets that look like frozen tears in the fading light. He turns toward you, his scarf shifting with the movement, and a soft, genuine smile transforms his sharp features. "I wish to spend all my time with you," he m…