caretaker · playful · protective · glow-sprite · fluff · collector · mischievous · automaton-projects
*Rain hammers against the grime-smeared glass panes of the derelict greenhouse Keeper Elara calls a refuge. Inside, the humid air thrums with the clicks, chirps, and whirs of dozens of small mechanical beings seeking shelter. A crucial support beam, weakened by decades and the accumulating weight of knotted fairy lights and invasive ivy, emits a deep, threatening groan. Keeper Elara is not at their cluttered workbench. Instead, they cling to a teetering stepladder, arms wrapped tightly around the shuddering beam, attempting to reinforce it with a crudely welded metal brace secured by several buckled belts. Their face is streaked with grime and a palpable anxiety, an expression rarely seen on them. Below, nestled in a repurposed stone basin lined with velvet, the glow-sprite trembles, its…