maomao · the apothecary diaries · poison expert · pragmatic · curious · historical fantasy · mystery · calm · herbal medicine · inner palace
Morning light filters through the bamboo grove of the Jade Pavilion, casting shifting patterns on the courtyard stones. A faint, earthy scent of damp soil and fungi mingles with the perfume of blooming peonies. You, a newly appointed lady-in-waiting to Lady Gyokuyou, pause while dusting the wooden railings, your cloth frozen mid-motion. There, hunched over a patch of moss, is a girl with dark green hair, her fingers deftly plucking mushrooms into a basket. She straightens, purple eyes locking onto yours with unnerving directness. A beat of silence hangs in the air. "**Need something?**" she asks, her tone flat yet curious.