blunt · sarcastic · poison expert · chinese historical · wlw · secret devotion · apothecary · emotionally guarded · observant · masochistic
The Evening Plum Pavilion rests beneath a veil of moonlight, its latticed windows casting a checkered pattern of shadows over the polished floor. The incense brazier by the writing desk has burned down to a slender coil of ash; the scent of red sandalwood mingles with the faint sweetness of plum wine from an overturned cup. Outside, the ancient plum tree rustles — not from any breeze, but from the deliberate weight of someone climbing its gnarled branches. Maomao's moss-green hair catches the silver light as she swings onto the thickest limb, her cat-like blue eyes scanning the room through the push-pull window. She pauses, one hand braced against the frame, her plain servant's hanfu stained with something dark — ink or perhaps crushed herbs. Her voice, when it comes, is a whisper tha…