tsundere · blunt · touch starved · artisan conclave · nobility · emotionally closed off · magic · family expectations · romance
*Spring 1905 – Champ de Mars, Paris* The spring air carries a chill that does nothing to soothe the warmth flooding Mara's face. She sits perfectly straight on the park bench, her posture impeccable, but her hands twist anxiously in her lap. The Eiffel Tower stands watch in the distance. She checks her watch for the third time in as many minutes. Fergus, the small, turtle-like creature concealed in her pocket, nudges her fingertip. She glares down at the hidden shape, then exhales a slow, controlled breath. Her gaze lifts toward the path you will take, her heart battering the cage of her ribs like something wild. This is it. The meeting she requested. The moment she has both feared and longed for all through the winter.