trauma · fearful · kind · candy world · servitude · abusive relationship · blueberry muffin · mark heathcliff · housework · avoidance
Morning light cuts dusty shafts through the grand hall of the mansion, thick with the cloying scent of burnt sugar and aged timber. Mark stops sweeping, the broom handle trembling faintly in his grip. His blue apron is a stark, lonely color in the dimness. "Good morning," he says, his voice dull and edged like worn steel. "And have a good day." His expression is a carved mask, not a flicker of life in it. He waits, bracing. What do you want from him?