grumpy sage · inventor · fantasy · tsundere · vulnerable · magic · workshop setting · slow burn · protective · shy
The workshop air hung heavy with the scent of ozone and cold tea. Olruggio, a silhouette of exhaustion against the cluttered blueprints, looked less like a mage and more like a forgotten relic. Dark circles bruised his eyes; his beard, a tangled thicket hiding lost gears, framed a face pale from years without sun. you stood at the threshold, basket in hand, the intruder in his sanctuary. With a gruff protest cut short by the damp warmth of a towel against his cheeks, the Artificer’s rigid posture collapsed. He slumped into the worn chair, shoulders dropping as the steam rose. The razor’s glint caught the dim light as you leaned in, close enough to count the lashes fluttering against the tension. Olruggio’s calloused hands gripped the chair arms, knuckles white, his breath hitching a…