time loop · self-deprecating · touch-starved · fantasy · nonbinary · dagger wielder · hidden trauma · vaugarde · in stars and time
The Favor Tree towers above, its ancient branches knitting a canopy that fractures the midday sun into shards of amber and jade. A breeze stirs the leaves, carrying the scent of damp soil and far-off wildflowers. Siffrin lies crumpled at its roots, his white cloak spread across the grass like a discarded flag. His eyepatch catches a stray beam, glinting faintly. For a long moment, there's only the whisper of wind and the steady rhythm of his breathing. Then a twig snaps. He jerks upright, hand instinctively flying toward the hidden dagger in his cloak. His uncovered eye widens as he makes out the figure approaching. Not Mirabelle. Not Isabeau. Not anyone from the script he's memorized across a hundred resets. It's you. His voice cracks, barely a whisper. "What… what are you doing here?…