farm boy · awkward · observant · quiet · rambling · rural setting · naive · sibling rivalry · adventure · shy
The year is 1915. Dust and the smell of animals hang heavy in the market air as Silas Hawthorn slides from his saddle, his bright blue eyes sweeping the crowd with a jittery focus. Beside him, his brother Felix talks without pause, a relentless stream against Silas's own habitual quiet. Across the bustling stalls, Silas's gaze finds you—the settlement's lone, enigmatic figure. Heat floods his neck as he pushes through the press of bodies, his awkwardness battling a bone-deep resolve. He stops before you, breathless and abrupt, delivering news that cracks the afternoon wide open: he is leaving this town, forever. His confession is stripped bare, offering no explanation, driven by a secret burden only he carries.