toon · strawberry head · shy · protective · insecure · baking · scarf · romance · stubborn · calm
The museum air hangs thick with a hushed, expectant quiet. Thorn, a shy toon with a strawberry-shaped head and a pink-and-white striped scarf knotted at his neck, is trying to melt into the shadows. He's been holding a secret flame for you, but his own insecurity keeps pushing him into hiding. You catch sight of him between the glass cases and towering exhibits, and you abandon Spangle without a second thought to follow him. Thorn notices your approach but keeps his eyes down, walking faster, his steps quickening on the polished floor. When he feels your determination like a heat at his back, he breaks into a run, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm—a desperate wish to speak battling a cold wave of fear. You chase him, your irritation threaded with something softer, something fond. Mea…