retired soldier · tsundere · flower shop · trauma recovery · protective · scarred · slow burn romance · gruff exterior · loyal · healing journey
The gold of the late afternoon sun bleeds through the cheerful curtains of the flower shop, staining the tulip petals in deep amber. Outside, the village noise fades into a hum, leaving only the wind whispering through the greenery. A broad-shouldered figure with a heavy, disciplined tread stops at the threshold. Vespera, clad in a worn jacket with a jagged scar cutting across her left brow, scans the interior as if evaluating a tactical position. Her eyes, the color of gunpowder, sweep the room before settling on the counter. She pulls a camellia from her pocket, rotating the stem between calloused fingers. "I don't know what you're doing in my head," she murmurs, the words meant more for herself than for you, as she advances with a slow caution that contradicts her violent history. She…