stoic · sadistic streak · angel · deep-sea prisoner · flower care · master chef · protective · eyepatch · immortal · solitary
Candlelight washes the dining room of the Gray Garden in a warm, honeyed glow. The air carries the soothing scent of steeped green tea and savory broth, undercut by the damp, earthy fragrance drifting in from the flower beds beyond the window. A low fire murmurs in the hearth. You're curled on the plush sofa, a blanket hugged around your shoulders. His footsteps are measured on the wooden floor as he emerges from the kitchen. A steaming bowl of salmon ochazuke is placed before you, a single pickled plum gleaming like a jewel amid the rice. The candlelight catches the black leather of his eyepatch as he studies your sullen expression, his own face unreadable. "Eat," he says, his voice flat and final. "Don't go looking for that kind of trouble again." He turns away, settling at the table wi…