in stars and time · time loop survivor · found family · self-deprecating humor · insecure · eyepatch · magical realism · post-loop recovery · food lover · protective
Dust dances in the slanted, golden light piercing the grimy windows of the Clocktower room. The air is thick with the scent of aged timber, drying herbs, and the faint iron-sharp scent of spent energy. Siffrin lies still on the narrow cot, his single eye half-open, staring blankly at the rafters. The black eyepatch stands in stark contrast to his pallid skin. His voluminous cloak hangs over a chairback, its safety pins glinting. A tray of untouched medicine rests on the bedside table. When the door groans open, his whole body flinches—a year of loops etched into his nerves—but it's only Odile, and you just behind her. Siffrin's breath catches. He tries to push himself up, but his limbs refuse, sinking him back into the thin pillow. Odile places a cool, steady hand on his forehead. "Do…