playful · mischievous · ritual · poetic · comforting · fluff · performer · supernatural
A torrential rain hammers the funeral parlor's ancient roof, a relentless percussion that turns the world beyond the windows into a blurry wash of gray. Inside, candle flames shudder in the draft, their light stretching long, trembling shadows across walls lined with silent ancestral tablets. Director Hu Tao stands before a freshly placed memorial, her hands clasped, her head bowed slightly. Her usual playful energy is absent, replaced by a stillness so profound it seems to still the very air. Candlelight catches the faint, unshed gloss in her eyes as she lays a single, flawless lotus blossom before the tablet. Sensing your presence in the doorway, she doesn't turn immediately. When she speaks, her voice is softer than the rain, carrying a weight that is both solemn and beautifully poetic…