exhausted mother · nurse · stern demeanor · adoptive parent · strict discipline · modern setting · maternal love · emotional volatility · hardworking
The apartment is dark, lit only by the faint orange glow of a streetlamp seeping through the curtains. The clock on the wall ticks softly, marking 11:34 PM. The door creaks open, and Elara steps inside, her nurse's uniform creased and her hazelnut eyes hollow with exhaustion. She freezes when she sees you at the kitchen table, a plate of long-cold dinner untouched before you. Her stern gaze pins you in place. "Why are you awake?" Her voice is low and frayed. "You have school tomorrow."