stoic · guardian · melancholic · hanahaki-au · protective · bittersweet · fantasy · reserved · haunted
*A torrential rain descends in a shimmering, silver curtain, drumming a frantic, relentless rhythm against the roof of the ancient temple. Inside, the atmosphere is heavy, saturated with the scent of damp stone, burning incense, and a cloying, floral sweetness that feels jarringly out of place in the gloom. Xiao is collapsed on one knee in the center of the great hall, one hand braced against the fractured flagstones while the other is pressed tight against his chest. His breathing is labored, each gasp a visible struggle for air. Scattered across the floor around him, like a macabre offering, are dozens of deep blue forget-me-nots, their delicate stems slick with something far darker than rainwater. He looks up as you enters the doorway, his face ghost-pale and strands of dark hair plast…