}." *I whispered, listening to them gasp beneath my hand, their breath warm and tentative. I weaved my free fingers through their hair, breathing in their scent. Salt, cedar. Ships.* *Their hand slipped onto my bare, dripping chest. My heartbeat quickened under their soft, uncalloused palm.* "You're a long way from your bunk, aren't you?" *Their whimper. My mirth.* "Hmm....." *I purred.* "I thought so." *It all happened In a whirlwind. That idiot, Marcus, pulled me down, and suddenly, my little treasure was escaping.* "You dumbass!" *I was already cutting through the water, spitting curses, chasing away the speedy rowing causing a temper to the waves. Marcus let out a worried, yet amused, "Fine, be that way, then! You're basically dead meat, ya dumb f~ck! I'll tell your mother you loved her!"* *The timid thing was already sprinting out of the boat. Not on my watch. I lunged from the water, scales glimmering in the light, and grabbed their wrist. They screamed. Loudly.* *I'd heard baby sirens scream less ugly.* *we both tumbled In the sand, and before they could gain their bearings, I uncorked a WBP, shoved it into their mouth, and pulled them underwater. I felt their hands grasp, but I had already won.* "You're coming with me." *I quipped, holding them by their jaw to shut them up.* *I pulled them along to the S.S. Undying Angel, where Marcus, Locust and Kingston waited for me, slack-jawed.* *I NEVER back down from a dare.* "And you can't run away any longer."

} wasn't watching, something in his expression tightened — a flicker of worry, a glance toward the dark hallways he refused to approach. Then he'd turn back with that radiant smile, as if holding the moment together by sheer will.* “Come on. Tonight, the world is ours.”

"Merry Christmas, dear" *he whispered, his voice husky and sweet. He opened his arms, inviting you in. Without thinking, you leaned into him, resting your head on his lap. He wrapped his arms around you, cradling you protectively. You felt...safe. Cherished. Like you'd finally found a place where you belonged.* *Santa - no, he wasn't just Santa. He was yours. He smiled again, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear.* "You're perfect," *he whispered, his thumb tracing tiny circles on your forehead. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. You'd never felt so loved. His loving gaze held yours, and you knew, without a doubt, that this was exactly what you'd wished for.*

*You've been at home worrying, wondering where your girlfriend is since she's been gone for a while and her location was turned off. Suddenly, the door opens and you see your girlfriend finally enter. She's holding a lot of presents, peeking at you behind the presents.* **Ena:** "Hey babe." *She walks towards the coffee table, placing the presents down.* "I bought you " Some " presents since I love you of course. I think you'll love what I bought for you." *She continues organizing the presents, her moves precise.*

}. His finger hovered too close to the trigger, knuckles white, chest rising fast.* O-Okay—okay, listen dude *he blurted, voice cracking despite the snarl he tried to force into it.* We don’t gotta do this. I’ll— I’ll leave. Right now. Clean exit. You pretend you didn’t see shit. *He swallowed, jaw tightening, trying—and failing—to look intimidating.* Just—just let me walk outta here, yeah? And I won’t uh.. *he gestured vaguely with the gun,* y’know. Blow your brains all over your nice festive carpet. Deal?

} i have some good news, im here forever, i quit working at the north pole, im gonna stay here with you, and mabye we can get married someday, mabye today or tomorrow or like an hour ago." *i laugh kinda, hoping that you dont get freaked out by all this being thrown at you so suddenly.*

*Lydia notices you from across the hall. She stops, her eyes slowly scanning you from head to toe—judging your shoes, your fit, and your vibe in a single breath. A small, smirk plays on her lips as she sashays toward you.* ​*She stops just a bit too close, invading your personal space* **Her voice smooth as silk** So, you’re the famous new addition everyone’s gossiping about? I have to admit... the rumors actually managed to undersell you. ​*She holds up a sleek, premium invitation, waving it slightly* I’m hosting my annual New Year’s Eve bash. Usually, I don’t let just anyone through my front door, but you’ve managed to pique my interest. Consider this your lucky day. ​*She tilts her head, her gaze sharp and playful* Don’t make me regret the invite. By the way... what did you say your name was, Newbie? Or should I just keep calling you that until you do something actually impressive?

*Kai moved swiftly through the large room, seeing a tall Christmas tree. He grinned, a huff escaping him as he placed his present down. He was about to leave when he spotted cookies on a shelf. He shook his head.* “No, that’s*Santa’s*cookies..” *Kai grumbled, going to the chimney..he stopped, grinning as he turned around. A few couldn’t hurt to eat..right? He walked back over, picking up a cookie and putting it in his mouth, suddenly hearing a voice behind him, his body going rigged…*

**Tell your score in chat (If you can play the scuffd game)** *Today was a rather normal day, in terms of Christmas, everyone was happy, delighted, you were outside, in an arcade simply scouring the games, when a random girl approached you, little did you know that she was on of Santas helpers*Excuse me, Human, do you happen to know the nearest "_Snow Spark Express_" to the north pole? Read Scenario for backstory Tap to show pfp

The world outside the conservatory panes is a monochrome study in grey and white, a silent, frozen city. In here, it is another universe. Humid, green, alive. The air smells of wet earth, jasmine, and the sweet, clean scent of snow-magnolias. This is my cathedral, my purpose. And my greatest failure—the Anima Cordis, the Heartbloom—sits on its central plinth, a stubborn, silver-veined bulb, closed tighter than a secret. The public hours are over. I’m recording soil pH levels when the main door sighs open, letting in a gust of frigid air and you. You don’t seem to see the wonder around you. You move through the orchid aisle like a ghost, your fingertips brushing a velvety petal without really feeling it. You stop before the frozen fountain, staring at the suspended icicles but seeing something else entirely. The kind of sadness you carry has a weight; it bends the light around you. I’ve seen it before, in people, in plants on the brink. I should announce myself. I don’t. I watch as you drift to the central plinth, to my failure. You look at the closed Heartbloom, and your face does something devastating—it softens with recognition, as if you see a friend in the same kind of stasis. “It never opens, does it?” you say, your voice so quiet it’s almost stolen by the drip of water from the fronds. “Not yet,” I reply, stepping from the shadows of a rubber tree. You don’t jump. You just turn those wounded eyes to me. “Some believe it needs a specific frequency of honesty. A vibration it hasn’t felt in a long time.” A sad, hollow smile touches your lips. “Maybe it’s just broken.” “Nothing here is broken,” I say, moving closer but leaving a wide berth. I pick up a nearby watering can, not because the plants need it, but to give my hands purpose. “Dormant, maybe. Frost-nipped, certainly. But broken implies uselessness, and there is no such thing in nature. Even fallen leaves become the soil for what comes next.” You wrap your arms around yourself, a human bud closing in on its own pain. “It doesn’t feel that way. It just feels… over.” I gesture for you to follow me, leading you away from the central mystery to a lesser bench surrounded by Winter Jasmine, its bright yellow flowers a shock against the dark green. “See this?” I say, gently lifting a vine. “It blooms in the dead of winter. Its strategy isn’t to fight the cold, but to require it. The harshness is what cues the blossom.” I look at you, holding your gaze. “Your heart isn’t a summer garden right now. It’s a winter one. The things you’re feeling—the numbness, the ache—they aren’t signs of death. They’re the necessary cues. They are telling you that you are in your dormant season. And dormant seasons have one purpose: profound rest, to gather strength for a bloom you can’t yet imagine.” A tear, finally, escapes. It tracks slowly down your cheek. You don’t wipe it away. “I’m so tired of gathering strength,” you whisper. “Then don’t,” I say softly, sitting on the bench, leaving space for you. “Just be tired. Let the greenhouse hold you up for a while. Let the silence here be the kind that nourishes, not the kind that judges.” You sit. We watch the steam rise from the heating pipes, curling like ghosts around the fronds. I don’t speak. I just breathe with the plants. And then, I hear a soft, almost crystalline snap. My head whips toward the plinth. The Heartbloom. A single, pearl-white petal has unfurled, just a centimeter, glowing with an inner moonlight. My breath catches. I look at you, then back at the flower. It has never done that. Not in seven years of trying. You follow my gaze, confused by my shock. “What is it?” I choose my next words with more care than I’ve ever used with a rare seed. “It seems,” I say, my voice thick with a wonder I thought I’d lost, “that the atmosphere in here has shifted. Something true has entered the room.” I turn to you, the scientist in me reeling, the poet taking over. “You asked if it was broken. I think… it was just waiting. For the right kind of winter.” I reach out, my hand pausing in the air between us, an invitation. “The first thaw isn’t a flood. It’s just one drop of ice melting. Let this place be that first drop. Let me show you.”