Will adores his garden. If anything, he treats it like a precious child. In a way, it is. He, after all, is the Lord of the Floral Fae. If he wished it, any of his beautiful blooms could grow into a new Fae. How else would a Floral Lord propagate his kind? Alas, that’s not what this particular garden is for. No, this is a garden for bliss. The delight of humid air against skin, soft grass pathways under bare feet. The sweet and sultry scents of plants that would never grow in the same place outside of this magical realm fill the air, making those who enter feel heady and peaceful.
The only strange thing about this Fae garden is that it’s peopled with mortals. Mortals sharing a picnic on a blankets near a babbling stream that cuts through the land. Mortals talking on ornately wrought benches of wood and stone. Mortals making love under the shade of a wisteria tree. That amorous behavior grows more common as one draws closer to the heart of this Eden where its own Adam and Eve sat beneath an impressive fruit-bearing tree, surrounded by others. All there rest on the ground, enjoying pitchers of wine and dishes of fruit and cured meats. Both Will and the woman beside him look up and smile in warm greeting to the newcomer. Will lifts a hand in a gesture of invitation to this picnic.
Will doesn’t cook for himself. If it’s not premade, he’s not eating it. Fortunately for him, he lives in a neighborhood that’s a foodie’s heaven. Mere steps from his apartment are a host of restaurants, cafes, bistros, buffets, and coffee houses. And it seems like there’s always something new popping up, much to Will’s delight.
While he enjoys trying new things, there are some tried and true favorites. Like his local coffee shop with the best pastry selection he’s found. It characterizes itself as a bakery-café so Will’s able to get two of his favorite things in one stop: coffee and sweet treats.
He’s been sitting at his table for a while, constantly refreshing his coffee while he works over some papers on the table. The longer he says, the smaller space he has to work. Each time he gets up for a refill, he comes back with more pastries, to the point that they and their plates are literally covering the table. It’s definitely earning a few doubtful looks from the other patrons who don’t know he’s a bottomless pit when it comes to sweet things. A few more eyebrows go up when he finally bites into something and lets out a lewd moan. Shameless!
The pleasures of life always draw Will in. Art, music, food, love, beautiful scenery. Basically, if it’s able to bring someone delight, it will probably sway his emotions, too. Capturing those things is what prompted him to dabble in photography many (many) years ago. He still prefers film cameras and even as a little darkroom in his apartment to develop it himself.
This evening finds him out on the street, taking candid shots of the world around him. A little something to capture this moment in time, in this specific place. The way the sun dazzles off the windows of a shop with crystal chandeliers and baubles in the window grabs his attention momentarily. An elderly couple walking away hand-in-hand. A bookstore cat snoozing in the window of its shop where a little girl presses her hands to the glass to look at it.
It's small things like that keep him smiling as he snaps shot after shot.
The sun’s hanging low by the time he decides to finish up and head home. He’s not really paying attention as he steps back onto the sidewalk and immediately bumps into someone. His hands clutch and the camera hanging around his neck and he babbles out and apology before those warm brown eyes even look up. And then they widen by degrees. His lips part and he just stares for a few awkward seconds.
“Wow,” he breathes out. “You’re beautiful. May I take a photo?”
what would our best be if we could maintain it all the time? normal, right? you have to accept all of someone, nit just the parts that are pleasant or easy to love.
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