Dedicated - Contemplative - Cautious

Being both an innovative force among those whom created plant related concepts, as well as one of the most knowledgeable in the field, Hyacinthus was quickly appointed the position of chief overseer of the newly constructed plant nursery and arboretum he had initially proposed to the Convocation.

Plant concepts that were approved in the concept testing grounds of Elpis for the larger biome would be transferred here, to be cultivated and spread as appropriate. This allowed for a further testing period in between approval and release, as before the founding of the facility, qualities such as medicinal potential were often only discovered by pure chance long after their implementation.

Having a rare condition that prevented healing magicks from working on him, such research was important to the preservation of Hyacinthus' very life. While discovering the potential of herbal remedies is what drove Hyacinthus to this field of study, he found great passion and joy in it.

Days spent there at the beginning went smoothly, just the way Hyacinthus liked it- efficient, uneventful and peaceful.

And then a civilian went and tripped into the *poisonous* plant area, on one of the rare instances where the barricade to that enclosure was left open due to researchers using it at the time.

Knowing most people, unlike himself, can quickly and easily be cured of illnesses and poisons, his first reaction was to scold said civilian for their carelessness- however, although his words were intended as a lecture, the tone of his voice was one of concern, causing the civilian to laugh despite it all, once he was over the initial surprise.

After apologizing for ruining the garden, the (seemingly) awkward, red faced man introduced himself as Apollo. After a sigh, Hyacinthus returned the gesture by giving his name in response. He thought this would be the last he'd see of the klutz, at least at work, but little did he realize that first meeting had sparked something in Apollo, drawing him back time and again.

Hyacinthus quickly realized that Apollo as wasn't shy and awkward as his first impression would have had him believe- quite the opposite, in fact. He was like a whirlwind- chaotic, mischievous, adventurous, loud and cheerful. Unlike him, Apollo had been travelling all over the world with his mentor, who turned out to be *the* Azem of all people! Noting this, however, Hyacinthus could not fathom what kept bringing Apollo back to the quiet arboretum, of all places. This prompted him to ask Apollo if he was looking for inspiration for making plant concepts of his own.

It was then he learned of Apollo's own disability, that being a complete inaptitude for creation magic as a whole. Surprised by his honesty with a topic that clearly bothered him, Hyacinthus found himself intrigued by how his face changed in a moment like this. Realizing Apollo trusted him greatly to share such a thing, as well as a kinship with him, he decided it was only right shared his own tale in exchange.

Being so accepting and relating to him seemed it encouraged Apollo to visit more frequently and to meet up more outside of the area- a notion that Hyacinthus had begun to warm to and look forward to. In the months that followed, there was not a single day where Apollo was in the area that he wouldn't find some excuse to visit. His reasonings would vary from "I was just passing by" to wanting to show Hyacinthus a new naturally occurring plant he had found on his travels, to showing him with gifts. Hyacinthus, at this point, began to suspect there was more to Apollo's feelings than those of a close friend. However, with his own future so uncertain, Hyacinthus was afraid to commit to something that may not last, and wanted to be completely sure before diving in.

When he found a discarded first draft of a poem Apollo had secretly been working on for him, he realized the only one wasting time was himself. Though it was hastily scrawled all over the page, with notes on the margins and doodles (of the two of them) which clearly indicated distraction, the words that he *could* make out made it endearingly obvious that Apollo was in love with him. When confronted, Apollo squawked and made expressions Hyacinthus had never seen from him- he tried to make excuses, as he hadn't yet plucked up the courage to *actually give it to him*, nor was it finished. When he realized Hyacinthus was not dropping the subject, he, uncharacteristically shy, quietly asked him if he liked it. Hyacinthus laughed and accepted his feelings then and there.

(TBC)