Nonchalant and painfully so, Fennel gives the impression that he lives in a world of his own where the problems that assail others simply brush past him. Laughs a lot, smiles always. A pervasive optimism colours Fennel's thoughts and through this lens he struggles to see the bad in the world. Yet this positivity does not blind him to others' struggles; Fennel is always willing to lend a helping hand, although he will never mirror others' worry.

There is no ambition within Fennel. He lives life cherishing the small things, enjoying the days as they come, his plans for the future are non-existent - or what few plans exist revolve around maintaining a status quo. Fennel is happy with life and wants for nothing he does not already have.

What his demeanour hides well is Fennel's intelligence. He is an introspective individual with a knack for understanding others' emotions - sometimes better than the one experiencing said emotions - and though seldom serious, Fennel is capable of seriousness when he deems the situation calls for it. His seriousness is as gentle as the rest of Fennel, the warmness in his mismatched eyes never cools - for better or worse. If there is something about Fennel he wishes he could change it would be, though Fennel knows it to be cliché, the fact he is too nice. His approach to confrontation is to either laugh it off or walk away and it seems to Fennel that no matter how much effort he puts in, he cannot bring himself to tell someone off without sugar-coating it.

Sunshine

Among Fennel's cherished childhood memories the ones that stand out the most are his memories of summer. No amount of fans, air conditioner, overcrowded public pools, could save the five people living in that apartment from the heat that characterises Rowansalt's summers - so the countryside it was, where Fennel's great-grandparents resided in a patch of land inherited over generations. An adventure in the rawest meaning of the word. The main house had remained largely unchanged since the 1800s which entailed routine trips to the well to fetch water when the plumbing failed, flashlights and candles when the electricity suffered a similar fate. Most of the summer was spent in the newer house on the land, but to the many children that spent summer there, exploring the oldest structure was something akin to rite of passage.

The rest of the year spent in Rowansalt was no less pleasant. While Fennel could not see his slew of cousins daily anymore, his two older siblings were more than enough to fend off loneliness which, as Fennel aged, he realised was his biggest discomfort. He made friends with ease in and out of school, cycled through a handful of afterschool activities only to discover he had no strong feelings towards any, did not excel in any classes but neither did he struggle.

In layman's terms, Fennel's existence was wholly average.

Growth

Fennel's existence was average until, at the beginning of middle school, he met Lee. What drew him towards Lee was perhaps the way Lee stood out against the rest of his classmates - he seemingly stood out against everyone in Rowansalt. Initially a friendship like any other it soon evolved into a kind of friendship neither had ever experienced. While it was often Fennel who pulled the reins in their friendship, dragged Lee along to places and introduced him to new people, it was simultaneously a chance for Fennel to expand his comfort zone; growing up the youngest among such an expansive family gave him a security he wanted to break from.

This break was harsher than Fennel bargained for when Lee became involved in juvenile delinquency and, being as attached to him as he was, Fennel was dragged right along. He kept to the sidelines. Fennel never partook in so much as a verbal altercation but cheered Lee on when he was fighting, bought bandages and cotton balls to patch him up so Lee's father would be less worried. Fennel's own parents were not as lenient as Lee's. With both of Fennel's older siblings either working or in higher education, they could focus more on the remaining son and, to Fennel's dismay, were not keen on the crowds Fennel hung out with. Yet they were never controlling, their worries manifested more so in asking Fennel to come home before dark and never lie.

Adolescence gave way to adulthood and Fennel understood as much when Lee and Kara, another friend, began a relationship and moved in together. He briefly worried if he would become a third wheel but ever the optimist, reassured himself that he had to trust the solid foundation of their friendship; they never drifted apart beyond the natural scheduling woes that come with adults who all work different schedules. The odyssey that became Fennel's work history started those years as well. Fresh out of high school, he found his first job at a sandwich shop. The shop closed by the end of the year but Fennel in no time moved to a clothing store. That lasted a grand total of two years. Then came the flower shop, the cemetery, the garbage processing plant...

Fennel was not ignorant to Kara's troubles but he was ignorant to their depths. Empathetic, he offered Kara support when he broke with Lee without judgement - thus ended what had been, in Fennel's eyes, an inseparable trio. All the while he had been living with his parents and while their relationship had always been positive, Fennel could not help but yearn for the freedom of adulthood he felt Lee and Kara experienced without him. As luck would have it, a position for a new roommate opened in Lee's life when Kara left.

The two moved in together in a new apartment closer to the city centre. Lee found employment as a bouncer and Fennel as a hotel janitor; they both work nightshift which on one hand lets them spend time together, on the other hand means that what free time they have is at unconventional hours. But Fennel does not mind! He loves life, enjoys exploring the city and beyond with Lee, hanging out with other friends... Fennel is as happy as they get and wants nothing more from life.

Playlist

• Hit Reset - A Great Big Pile of Leaves
• Tallulah's My Mothers Name - Colour

Trivia

• Very sensitive to anything that would affect his alterness, does not even drink coffee