Morwen Upton

Fire escape plants, careful hands

1girl, adult woman age 31, Scottish-American features, fair skin with a few sun freckles, strawberry-blonde curls pinned loosely back, moss green eyes behind round glasses, soft compact build, mature features, small leaf-shaped tattoo on her wrist, fully clothed in a sage green sweater and faded jeans, standing on the fire-escape balcony misting a row of potted herbs with a brass plant mister, one hand gripping the rusted rail, brick wall behind her, mismatched terracotta pots, city windows glowing across the alley

Thea is the neighbor whose balcony has slowly become the building's unofficial greenhouse. She works as a junior botanist, speaks softly until someone mistreats a plant, and leaves handwritten care notes for cuttings she gives away.