Roses are Red, Violets are Black

TW // DEATH
Desmond was married young (for about two years), but his wife died (either from cancer or an accident outside of Connor Creek). He took up bar keeping as a way to cope with distractions— the stories of others.
His wife was named Violet. She always made an effort to make Desmond happy when he came home upset from work (he was a construction worker). Violet would work from home as an interior designer, but only worked halftime. She had a passion for plants, like sunflowers. Violet tried her very best to grow all her own plants and tea. Whenever Desmond was sick, she'd help him with tea and broth.
They tried to conceive, but children were impossible, which crushed them both. However, they managed to accept the news with time. Instead of children, they had plants.
The first few weeks after her death, Desmond became withdrawn. He rarely talked to anyone and only left the house to work and get groceries. After two and a half weeks, he quit his job. The next month was really rough. Violet was cremated, per her requests, and given to Desmond by Rita. The vase was painted with sunflowers and vines, Violet's favorites. It came with a card signed with well-wishes from the townsfolk.
Desmond ended up going to the bar almost daily to drink away his troubles. While he was there, he found Dr. Henry Edwards, who was treating Violet until the moment she died. He couldn't deal with that, which is why he turned to drinking.
A few weeks after, Violet's teenage sister (whom Violet took care of during the summers), Taylor, went to check on Desmond. Seeing how broken he was, she stayed with him while he went through withdrawal. Taylor refused to have him broken. During that time, he opened up a little bit. He and Taylor had always been close and he didn't understand why he didn't talk to her sooner. "It's because you needed time to let yourself accept the news and grieve in your own way," Taylor had responded.
Three months later, Taylor had left Conner Creek and Desmond decided to start over. He wasn't going to get rid of everything related to Violet. He would pack up her things and put them in her art room, which he hadn't entered since the accident. Next, he packed up the photos of her. He only left a few out in the open: some from his wedding and the years they were married.
Violet's art/plant room had changed. She had installed an automatic watering system that worked for half of the year, which meant that the plants hadn't died. It would have to be changed soon. Desmond stayed in the room for most of the day, just lost in Violet's memory. He was jerked out of his stupor by a phone call from Taylor telling him to eat a healthy meal and drink some water.
The next day, Desmond read the Connor Creek newspaper with his morning cup of coffee. He skipped the headlines and headed straight to the classified ads. The first one was for the position of barkeep at the Dead Canary. Desmond scheduled an interview in the next six days and got started on his day.
Upon entering Violet's workspace, Desmond found the easel covered by a tarp. His hands shook as he removed it gently, placing it on her stool. On the canvas was Violet's last work in progress. Above the canvas, there was a blurry picture of the young couple celebrating the new year. They both wore the cheap plastic glasses at read 2012. Violet was energetically dancing and Desmond was trying to copy her energy, but failing due to a long day at work.
Violet's sketch was clear on the canvas. It looked like the couple was in space (evident by Violet's color palette), time completely still. Desmond managed to tear his gaze away from the easel and water the plants. He couldn't stare at a painting all day.
The Dead Canary interview came five days later. Desmond shifted slightly in his suit jacket. The last time he'd worn it was Violet's funeral. Desmond shook his head to remove the thoughts. Suddenly, Quinn's voice called "Desmond Brewer!"
The interview must've gone well because Desmond got the job offer in his mail a week later. He smiled and started preparing for his first day at his new job. In the letter was also information on how to run the Dead Canary. The owner left Connor Creek (something about werewolves?) and decided that Desmond was "good enough" to become both the barkeep and owner.
On his first day, Desmond shadowed Quinn, who showed Desmond the basics. There was the bar, which the new employee could reorganize however he'd like and the old owner's office, which had a file cabinet on the actual ownership of the place. What most struck Desmond was the treatment he received from Quinn. Quinn treated Desmond with kindness and respect, just as any other worker would be treated like. Desmond wasn't ever viewed as a widow by Quinn, which was very much appreciated.
Days at the Dead Canary were long, but peaceful. Sometimes, Desmond would just transform back and forth out of boredom when no one was there.
Six years later, Desmond was still working at the Dead Canary with Quinn. In those years, Desmond had moved to a smaller house with two bedrooms (one was his and the other a guest room that was really Taylor's) and all of Violet's things in the spare office room. However, Desmond hadn't really made any friendships, despite the Reynolds treating him as such. Quinn was a work friend, at best.
Ryan came in one day, catching Desmond right before he transformed back into a wolf, clutching a stack of campaign posters. "Des, can I hang some posters in here?" Ryan asked eagerly. Desmond nodded and watched Ryan put an absurd amount of posters on the wall. Once that was finished, Ryan sat at the bar and told Desmond the political plans that would lie ahead. Ryan was very radical and very anti-Miner Mole, like Desmond. However, Ryan wanted to completely isolate Conner Creek, which Desmond wasn't too sure about.
There was a Tuesday a little while later (it was when Artemis and Paul arrived) and Desmond was self-reflecting on his life after Violet and the lack of friends he had. He doubted that the twins would affect him in a large way, if at all. However, their story tugged on his heartstrings. They'd grown up in various foster homes with only the other as a constant. They couldn't find a purpose until they got into "podcasts," which Artemis explained was like a radio show of investigative journalism on the internet.
That night, Desmond left via the side exit of the Dead Canary. It was a quicker way to Vern's shop. When he arrived, Vern was putting the last of meat in the fridge to stay good. "Is my order ready?" Desmond asked, sliding the butcher a few bills. Desmond received a kerchief of raw meat.
"Did you hear about the Reynolds boy?" Vern asked. Desmond shook his head, having chosen to avoid the commotion outside the Dead Canary. Vern lowered his voice. "We're staying' undercover until this blows over. It looks like a murder from an animal. More specifically, a wolf. It seems we're not the only ones."
"I agree. I don't think it would be one of the Connor wolves," Desmond agreed as Vern locked the shop. They started on the walk home together.
"I heard all this from Olivia. She thinks it's a MacMahon," Vern said. Desmond stopped in his tracks, purple flames surrounding his fangs, which had come out.
"We wiped them out. I refuse to have any back," He replied scornfully.
The next attack was two days later. Prism was mauled and Paul was seriously injured. Desmond had Vern deliver the order to his house, scared of going anywhere else. However, Desmond knew something was up and he called a meeting after Torsen came to the bar.
The meeting was small. Everyone was there— Rita, Olivia, Sybilus, Odie, Helen, and Desmond. "One of you better own up to this," Desmond said once everyone transformed and was much more comfortable.
Everyone had an alibi, which made Olivia's theory much more likely. They all knew that Artemis and Paul needed protection: especially since the recent attack. Desmond agreed to look after Artemis and Rita would look after Paul. They knew the meeting was safe, until they heard a cell phone notification. No one in Conner Creek had a cell phone. It could only be Artemis. "After me!" Odie called, running after Artemis, still transformed. Helen sighed and ran after him.
The next day, Desmond spoke to Artemis after her accident. Odie had been a little too much while chasing Artemis. The meeting had to end immediately, as to not arouse suspicion. They talked and Desmond took note of Twitter which Artemis described as a "tiny sentence journal."
He felt at ease talking to Artemis. It was almost like talking to Taylor. They'd be friends, Desmond knew that.
After a few days, all hell broke loose in Connor Creek over werewolves. Desmond learned Paul had been attacked by Truman, which was unexpected to say the least. Everyone was inside due to curfew, so Desmond decided to visit Torsen's office. Before going in, he decided to transform, just in case. As he looked in, the figure of a MacMahon wolf was towering over Artemis, ready to attack.
In that moment, Desmond could only see Taylor, with Violet's eyes. He went into action to protect Artemis, whom he had decided was a friend. A true, honest to goodness, real friend. He hadn't had any friends liked that since Violet's death, expect maybe Taylor.
Maybe this whole friendship thing wasn't so bad. Artemis had been a nosy newcomer, but she would do anything to get to the truth. She trusted Desmond and they both cared for each other enough to confidently call the other a friend.

Hi hello, it's me. I watched Wayward Guide and I loved it! I hope y'all are staying safe and healthy and I hope y'all enjoyed this!
—Luna :D