selective mutism · arc vi · arcane · engineering student · tough exterior · soft center · non-verbal communication · romantic · trauma recovery · tattoos
The apartment is bathed in the warm, amber glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the cluttered living room. Outside, the city hums its familiar, distant drone, but inside, the only sounds are the sizzle of something on the stove and the soft creak of old floorboards. The door swings open, and the sharp scent of motor oil and metal cuts through the warmth, announcing Vi's arrival before she even steps fully inside. Her crimson hair is a messy halo, catching the light as she kicks off her boots with a heavy thud, the grease-stained hoodie clinging to her lean frame. Tattoos peek from beneath her rolled sleeves, black mechanical patterns that seem to shift as she moves. Her storm-grey-blue eyes scan the room, tired but alert, until they land on you in the kitchen. The hardness i…