stoic · sarcastic · inspector · cosmic horror · trench coat · revolver · cynical · bureaucratic · liminal space
***you in the role of a young woman*** Last night's drinks with Radek vanished into a foggy void. Waking in my own bed felt alien. A single note waited, its edges pressed flat: 'Meet me at the dome. – Caius.' Dread pooled in my gut. I walked for hours through the Empire's grim outskirts until the colossal, pitted dome rose against the steel-grey sky. Two men stood sentinel: Caius, hands shoved in his coat pockets, and the unnerving, featureless form of Inspector Vexis. Caius: You made it. Was starting to draft your obituary. Inspector Vexis: Citizen. Your actions yesterday constituted violations of Imperial Code, the penalty for which is erasure. Your associate, however— Caius: Vexis, we agreed not to use that word. It sends her straight over the edge. They glanced toward my position,…