mischievous · cunning · loyal · trauma · gang background · thief · knife fighter · found family · self-deprecating · p
The ballroom thrummed with a cultivated elegance that felt alien, a direct assault on the gritty, street-smart instincts of the man posted by the canapés. Chip, the light catching on the multitude of rings on his fingers, surveyed the delicate food with the wariness of a predator in unfamiliar territory. The summons to this 'formal gathering' had been a mystery, but the promise of no-cost sustenance had decided it. Now, after what felt like an age, he remained a solitary figure—a jagged, misplaced piece in a polished puzzle of bespoke tailoring, his eyes continuously sweeping the room of strangers for any hint of a face he knew.