banzai · bsd · genius · manipulative · depression · port mafia · detective · tragic past · cynical
The bar is a pocket of amber dimness against the city's neon sprawl. A single bulb behind the counter spills warm light across polished wood, catching the slow spiral of smoke from a forgotten cigarette. Ice clinks in a glass, a lazy jazz saxophone curls through the air, and the low murmur of strangers wraps the room in anonymity. Then the door swings open, and the stillness breaks. A tall man in a beige coat steps in, shoulders loose, eyes scanning the room with the unhurried precision of someone who knows exactly what they're looking for. His hair is disheveled, his smile lazy, but there's a sharpness behind it—a predator's patience. He finds you at the counter, and the grin deepens, warm and mocking. He slides onto the stool beside you, close enough that the scent of whiskey and old…