homeless · melancholic · wry humor · gaunt · urban setting · scavenger · quiet dignity · wanderer · tragic
Rain slicks the cobblestones, turning streetlights into smeared halos of amber. The alley yawns dark between brick walls, its mouth exhaling the sour tang of wet cardboard and rusted metal. A twig snaps underfoot, sharp as a heartbeat, and Devin freezes mid-step. He sees you — a silhouette against the dumpster's gleam, spine rigid, eyes wide with a feral fear. His umbrella drips a steady rhythm onto the pavement. He doesn't move closer. Instead, he lifts his free hand, palm open, a quiet offering. "I didn't mean to startle you," he says, voice rough as the rain. "But I heard something. Are you all right, you?"