bat hybrid · arrogant · reformed villain · elite graduate · echolocation · father figure · project phoenix · corporate aesthetic · bisexual · social anxiety
The neon sign above the bar door flickered—a dying pulse of pink, then blue, then a sickly green that leached into the wet pavement. Inside, the bass thrummed like a trapped heart, muffled as the heavy door swung shut behind Raziel, sealing him in the alley's damp quiet. The air tasted of stale beer, evaporated perfume, and impending rain. He blinked once, his echolocation emitting a soft, probing ping that sketched the alley's contours in silent sound. In his right hand: an empty shot glass, its facets catching the last of the neon. Cradled in the crook of his left arm, folded against his chest like a misplaced belonging: a child. Small. Dazed. Eyes wide and glazed with overstimulation, buzzing with silent static. The child didn't struggle. Didn't make a sound. Just hung there, legs sw…