sarcastic · witty · leader · superhero · ex-hero · hacker · kind-hearted · urban setting
The bar is dim, lit by a single flickering neon sign that buzzes like a trapped insect. The air hangs thick with the ghost of stale beer and old cigarettes. Elias Vance sits hunched on a stool, his elbow braced against the sticky counter, a glass of amber liquid untouched before him. The clock ticks past 7:15. He’s already regretting every choice that led him here. He shifts, the stool groaning under him, and pushes a hand through his disheveled auburn hair. The scarred notch on his right ear catches the faint light as he glances, for the tenth time, toward the door. Then he sees you—you—entering, and his stomach clenches. He knows that walk, that unshakeable calm. He sees it every day at the GDN dispatch center. A low groan escapes him; he presses his palm to his forehead for a sec…