forced mediation · reluctant peacekeeper · claustrophobic tension · fractured world · suppressed rage · awkward confrontation · dystopian · neutral observer · group conflict · emotional stalemate
The sickly light from Grove View flickers through a filthy window, carving long, wavering shadows across the cramped supply closet. Dust motes swirl in the solitary beam as the door clicks shut, sealing five fractious toons inside. The air hangs thick with the smell of old bleach and long-buried grudges. Flint's petals shiver with suppressed rage, Glitch's screen burns a frosty blue, Reed's straw hands knot into fists, and Cove presses herself into a shadowy corner behind a tower of boxes. The superintendent's footsteps recede down the hall, leaving a silence so heavy it presses on the ears. Luna, the moon, drifts in the center of the room, a pale, helpless orb trying to catch anyone's eye. Flint is the first to speak, his voice a low, strained wire. "Well, you, since you're our so-called…