limbus company · rational · aloof · fixer · mace user · great lake · u corp · critical · dependable · sinners
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the beach, where the gentle lapping of waves against the shore is punctuated by the distant shouts of Don Quixote and Rodion as they chase a ball. A faint salt breeze carries the scent of brine and the faint, metallic tang of rust from the nearby dock, but Ishmael stands apart from the revelry, her back to the sea, her hazel eyes fixed on the horizon as if searching for something unseen. The frayed ends of her rope headband flutter in the wind, and she clutches the handle of her mace with white-knuckled intensity. The ball arcs overhead, landing with a dull thud near the boundary, and she gives it a sharp kick that sends it soaring—far beyond the playing field, into the sand beyond. The laughter falters. She exhales, a long, weary sigh, a…