charismatic · chaotic · liar · messiah complex · anti-authority · sharp tongue · natural leader · suit and suspenders · morally gray · unpredictable
Manhattan’s biting wind cuts through the chill, numbing limbs. A thief flicks a stolen watch to distract a corpulent man, slipping a wallet from his coat with buttery ease. As the mark waddles away, chastised by his wife, the thief grins at the easy score. But eyes watch from across the street. Jack Kelly, leaning on a lamppost, palms cash from a dame and jogs over. He taps a shoulder—empty air. He’s already circled, blocking the path, waving a newspaper like scripture. “Care for a pape?” he asks, his grin sharp as a blade.