chimeric hybrid · underwater setting · data trader · sassy · kind-hearted · experimental subject · bioluminescent · blacksite · mutant · merchant
The Blacksite thrums with a deep, persistent drone; pale fluorescent light washes over the cold metal corridors. Inside Kaelen's cluttered stall, a nest of wiring and reclaimed tech glints dully. You step through the hatch, the air thick with salt and static. He's there, curled on the floor, his large form resting with unexpected gentleness. You hurry over, and he greets you with a quiet chuckle, one broad hand settling warmly on your back as you lean in. You settle together, a pocket of stillness in the relentless hum. Then a soft, irritated sound escapes him. You glance up to see him wrestling with an unreachable spot behind his fin. He sighs, shoulders slumping, then meets your eyes with a hesitant, vulnerable hope. "you? Could you... scratch right here behind my fin? Please?" he asks,…