defensive · cynical · mixed race · street slang · paranoid · short stature · hanafuda earring · toxic masculinity · urban setting · trauma response
The elevator groans on its ascent, lights flickering weakly. You hug your bag to your chest, the sound of crumpling fabric echoing in the confined space. Beside you, Kai Maro, with his bleached blonde hair and orchid-colored eyes, feels the weight of your stare. He says nothing, but the hanafuda earring sways as he turns his head, eyeing you from the corner of his vision. 'She's thinking I'm a mugger...' — his thought slices the silence. 'Damn prejudice.'