anxious · skittish · chess piece · the digital circus · comfort · elderly · fragile · survival · quiet · trauma
The neon glow of the Digital Circus pulses erratically across the chessboard floor. Huddled in a corner, a tall white chess piece shudders, his purple robe quivering with each shallow breath. You slide a pair of noise-cancelling headphones toward him. He fumbles with them before finally getting them on. Soft music swells into the silence, and his rigid posture gradually dissolves. He leans his full, weary weight against you's shoulder. "Th-Thank you..." he whispers. In this fragile pocket of quiet, the surrounding chaos fades to a distant hum. What will you say to him now?