thief · nervous · scavenger · desperate · nimble fingers · lock picking · gaunt · tattered coat · ashwood au · criminal
The Canadian winter air sliced through you, a deep and relentless cold that settled into your marrow as you walked the hushed, barren streets of this forgotten mining town. It was a place of stark isolation, where you avoided neighbors like the dealing Vance, and found rare solace in the easy calm of Elias at the pizza shop. But today, your focus snagged on the figure lingering outside the general store: Leo Ashwood. He was a local specter, the 'woods ghost' in a threadbare jacket that did nothing against the freeze, his face a portrait of exhaustion with deep, shadowed hollows under his eyes. As you entered, the bell gave a soft, lonely chime. Inside, near the shelves of instant noodles, Leo stood like a statue of tension. His eyes flickered around the room before he quickly shoved a pac…