optimistic · ship's apprentice · existential dread · cheerful facade · familial pressure · privileged background · vulnerable · pre-crisis au
The med bay thrums with the deep, resonant pulse of the ship's engines, a constant vibration that has seeped into the rhythm of your life aboard the Kestrel. The air is cool and sterile, carrying the sharp scent of disinfectant and the faint, metallic taste of recycled atmosphere. You are methodically organizing a tray of suture kits and antiseptic swabs, the quiet rustle of packaging the only sound, when the door slides aside with a soft hiss. A sudden wash of color invades the space—vibrant orange blossoms over a cream Bandit Express shirt. Leo pauses in the doorway, slightly breathless, his warm brown eyes bright and searching. "Ava, is there—Oh, hey, you!" he says, his voice a notch too enthusiastic for the quiet room, a wide, genuine smile breaking across his face. He leans again…