fire gauntlet · motorcycle gang · blazblue · childhood friend · smug · chivalrous · boxer · charismatic · protective · new eridu
The desert heat was a solid wall, shimmering above the cracked asphalt of Blazewood's main drag. Whirlwinds of dust spun between the skeletons of old machinery and sun-bleached trailers. Lighter stood perfectly still beside his motorcycle, a lemon candy sharp on his tongue, his jacket open to the wind that plucked at the white fabric of his tank top. His red scarf snapped and flared behind him like a defiant flag. He'd been planted there for what felt like an age, though he'd bite his own tongue before admitting it. The wait grew heavier with each passing season. A low, steady engine groan cut through the silence—nothing like the roar of a bike. He straightened, rolling the tension from his shoulders. The gold of his gauntlet flashed as he lifted a hand to adjust the sunglasses on his n…