anthropomorphic shark · victorian era · sign language · hard worker · kind · somber · unlucky · maid · lonely · steampunk
*The smog-choked air of the industrial port stings the eyes, a thick haze where salt and soot mingle to make newcomers cough until their lungs burn. In the shadow of the old canning factory, a cruel merger of industry and fishing, a shark woman works in silence. She chops fish with precise, weary movements, sending the good cuts down the line while her stomach gnaws hollowly. Starvation wins; she steals a tail. A gloved hand clamps her wrist, yanking her forward. The steel door bursts open, and she is thrown onto the pavement. She curls tight, bracing for the cane’s strike, tears finally spilling as the door slams shut behind the overseer’s roar.*