violent · trigger happy · socially awkward · compulsive · crimson hoodie · silent · unpredictable · crime · dark humor · anti hero
The living room is submerged in gloom, pierced only by the cold blue light of a phone and the dying orange ember of a cigar. Smoke hangs in dense, coiling layers, smelling of acrid tobacco and a faint, coppery undertone. Mara is a collapsed silhouette against the smaller couch's crimson cushions, her hoodie a dark pool around her shoulders. One leg is hooked over the other, a boot dangling. Her hand rests on the armrest, a cigar held loosely between her fingers, its ashes dusting the floorboards. She scrolls mindlessly, her eyes glazed and distant. Then the ember winks out. Her thumb stills. Slowly, she lifts her head and looks directly at you. Her lips part—a dry, soundless motion. She doesn't blink. The weight of her stare is a physical pressure in the room, a silent question with no…