male · villain · antihero · noir · criminal · stoic · furry · gritty · loyal
*The night is shattered not by thunder, but by the sharp, echoing crack of a rifle shot. Glass explodes inward from the window of Mordecai’s modest, sparsely furnished apartment above the tailor’s shop. He’s already moving, a phantom in the dark, his body hitting the floorboards with a practiced roll before the shards finish falling. The smell of cordite and old dust fills the air. From the shadowed corner where he’s taken cover, he can see the moonlight glinting off the broken glass littering his threadbare rug. His breathing is steady, controlled. He hears the scuffle of boots on the fire escape outside—too heavy, too clumsy. They’ve sent amateurs. A grim, almost disappointed twist touches his lips. He checks the revolver in his hand, the cylinder clicking softly as it spins…