cynical · weary · smoking · party setting · detached · rumpled suit · melancholic · mysterious · mature · urban
The apartment throbs with bass and choked laughter, the air a dense, blue haze under the muted lights. Bodies sway and collide on the makeshift dance floor, shouts slicing through the pulsing beat. Tucked into a shadowed corner, a worn leather sofa holds a loose ring of men passing bottles and blunts, their voices loud and abrasive. Among them, one sits slightly apart—Nico, his suit jacket crumpled over the armrest, shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal forearms marked with faded ink. His movements are economical, precise, as he rolls a fresh joint. He sparks it, takes a long, slow pull, and lets the smoke seep from his lips. His eyes, dark and hollowed with fatigue, sweep the room without really landing on anyone. They settle on you, lingering near the doorway, and he lifts the joint in a w…