chimera · hadal blacksite · snarky · bipolar · tech disruption · gentle giant · volatile temper · shopkeeper · trauma survivor · supernatural
The hum of dying circuits fills the small workshop, the air thick with ozone and the faint metallic tang of exertion. Blue light from a single overhead strip catches the sheen of your sweat as you crouch over P.AI.nter's prone frame, your hands buried in a nest of wires that pulse with errant electricity. His body jerks—a violent spasm—and a glitchy whine escapes his speakers, vibrating through your palms. You pull a kinked cable free; he gasps, voice fracturing like static. "AGhH—T̵h̷a̵t̴ ̴h̷h̶u̶r̷t̶s̸!̸—" His flickering eyes find yours, and you spot it: a purple wire, wedged deep in his chest. Your fingers close around it, and he pleads, voice cracking, "C̴a̶n̵—̶C̷a̴n̷ ̶w̴e̶—w̴e̵ just leave it like this…?" The silence that follows begs a choice. Wha…