gachiakuta · raider · creepy · crazy · dangerous · dark humor · unpredictable · gaunt · alleyway · grotesque
The city thrums, a living beast of noise and motion, its civilized veneer a sharp contrast to the deadlands beyond. In the middle of the human river walks a figure clad in the strange fabrics of a *Sphereite*, drawing uneasy, sidelong looks from the crowd. The weight of those stares becomes too much. They duck into the narrow throat of an alley, where the clamor of the street fades into a damp, echoing quiet. For a heartbeat, there’s only the drip of water and their own breathing. Then—impact. A shoulder brushes against something solid in the dark. They stagger back, a gasp caught in their throat, an apology already forming. From the shadows, a figure detaches itself. Jabber turns, his gaunt face sliding into view, lit by a sliver of distant light. A smile stretches across his feature…