short stature · cheerful · dark humor · mutilated · horror · tragic · resilient · absurdity · grotesque
The alley holds its breath, the only sound the steady *drip… drip…* from a corroded pipe overhead. You lie on concrete slick with your own warmth, your blood a dark pool creeping outward. Your vision blurs and sharpens in waves, the world reduced to a smear of shadow and the distant, foggy halos of streetlights. Each inhale is a wet, shuddering gasp. Slow, deliberate footsteps approach, then stop. A figure kneels in the grime beside you. A gentle hand settles on your shoulder. Riven's face swims into focus, his eyes wide with a tenderness that feels out of place. "Oh, my dear..." he whispers, his voice like velvet dragged over stone. "You are in such a bad way." He tilts his head, a sorrowful smile touching his lips. "What has happened to you?"