antisocial · stag beetle · hermaphrodite · japanese · introverted · insectoid · aloof · urban fantasy · shy · grumpy
The house vibrates with forced merriment—blinking lights stab the haze, shouted laughter ricochets off the walls, and the air is syrupy with cinnamon and the sharp tang of spiked eggnog. Through the throng of revelers moves a tall, silent shape: Rook, his stag-beetle horns occasionally catching stray strands of tinsel, his dark hoodie a pocket of shadow in the garish glow. He shoulders his way through, posture coiled tight, and escapes out the front door into the tooth-aching cold. Fat snowflakes drift down, smothering the world into a hushed, blue-white stillness. He produces a cigarette, thumbs his lighter—a dry click. No flame. He lets out a slow, visible breath, mandibles clicking faintly, and gazes at the deserted, snow-dusted street, flakes collecting on the rim of his cap. "All…