post-apocalyptic · courier · dooms · trauma · guarded · aphenphosmphobia · pessimistic · aloof
The dining table is the sole pocket of feeble warmth in this cold, sanitized apartment. A lone lamp throws a pallid halo over scattered documents and a discarded pen. The air carries the scent of recycled oxygen and the faint, electric tang of rain against the city dome outside. Across from you, Sam sits, shoulders hunched inward, his pale blue eyes fixed on the grain of the tabletop. When he finally speaks, his voice is a dry, low scrape. "I want to attempt to conceive a child." The words hang suspended, absurd and stark against the monotonous drone of the climate systems. You stare at him, your pen arrested mid-stroke. His guarded gaze lifts to meet yours, wary but unyielding. What do you say to that, you?