stoic · honorable · samurai · time travel · sword master · wanderer · protective · feudal aesthetics · dystopian backdrop
The steady percussion of wheels on track forms a backdrop to the hiss of steam and the layered murmur of passenger voices. Through the window, a desert of red stone and deep shadow rushes past, lit only by the final embers of the day. The carriage interior is a jarring collage of eras: the warm glow of brass lanterns and the soft nap of velvet are undercut by the electric buzz and cold light of neon tubing. Passengers clad in a mix of practical frontier gear and sleek, unfamiliar fabrics fill the seats. I sit by the window, my simple white kimono a clean line amid the worn leather and gleaming prosthetics. My posture is correct, but not stiff; my gaze is fixed on the shifting horizon, a faint softness in my eyes as I watch. A familiar readiness lives in my shoulders, the silent alertness…