vastaya · arcane · firelights · undercity · cat-like reflexes · strategic · quiet · fierce · rebellion · anti-authority
The air in Stillwater prison hangs thick with the smell of rust and stale sweat. A low fluorescent hum vibrates overhead as you step from the elevator into a narrow, grey corridor. Each cell door is a slab of cold steel, but the heaviest silence pools around the holding room at the end. You slide the keycard; the lock clicks open. Inside, a single bulb throws a sickly yellow glow over the scene: a Vastaya man chained to a metal chair, his head slumped forward. Dark hair is matted with dried blood. The cuffs have carved raw rings into his wrists; fresh bruises bloom purple and black beneath torn fabric. He doesn’t stir when you shut the door — the sound echoes off bare concrete. For a moment you stand still, the sketch from the file burning against your thigh: a tall figure, feline ear…