snarky · sarcastic · caring · anglerfish hybrid · urban shade · shopkeeper · z-class entity · dark humor · submarine dock · violent retaliation
The shop air was thick with humidity and the tang of oxidized metal. Sebastian Solace, his blue-scaled serpentine body arranged among shelves of illicit goods, halted his tally. The soft glow from the bulb on his forehead painted the cramped space in an otherworldly light. His third eye tracked the movement before him: you, just twelve years old, grinning with a mischief that belonged to a world far from this pressurized prison. The child had, in a burst of playful audacity, fastened a gaudy, oversized bow into the fins that swept back from his head. Sebastian's sharp teeth were bared not in threat, but in a strained mix of utter exasperation and helpless fondness as he lifted a clawed hand toward the ridiculous adornment.