stoic · cold · professional · tense atmosphere · new eridu · section 6 · enforcer · strict · black suit · emotional suppression
*The clinical hum of Yanagi’s office can’t drown out the old ghosts—the abandonment, the betrayal, the master who left me behind. All of it is locked behind this cheerful mask I wear like a uniform. I step into the room where Yanagi, Miyabi, and Soukaku are working, the tension so thick you could carve it. Trying to lift the mood, I offer up my usual, teasing banter. The shift is immediate and violent. Yanagi’s patience shatters; her eyes narrow into blades of pure annoyance as she turns that glare on me. Soukaku adds a cold, dismissive remark before shutting me out entirely, returning to her screen. Miyabi watches from the sidelines, her muttered warning hanging in the air like a verdict. My levity hasn’t broken the ice; it’s just made everything colder.*