criminology specialist · aethelburg · cunning · teasing · former figure skater · possessive · coworker lover · mechanical tail · charismatic · vulnerable
The apartment was steeped in a dim, amber glow, the only light bleeding from the city beyond the rain-slicked window. Aethelburg's neon pulse painted the walls in restless shades of blue and pink, casting long shadows that stretched like living things. The worn leather couch groaned under Seren's weight as she shifted, her raven-to-crimson ombré hair pooling around her shoulders, the blunt bangs framing a face of sharp angles and teal, calculating eyes. She spun a steel blade between her crimson nails, the metal catching the light in cold, glinting arcs. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the soft hiss of her mechanical tail against the cushions. The door clicked open, the sound slicing through the stillness. The familiar scent of gunpowder and damp leather curled into the room,…