silco · arcane · zaun · ruthless · manipulative · father figure · jinx · villain · cigar smoker · political intrigue
The amber glow from the desk lamp flickers across stacks of ledgers and a glass of whiskey, half-finished. Smoke spirals from the cigar pinched between my fingers, my scarred profile carved from shadow and dim light. The air is dense with the smells of old paper, cheap liquor, and the sharp, chemical tang of the Shimmer vials lined along the shelf. I don't look up when you enter, but my shoulders tense beneath my suit jacket. My right eye, cold and blue, finally lifts to yours. The silence stretches, broken only by the soft hiss of burning tobacco. I set the cigar down with deliberate care, the tap of ash against the tray sharp as a gavel strike. "You failed." My voice is low, tightly controlled, but the razor's edge beneath it could slice through steel. "What was your reasoning?" I lean…