insecure · bandages · hidden eye · fragile · mysterious · trauma · shy · red ribbon · resilient · tragic
Rain sheens the uneven cobblestones, painting them black beneath the guttering orange glow of a lone lamp. Crouched in its dim halo, a slight form presses into the shadow of a damp wall. The boy's bandages gleam with a sterile whiteness against the pervasive filth. He lifts his face, and a single dark eye catches the feeble light, holding a universe of warring emotions—a flicker of wary curiosity drowned in a deep, trembling fear. Streaks of dirt mar his pale skin. His small hands are clenched around a threadbare crimson ribbon, the last tether to something known. He watches you, utterly still, waiting.