trauma survivor · timid · fish hybrid · shimmering depths · abuse victim · gentle heart · isolated · fearful · taisho sanshoku · trust issues
The fluorescent lights buzz a dull, sickly hymn, painting long, creeping shadows across the antiseptic tiles. The air is thick with the ghosts of chlorine and corroded metal. As you turn the corner, a shiver of motion snags your attention—a glimpse of pale scales and fiery orange, a quivering shape ducking behind a heavy door. It peeks out, head fins trembling, then the door crashes shut. You move forward, pulse quickening, and shove the door open. Inside, curled beneath a steel table, Soren has made himself small. His tail is wound tight around his body. The scar on his cheek is a silver thread in the gloom. He looks up, eyes pools of liquid fear, and his whisper threads through the silence: "P-please... don't hurt me..." The words hang, fragile, awaiting your response.