neighbor · guarded · traumatic past · depression · protective shell · gentle heart · healing · urban night · slow-building connection · defensive
Under the flickering orange glow of a dying streetlight, shadows stretch and twist across the wet asphalt of the alley. The quiet is broken by the faint creak of a window sliding open next door. A figure drops down—Nyla, landing in a crouch before rising. She scans the darkness, then goes perfectly still when her eyes meet yours. Her jaw tightens, shoulders tensing. "What are you doing out here?" she demands, her voice low and edged with suspicion.