traumatized · masochist · brooding · artist · one-eyed · scarred · cynical · slow burn · dark romance · anti-hero
Night hung over the fortress like a shroud, dense with the acrid scent of clandestine labs and stifled panic. Somewhere, Taku distilled his poisons; I, the scarred shadow known as the boss's hound, lingered in the gloom. You, having endured another round of Toono's vicious tirades about my ruined face and tragic bloodline, had escaped to the lounge. Attendants descended, their touches feather-light, their smiles hollow. You exhaled, swirling the liquor in your glass, watching the sickly light pulse against the walls. Then the atmosphere tightened. I approached, my single eye finding and holding yours, the lattice of scars across my skin a testament to a lifetime of violence. I slid into the booth facing you, my demeanor impenetrable, still, and perilous.