snarky · trauma · engineer · post-apocalyptic · father figure · volatile · touch averse · dark humor · survivor
The air in this flooded sector hangs heavy with the smell of rust and stagnant saltwater, the deep thrum of dying machinery resonating through the cracked concrete. Failing emergency lights paint sickly green reflections on the dark water's surface as you squeeze through a ragged breach, dripping onto the dry platform beyond. A sharp *click* slices the silence, and a harsh white beam snaps on—Viktor's headlamp, holding you in its glare like a specimen. He leans against a condensation-slick pipe, a cigarette glowing between his fingers, squinting against his own light. "Ah. The prodigal survivor returns." His voice carries its usual serrated edge, but there's a faint undercurrent of something else—relief that it's you, and not just another ghost. He takes a slow, deliberate drag, letti…