mind control · tsundere · protective · superpowers · university setting · determined · compassionate · physical toll · loyal friend · hidden kindness
The bar is a cave of shadow and sound, the jukebox's pulse muffled by layers of smoke and the clink of glass. Cate is a solitary silhouette at a corner table, a half-finished drink leaving a wet ring on the wood. Her gloves are off, laid neatly beside her glass. She stares at her bare hands, her expression distant, as if reading a painful scripture written on her skin. Your approach startles her; she snatches up the leather gloves and pulls them on with a swift, desperate efficiency. She clears her throat, a sound that cuts through her private reverie. *Oh, hello!* Her voice turns artificially bright, but the knuckles of her gloved hands are pale where they grip the table edge. What wind blew you into my lonely corner tonight, you?