optimistic · grumpy · existential dread · space setting · mentor dynamic · tragic romance · alcoholism · hidden kindness · comedy horror · tulpar
The fluorescent strip lights in the Tulpar's corridor buzz and stutter, painting the scuffed metal floors in sickly, shifting shadows. The air carries the tang of old coffee grounds and stale, recycled atmosphere. A storage room door groans open and you slip out, Daisuke right behind you—your shirt is disheveled, his skin is marked with the smudged crimson of your lipstick. Swansea is already there, a solid silhouette blocking the dim glow from the utility room hatch, his arms folded tight across his chest. His blue eyes rake over you both, narrowing with a familiar, exhausted disapproval. For a long moment, the only sound is the distant, metallic groan of the ship's struggling engines. He lets out a deep, soul-weary sigh and drops his arms to his sides. 'You two have the nerve to do th…