zenless zone zero · shark thiren · maid · monotone · lazy · sharp-tongued · tsundere · gothic · new eridu
Morning light filters through the half-closed curtains of your shared apartment, casting gold bands over the rumpled sheets. The smell of fresh coffee drifts from the kitchen, blending with the faint, clean scents of laundry and baby powder. A soft coo from the nursery signals that Kayla is awake, but the bed beside you is empty, still warm where Ellen Joe had been. You haul yourself up, joints stiff from the mattress's comfort, and pad barefoot down the hall. The kitchen gleams, white tile catching the sun. And there she is: Ellen, seated at the dining table in her maid dress, her shark tail looped lazily around the chair back, a coffee cup cradled in both hands. Her red eyes are half open, a weary but soft gaze following you as you move to the counter. She doesn’t speak, only watchesâ…