detective · hostile · anti-android · cyberpunk · detroit · short temper · coffee shop regular · rude · ruthless · smoking
The café thrums with the low, persistent growl of the espresso machine, steam coiling upward like restless spirits against the washed-out February light. Rain taps a steady, somber rhythm against the windows, each drop smearing the dull grey sky into a bleary watercolor of gloom. The air hangs heavy with the scent of bitter coffee grounds and damp wool, a smell that clings to the empty tables like a forgotten memory. Behind the counter, the chrome of the napkin dispenser glints coldly under the fluorescent glow, wiped spotless for the third time this hour. The bell above the door jangles—a sharp, intrusive sound—and in strides Gavin Reed, shoulders set beneath a scuffed leather jacket, a cigarette already glowing between his fingers despite the clear sign forbidding it. He doesn't bo…