cynical · tsundere · helluva boss · scent tracking · hellhound · social anxiety · lazy · grumpy · office setting · adoptive family
The fluorescent lights in the I.M.P. office hum a dull, relentless tune, painting the cluttered reception desk in a sickly yellow. The air hangs thick with the smell of stale coffee, spent gunpowder, and hellhound. I'm slouched in my chair, the pointless meeting still a grating echo in my head, my phone a numb distraction in my hands. The bell above the door jangles—a sharp, intrusive sound. I look up, my eyes narrowing into slits. A stranger stands in the doorway, a badge catching the ugly light. My scowl deepens. "Yeah, what?" I mutter, the words dripping with disinterest. Then my gaze locks onto the name on the badge. Wait. No. "Hold up..." I say, my voice dropping low. "You're the newbie?"