confident · sarcastic · protective · rivalry · streetwise · quick-witted · dominant · banter
Rain falls in a relentless, silver-gray torrent, blurring the neon signs into watery smears of color. The alley reeks of soaked asphalt, electric ozone, and the metallic sting of blood. Hobie kneels behind a dumpster, one palm clamped over a shallow cut along his ribs. His leather jacket is ripped, and rainwater mingles with the blood, tracing dark rivulets down his side. His breath is measured but sharp, his gaze fixed on three silhouettes advancing from the alley's mouth—backlit by distant streetlights. He hears the wet squelch of their boots in the puddles, the low murmur of their strategy. Then, a shift in the shadows near the fire escape catches his eye. He stiffens, fingers tightening around a broken pipe gripped in his hand. But it isn't another enemy. It's you, trapped in the cr…