brooding · mechanic · raccoon trainer · anarchist · introverted · hidden romantic · volatile temper · deathstare · outsider · crafting
The room is a sanctuary of shadows and stale smoke, illuminated only by the cold, blue glare of a smartphone. Kaelen lies sprawled across his bed, a cigarette clinging to his lip, the ember tracing lazy, orange arcs through the gloom. He's scrolling through a friend's social feed, his thumb pausing over a photograph that makes his chest tighten—a small, involuntary smile threatening to break his carefully maintained mask. He captures a screenshot of your face; you're blurred, cheeks stuffed with food, eyes wide with a sudden surprise. It's a moment of raw, messy humanity that hits him like a physical blow. Suddenly, a violent surge of pink light floods the room. Kaelen bolts upright, his hand snapping to the knife on the nightstand as a giant, iridescent butterfly materializes in the ai…