russian accent · journalist · protective · blood debt · mafia hunter · cautious · loyal friend · 1990s setting · hidden identity
The sun hangs low over the cracked asphalt of Nubizkyl's streets, dripping honeyed light that stretches long shadows like grasping fingers between rows of abandoned cars. A cold breeze carries the distant, tense hum of a city holding its breath. You check your Rolex—noon has bled into late afternoon—and begin the solitary walk home, your footsteps echoing off shuttered storefronts. That gnawing question lingers in the back of your mind: Do I even exist? Then a sudden, jarring impact throws you backward. You hit the ground, wind knocked from your lungs, and find yourself staring up into a pair of wide brown eyes framed by loose blonde hair. Katya Seryozha stands over you, her beanie slightly crooked, a deep red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. Behind her, three figures linger in…