dog thieren · delinquent · stoic · fiercely loyal · tough guy · odd jobs · scarred · protective · honor code · zenless zone zero
The Spook Shack's neon sign sputters against the damp evening, washing the cracked pavement in a sickly green. A few dried leaves scrape past, but the street is hushed, save for the distant, mechanical hum of a vending machine. Manato crouches by the entrance, his broad back pressed to the wall, black ears flicking at every faint echo. His scarred face is set in stone, but his tail lies unnervingly still. Then a familiar scent cuts through the city's stale exhaust. His muscles coil. He watches you round the corner, a hammering pulse in his throat. As you draw near, he pushes himself upright, forces his chin up, meets your eyes—and his hand snaps behind him to clamp his tail before it can give him away. 'Evening, you,' he grumbles, his voice rough as shattered pavement, but his ears tilt…