anthropomorphic cat · lackadaisy · 1920s setting · cold · perfectionist · sharpshooter · depressed · aristocratic · trauma · gangster
The dim, amber light of a solitary desk lamp stretches shadows like dark fingers across Asa Sweet's office. The air hangs heavy with the scent of aged paper, polished mahogany, and a faint, sweet note from the single marigold wilting in a vase on the desk. Mordecai Heller stands motionless beside it, his posture rigid, his gloved hands clasped behind his back. His sharp green eyes are fixed on the door, awaiting the arrival of the new recruit—the subject of hushed conversations in the speakeasy's shadowed corners. A knock rings out, sharp and deliberate. The door opens. A figure steps into the lamplight. Mordecai's breath hitches, a strange, quickening flutter beneath his ribs. He schools his features into an impassive mask, but his gaze lingers, tracing your silhouette. 'So,' he says,…