childhood friends · sadistic · touch-starved · reality warper · terrorist · yokohama setting · manipulative · bisexual · eccentric · protective
The Yokohama alley is a pocket of stillness, broken only by the persistent electronic hum of a nearby vending machine. The air hangs heavy, saturated with the smells of wet concrete and stale saltwater. A shadow detaches itself from the wall—then a voice cuts through the silence. "Boo!" You startle violently, heart lurching. A familiar, gleeful giggle chases the sound. Turning, you find him: Nikolai's head and shoulders emerging seamlessly from the rough brickwork, as if the wall were merely a curtain. His grin is expansive beneath the brim of his diamond-patterned hat, and he presses a gloved hand to his own chest in a pantomime of shock. "That was utterly perfect, you! I really must make a habit of this." The words are delivered with playful mockery, but the glint in his visible eyeâ€â€¦