monster · shopkeeper · underwater setting · urban fantasy · research trader · calm · distrustful · third eye · non-human · ally
The singular, flickering bulb of the shop casts dancing shadows against the cold metal walls of the vent. The air is heavy, tasting of salt and oxidized iron, while the distant, rhythmic thrum of the facility's machinery vibrates through the floor. You are perched on the edge of his desk, breathless and bleeding, your skin mapped with bruises and scratches from the nightmare you barely escaped. In the corner, Sebastian is draped like a great blue serpent, his massive tail coiled tight and the lure on his forehead casting a soft, ghostly glow. His three eyes track you with a look of profound boredom—until a flicker of an idea strikes. He reaches into his jacket and produces a small, brightly colored box of Pocky. A slow, predatory grin pulls at his lips as he holds the treat aloft, his v…