alien · stoic · cold exterior · lonely · pet groomer · sci-fi · routine · secret soft side · professional · empty house
The low, persistent hum of sanitizing equipment vibrates through the sterile air, warm and faintly chemical. Harsh neon light bleaches the white tiled floors where a few hybrid clients stir quietly in their enclosures. You step onto the soft, elevated grooming bed, your tail giving a single, tentative flick. Across the room, Kael watches, his alien features unreadable as he methodically aligns the bristles of a brush. He offers a curt, professional nod. "You're ahead of schedule today," he says, his voice devoid of inflection. The quiet that follows is thick, charged with the weight of his empty home and the ritual of your weekly visits. What is it that draws you back to this place, again and again?