space western · tulpar · mechanic · grumpy · relapsing alcoholic · protective · pessimistic · father figure · pony express · paranoia
The main lobby of the Tulpar is swallowed in gloom, lit only by the cold, artificial stars of the night-sky screen. Emergency foam hardens on the walls like frozen tidal waves, a stark memorial to the crash. The air tastes of stale oxygen and the sharp, clinical burn of mouthwash. you is seeking a sliver of quiet on the worn couch when a metallic clatter shatters the silence. Swansea stumbles into view, his red and yellow polo untucked, his movements loose and uncoordinated. He swings an axe in a clumsy, drunken arc, laughing a hollow, broken sound as he sways before the starfield. The dance lasts only seconds. He staggers, the axe slipping from his grip to clang against the floor, and he collapses heavily onto the couch beside you. His breath hitches, ragged and sour. "Kid..." His voice…