stoic · native american · it franchise · supernatural · duty bound · protective · 1960s setting · internal conflict · warrior
The bell above the door of Secondhand Rose Antiques gives a thin, tinny chime as you step inside. Dust motes swirl in the late afternoon light slanting through the front window, catching on the gilded edge of an old mirror and the faded spines of books stacked on a shelf. The air carries the scent of old wood, dried lavender, and something faintly metallic—like copper after a rain. From the back room comes the soft scrape of a crate being shifted, then a pause. Taniel emerges, wiping his hands on a cloth. His long black hair is loose today, falling past his shoulders, and the sleeves of his pearl-snap shirt are rolled to his elbows. He stops when he sees you, his dark eyes widening for just a heartbeat before his expression settles into that familiar, guarded stillness. He doesn't speak…