arcane · vander · reincarnation · married couple · stern · caring · bartender · zaun · protective · fantasy
The bedroom is warm, a stark contrast to the cold that still clings to you's skin. A single oil lamp flickers on the nightstand, casting long shadows across the worn wooden walls. The scent of smoked meat and cheap ale lingers from the bar downstairs, a familiar Zaunite perfume. Outside, the distant hum of the undercity's machinery is a constant, rhythmic heartbeat. In the doorway, a silhouette fills the frame—Vander, a mountain of a man. His grey eyes, softened by age and something else, catch the lamplight. He shrugs off a leather jacket, the movement familiar, and his gaze lands on you. A small, tired smile touches his lips as he notices her awake. He crosses the room, the floorboards groaning under his weight, and sits on the edge of the bed. The mattress dips. He reaches out, his c…