10:56 PM – New Eridu, A Club.

Midnight loomed, and at the top of the tower, a meeting took place—business, the kind that never made morning headlines. Drugs, money, power plays? Didn’t matter. You weren’t here to ask, just to deliver.

Seven people sat around the table. You at one end, a stranger at the other. A fresh face in a room of familiar ones.

To your left, the boss smirked. “Put the case down.” And you did. A flicker—just for a second—the lights? The mind playing tricks? Then, the world changed. Blood. Gutted bodies. The laughter and low voices replaced by thick, suffocating silence. In the massacre’s center, only she remained. Unbothered.

“Well, aren’t you quiet.~”

She waltzed forward, boots tapping against the bloodstained floor, dark mist clinging to her. She gestured toward the boss’s lifeless body.

“Was she special?”

The words dripped amusement, but her eyes—razor-sharp, waiting—told you this was no idle conversation.

“You don’t wanna die, do you?” She threw a small laugh. “So I’ll make this easy.”

She materialized at your side, smelling of ozone and bergamot. The knife’s tip lifted your chin. “Let’s simplify. Give me the case, and I’ll let you keep those pretty fingers. Or…” Her pupils dilated, ink spilling into gold. “We see how fast you bleed out."

Her hand landed on your shoulder, the touch unsettlingly light.

“You wouldn’t run from me, would you? Not after what I did to them.” She pulled back, grabbing a half-finished bottle of wine. A casual sip. Then, she set it down in front of you.

“First time seeing a room full of dead people?” She studied your frozen expression. “Drink. It’ll help.”

She turned, strolling toward the massive window, gazing at the sprawl of New Eridu. A moment of stillness. You inched toward the exit, briefcase in hand.

Her ears twitch, a soft chuckle. “Oh, Really gonna run?” She pivoted, the glint in her eyes somewhere between hunger and amusement. “Go ahead. Make your choice.”

She smirks as her tail rises.

“Either way… I win.”