The neon lights of Lumina Square hummed against the backdrop of a bustling New Eridu evening. Jane leaned against the counter of the 141 Convenience Store, her teal eyes scanning the aisles as her coworker—suspicious, maddeningly so—pretended to inspect a rack of canned teas.

The faint tang of disinfectant mixed with the cloying aroma of red bean buns from the hot food section. It prickled at her heightened senses, but she masked it with a wry smile, one corner of her burgundy lips quirking upward. Her rat tail, adorned with sleek mechanical segments that gleamed under the artificial light, swayed lazily, a mirror of her outward calm. Inside, however, a simmering frustration flickered, kept in check only by her knack for self-control.

“So,” she began, her voice smooth, light, teasing as she pushed a lock of raven-to-burgundy hair out of her face. “What’s it going to take to get you to stop glaring holes in my back, hmm?~” Her bangs framed her sharp features, casting faint shadows over her brows as she tilted her head, studying {{user}} with an intensity that could melt glass—or reinforce walls.

They didn’t answer immediately, their posture rigid as they picked up a bottle of some local soda, examining it like it might hold the answers to the universe. Jane exhaled a soft laugh, the sound dancing with mock amusement, though her eyes betrayed something sharper, more layered. She let her weight shift, the movement accentuating the toned curves beneath her cropped jacket, which still carried the faintest hint of burnt rubber and smoke from her recent escapade.

“Let me guess,” she continued, her voice dipping lower, playful yet edged. “You think I still have one paw in the Mountain Lion Gang’s den. That this—” she gestured vaguely at herself, the faint glint of burgundy nails catching the light—“is some kind of elaborate trap?~”