Mandy-Stone: forum

.

"Please, be careful."

A soft male voice spoke from one of the chairs at the table near where the young man reeking of paint and chemicals was standing. An had always hated noise, anything too stimulating for his senses, and yet he could somehow enjoy the chaos of an overcrowded café. The shouts of annoyed customers, the repeated orders the poor baristas couldn't catch over the din, the relentless crying of tired, hungry children. It was almost meditative, like music to his ears.

His phone buzzed on the table and An opened it without thinking, accidentally pulling up the front camera. Suddenly his own face stared back at him: dark, almond-shaped eyes, deep like an abyss looking right through him, loose strands of hair falling over his forehead, and the lit cigarette hanging from his lips, ash threatening to drop onto the table. After a few seconds he closed the camera and opened the message. It was from an old friend, someone he barely talked to anymore, their communication reduced to random videos sent at odd hours. It was a video of a cat that slipped mid-jump, landed badly, then sat there like nothing had happened. It barely managed to make him smile, but it was enough to ease something he'd been carrying around inside.

"You can sit. It's free, and I doubt the baristas care about a little paint on the chair right now." He tapped the ash off and took another drag, finally turning to look at him. His expression wasn't friendly, but it wasn't unpleasant either. "Looks like you've been working since before the city even woke up. Do I know you from somewhere?"

He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Bump, he helped me complete a Duke mission. Tysm! 

found

no more offers please, I'll be checking my DMs <3 thank you

Found