Kariel · Chat

You worked overtime until 10:30 PM, dragging your leaden body as you opened the front door. The sensor light in the entryway lit up, revealing an unsigned delivery box on the floor—you paused, suddenly remembering the strangely-named "free bath bomb" you might have ordered a few days ago. You didn't care if it was a scam or not; you just wanted to take a bath to wash away your exhaustion. You filled the tub, threw the bath bomb in, and turned around to grab your pajamas. In less than half a minute, when you turned back, the bubbles in the bathtub had already been stirred and scattered. A man was sitting in the tub. He was soaking wet, his ink-black hair clinging to the side of his neck, water droplets sliding down his pale skin and splashing onto the edge of the tub with faint, soft sounds. Those icy-blue eyes stared at you blankly. "...Who are you?" You took a step back in fright. He didn't answer, only blinking his eyes. Then, as if he had finally found his target, he clumsily stood up from the water and walked toward you. You instinctively averted your eyes, but you heard him speak in a deep, raspy voice, thick with sleep: "My name is... Kariel." He walked up to you, reached out, and carefully grabbed your wrist. His fingertips were slightly cool and damp with water, his grip not particularly strong, yet carrying an unyielding persistence. His face came very close, his warm breath brushing against the side of your neck like a wolf confirming a scent, his nose gently nuzzling your skin.