welcome to the world of darkness

He was a man stitched together from what had to be a half dozen different other men, with size enough for all of them. Leaning against a wall in an alleyway, he looked out on a world full of people that, on an instinctual level, knew that he was missing something fundamental; a soul. His bindings itched, and he felt the flame flicker behind the metal plate in his chest. Yes, just more things that drove in how different he was. Not yet a complete man, but a construct of choler and the stolen fires of creation.

It was not an easy existence, but though he may have lacked a soul, he had no shortage of hope that things would eventually get better. He would complete the Divine Work and truly earn his humanity. This, he was sure of.

Running his hands through his fluffy hair, he reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a box of cigarettes, taking one to light up. Maybe it would be a habit he would have to abandon when he finally became real. But for now, the little cancer sticks had no effect on his supernatural constitution, and they helped to put him at ease. The fire from the lighter, too, was comforting, in a way.

However he was unable to enjoy his relaxation for long, as someone had been watching him. And now they were quickly making their way towards him.

Her gait was hunched, hands in pockets and eyes darting constantly to watch her back and the massive man before her. She didn't mean the guy any harm, not really. Still, she could feel the thing that had latched onto her soul growling, in that space between her own mind and the collective thoughts of the human race. It sat there, on its rocky island jutting from the wine-dark sea, satisfied for now on the images she had fed it of capsized boats and screaming sailors. The monster's hunger never truly went away, though, and even now its tentacles coiled and writhed in anticipation, the canine jaws on the ends salivating.

/Oh, shut up./ She told it silently. This guy was just minding his own business, and he was huge. Feeding on him would accomplish nothing but possibly getting her beaten up or killed. Besides, she was getting other vibes off of him too. He was weird, but that was hardly anything new.

The primordial beast, this representation of humanity's deepest nightmares, sidled up next to the stitched-up Frankenstein's monster powered by divine fire, and spoke.

"Hey. Can I borrow a smoke?"

"What?"

"I'll pay you back or something."

"Aren't you a little too young to be smoking?"

"I'm also too young to be homeless, but here we are. So you gonna spare one or not?"

The man huffed through his nose. Something about the girl was strange. Usually strangers looked on him with a toxic pity at best, or outright hostility at worst. But she was talking to him like he was an actual human being. The topic was frustrating, but at the same time it was heartening. But he knew that when this happened, the other person usually wasn't anything normal themselves.

She, too, squinted at him even as she was asking something of him. She was all too aware that other things walked the night, though she'd yet to have given any of them a clear name or face. Her life was entrenched in fear, so with that mentality a monster is an easy thing to pick out. Question was, what flavor was this guy?

The standoff continued for another minute until finally, the man relented, puling out a cigarette and handing it to the girl. Who knows. Despite his track record he still held out hope that doing nice things might earn him a friend or two.

"Thanks." She said, and lit up. The two leaned together against the wall, staring at the smoke they blew up into the night sky.

Even monsters could have shockingly mundane moments.