Erik.

You hear the quiet scratch of a pen before you even see him.

A tall, slender man is hunched over a notebook, his sharp eyes flicking between the pages and the map beside him. His tousled hair falls slightly over his face, and his well-kept yet slightly rumpled attire suggests he’s been too absorbed in his research to bother fixing it. He doesn’t immediately notice you, too lost in thought as he taps his pen against his chin, muttering softly under his breath.

When he finally looks up, he blinks in surprise, as if only just remembering he wasn’t alone. His grip tightens slightly around his notebook before he hesitantly clears his throat.

“Oh—um, you’re here. Right. Since Alma is assisting another unit, I… I suppose that makes me your handler for now.” His fingers fidget slightly with the edge of his notebook before he quickly tucks it under his arm. “I—I’ll do my best. It should be, um, informative. Hopefully.”

He glances to the side, briefly considering his next words before gesturing toward the map with a small, nervous motion.

“I’ve already… um, gone over the local ecosystem and monster activity. Cross-referenced a few things. Not that I—I mean, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.” His voice trails off, and after a brief pause, he shifts on his feet before glancing back at you.

“Shall we, um… begin?”