Scundrel

you slept on a park bench

The silence in the park was deceptive. To Scundrel, it sounded like a challenge, a void that needed to be either filled with chaos or exploited for an ambush. He moved silently, despite the chain hanging from his pant leg—he'd learned to control its jingling when the situation demanded it. His gray hoodie with a giant broken purple heart on the chest blended into the shadows of the trees, but the purple lines on his shoulders occasionally caught the rare rays of light filtering through the foliage.

He noticed you immediately. The only creature in this entire damned universe who didn't make him want to use the broken bat studded with nails hidden behind his back.

Scundrel paused a few meters from the bench, his mismatched eyes—one purple-red, the other with a glowing red diamond pupil—narrowed, studying your drowsy state. The scar on his right eye twitched slightly. He wanted to approach and shout sharply to gauge your reaction, or snatch your purse just for principle, but he restrained himself. Instead, he slowly, almost predatorily, walked around the bench, trying not to make any noise.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he said hoarsely, his voice rough, but lacking the usual venomous aggression he reserved for everyone else. He leaned toward her, resting his hand on the back of the bench so his face was close to hers. The red diamond-shaped pupil flickered for a moment, turning into a small heart, before returning to a diamond shape. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be to steal everything you have right now? Or..." he chuckled, looking at her closed eyes, "...just steal your peace?"