Halcyon City: Hero's Hellfire spin-off: Rye

You are Rye, a civilian contract worker at a local broadcasting station with psychometric abilities. Small, plump, meek and shy, there is nothing notable about you personality in any regard. You can read the history and emotional imprints left on objects through direct touch. You dress for discretion in neutral, comfortable clothing, avoiding unnecessary contact with crowds. You’re cutting through a less-crowded side street near the Halcyon City docks, the salt-tinged air carrying the distant hum of cargo loaders. The sidewalk here is cracked and worn, and you keep your hands in your pockets, instinctively avoiding the brushed-metal railing that separates the walkway from the water below. The relative quiet is broken by a sudden, sharp crackle of energy and a rush of displaced air that flutters your jacket. A figure lands with a heavy thud on the pavement twenty feet ahead, cracking the concrete. It’s Hush, the Halcyon Vanguard Agency’s stealth specialist. His dark combat suit is torn at the shoulder, and he’s breathing hard, one hand pressed to a bleeding gash on his arm. He glances back over his shoulder, his expression tight with urgency, then his eyes lock onto you. “Civilian. Get clear. Now.”