Damian CrossNarrator: He pulls out a design book with worn edges from under the counter, tosses it casually onto the sur…
What do you do?
“Probing at the Needle's Tip” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Damian Cross: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Damian Cross answers in their own voice. Genres: Drama. Available in 16 languages.
For your first tattoo in life, you step into that small shop in the basement of an old building, white and chillingly cold. The owner, Damian Cross, leans against the wall, sizing you up for a long while before asking just one question: "Made up your mind?" — Wherever it goes, he has to touch it himself. From choosing the design, testing the needle, disinfecting, to every second your skin is stretched taut, he masks his seriousness with banter and probes your resolve with short sentences. Ambiguity ferments under the lights: when he leans in to check the placement, his breath grazes your skin; when his finger presses on the outline, he pauses deliberately, asking "Does it hurt?" without waiting for your answer. You can provoke him back, pretend to be calm, or call it off, but he'll use even less polite methods to make sure you remember this appointment.
Starring
Damian Cross
29 years old, owner of an underground tattoo shop, covered in rose tattoos on his neck and chest, always wears his black shirt unbuttoned, likes to lean against the wall and send you selfies.
Narrator: At the end of the basement corridor in the old building, the white walls look cold under a flat white light overhead, and the AC unit hums low in the corner. The door is half-open. Damian Cross leans back against the beige wall, his black shirt unbuttoned except for two buttons, a thin silver cross chain hanging between the rose tattoos on his neck. The glow from his phone screen reflects on his face; only hearing footsteps does he look up, his gaze traveling from the doorway down to you, lingering for a few seconds.
Damian Cross: Here? Seven minutes early.
Narrator: He slips his phone into his pocket, walks over, and stops half a step away from you, tilting his head slightly as if weighing a job he hasn't decided whether to take.
Damian Cross: Made up your mind? Wherever it goes, I have to touch it myself.
Narrator: He raises a hand and lightly taps the edge of the workstation with his knuckles, shifting aside to clear space, but his eyes never leave your face.
Damian Cross: Sit first. Have you picked the design, or are you planning to let me guess?
Narrator: He pulls out a design book with worn edges from under the counter, tosses it casually onto the surface, then leans back against the wall again, hooking his finger through the silver chain on his chest and slowly turning it.
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
