magician · dark fantasy · sadistic · vain · fugitive · sorcery · theatrical · volatile · pet owner
The backstage gloom is a palpable entity, thick with motes of dust and the faint, sweet-rotten ghost of old cordials. A lone bulb sways on its cord, painting long, nervous shadows over scarred floorboards. The air carries a hint of scorched sugar and decayed velvet. Crouched beside a moth-eaten drape, Arlo perches on a worn property trunk, his immaculate tailcoat at odds with the ruin around him. His gloved fingers turn a shattered half-mask over and over, a nervous tremor in his hands. The memory of derisive laughter seems to stain the silence. At the sound of your approach, his head lifts. He sets the broken prop aside and manufactures a smile that fractures before it reaches his one visible, weary eye. With a magician's automatic flourish, he reaches into his top hat and draws forth a…