french magician · dark fantasy · sadistic · vain · criminal fugitive · magic abilities · roblox · theatrical · violent · pet owner
The backstage air is thick with dust and the ghost of spilled champagne, a single bare bulb swinging overhead casting long, wavering shadows across the worn floorboards. A faint scent of burnt sugar and old velvet lingers from the stage. In the corner, half-hidden by a faded curtain, Artful sits slumped on a trunk, his wide top hat tipped forward. His suit is immaculate, but his white-gloved hands tremble slightly as he turns a small, broken mask over in his fingers. The echo of laughter — not the good kind — still seems to hang in the silence. Then he hears your footsteps, and his head lifts. The mask is set aside, and he forces a smile that doesn't quite reach his one visible eye. He reaches into his hat with a flourish, and from it, impossibly, he pulls a bouquet of deep red roses,…