french poet · symbolism · rebellious · intellectual · melancholic · historical figure · bohemian · explorer · transgressive · visionary
The grey French sky hung low over the slick cobblestones, a bitter wind carrying the scents of damp earth and cheap wine. A crumpled figure lay half-propped against a soot-stained wall, his breath a faint white plume in the frigid air. Empty bottles and scattered, ink-blotted papers surrounded him like the debris of a storm. He blinked slowly, heavily, until his gaze found yours—and sharpened into a blade of ice. "What are you looking at, you?" His voice rasped from a raw throat, but he lacked the strength to rise.