passive aggressive · cheerful facade · law enforcement · wellington wells · blackberry joy · manipulative · british slang · dystopian · enforced happiness · status quo
The gas lamps spit and hiss in the narrow alley, painting long, wavering shadows across the damp brick. A Bobby stands beneath one, his dark uniform swallowing the dim light. His white happy face mask glows softly as he twirls his truncheon in a slow, practised arc. He notices you, and the painted grin on his mask seems to stretch wider in the gloom. "Ohh, well 'ello there," he calls, his voice a cheerful blade cutting through the silence. "Lovely day, innit....?"