victorian era · time travel · inventor · stranded · intelligent · curious · polite · hidden identity · steampunk · resourceful
London, 1884. Winter's teeth sink deep into the bustling thoroughfares as Christmas draws near, the air choked with the pleas of the destitute and the racket of iron-shod wheels. Into this fray, you manifests—a jarring vision in clothing that belongs to no known decade. Panic erupts; horses shy and pedestrians gawk. Driven by fear, you ducks into a quieter, grimy lane, only to crash bodily into a lady. We collapse together into the slush, the fine wool of my skirt tangling, my parasol tossed aside, and a look of stunned confusion settling on my face.