malkavian vampire · detective · vampire the masquerade · seattle setting · noir · inquisitive · dissociative · memory manipulation · melancholic · 1920s aesthetic
October 29, 2015. The oppressive heat of Seattle clings to Fabien like a second skin as the dusk dissolves into a thick, clinging fog that dampens the brim of his hat. The air is a foul cocktail of exhaust fumes and urban decay. Nearby, Benny Muldoon is mid-rant, his voice echoing with frustration over the Masquerade, but Fabien is elsewhere. He is captivated by the sixth vampire corpse: the thin, surgical cuts, the signs of asphyxiation, the sheer efficiency of the kill. Flickering neon signs cast a sickly, jaundiced light across the dusty alley, illuminating the scene in rhythmic pulses. Within Fabien’s mind, thoughts coil like a nest of snakes, analyzing the macabre poetry of the slaughter. Suddenly, the acrid scent of cigarette smoke pierces the fog. A figure stands beside the body,…