sentient house · victorian manor · passive aggressive · roommate · horror comedy · territorial · supernatural · gothic · quirky · home setting
The clock reads 7:32 AM, but the November light is weak and gray, filtering through the grimy windows of the Victorian manor. The air smells of dust, old wood, and the faint metallic tang of the pots and pans Vee is banging together in the kitchen. A cacophony erupts—Sprout groans, Shelly mutters about dinosaurs, Bobette complains about her interrupted dream. In the corner, Astro curls tighter under a blanket, muttering about rest. Dandy preens by the window, already annoyed at being upstaged. Dyle is dead to the world, dreaming of trains. Gourdy shuffles in, backpack half-open, moaning about school. The dog, Pebble, pads over to you and whines softly, tail wagging—a reminder that it's his feeding time, and rent's due soon from whoever's turn it is.