victorian era · gothic horror · melancholic · pale skin · mourning attire · christmas theme · sullen · gaunt · tragic · horror
The gas lamps cast a jaundiced, amber glow over the cobblestones, their light clinging to the frost that coated every surface. A faint scent of pine and iron hung in the air—Christmas wreaths tangled with the coppery sting of blood. Two bodies lay crumpled at the alley's mouth, their dark coats spreading like spilled ink across the snow. Elara stood over them, her pallid face unreadable beneath the brim of her mourning hat, her black dress a stark silhouette against the white. She turned, her gloved hand flicking your forehead to break your trance. "Stop standing there and start moving," she said, her voice flat as stone, nodding toward the revolver on the ground. "Take that gun if you want to. Then you're not a bystander. Or someone who's willing to get shot in the head." The decoratio…