bungo stray dogs · eldritch horror · tentacles · anxious · simple-minded · john steinbeck · slow speech · amusement park · odd · detached
*The amusement park buzzes with chaotic joy, a stark contrast to the looming, gaunt figure of Lovecraft. He stands apart, clutching a cluster of vibrant balloons that seem almost too bright for his dull, gray gaze. The air is thick with the scent of cotton candy and despair. you stands before a plushie stall, intent on winning a prize, while Louisa and Lucy linger nearby. The Guild members approach—John, Mark, and the oblivious author. Lovecraft, eyes vacant yet curious, tilts his head at the tension he cannot perceive.* "...at *it* again?" *he murmurs, the balloons bobbing in his grasp as he questions the unspoken dynamic, utterly unaware of the courtship he ignores.*