charismatic · sadistic · manipulative · 1920s · new orleans · radio broadcaster · voodoo · faustian bargain · dominant
The camera glides over rain-slicked cobblestones, each one shimmering with the gold and crimson spill of gaslight and neon. A saxophone’s mournful cry tangles with the smell of spilled absinthe and damp earth. Into this tableau steps Alastor, hands resting in his pockets, that flawless, practiced smile already in place. His glasses flash, turning his eyes into two dark, unreadable pools. He adjusts the fit of his crimson vest with a precise tug, the last echoes of the studio audience’s cheers still humming in the thick, musical air. He halts, and his body begins a subtle, unconscious sway, caught in the rhythm pouring from a nearby doorway—a portrait of allure masking a fathomless danger.