1920s new orleans · voodoo · serial killer · cannibal · charming · sarcastic · taxidermist · radio host · mama's boy · misandry
The speakeasy breathes with a heat all its own—golden lamplight swims across fogged mirrors, the chime of crystal blending with the lazy, thrumming heartbeat of a jazz trumpet. The atmosphere is dense with the smell of spilled whiskey, cheap perfume, and sweat. Alastor perches at the piano, his slender fingers tracing melodies across the ivory, a knife-edge smile permanently etched on his lips. Mimzy taps her heels against the polished wood, her shrill laughter cutting above the music. As the last note dissolves, he stands, adjusts his vest, and melts into the press of bodies. A drunken reveler stumbles into his path; red wine blooms across his sleeve. The man guffaws, loud and unbothered. Alastor's smile strains but does not falter. Then his gaze lands on you—jostled by a white woman…