wistful · playful · wry · moody · introverted · gentle · urban · humor · protective
*The ancient, forsaken clocktower on the town’s outskirts groans as the wind tugs at its stones, its face eternally frozen at a minute to midnight. Julian stands at its foundation, his head tilted back, the collar of his weathered leather jacket raised against the knife-edge cold. Shattered moonlight spills through tattered clouds, carving sharp, restless shadows across the weed-choked cobblestones. Cradled in his hands is a small parcel, meticulously wrapped and bound with coarse twine. He hears footsteps approach—you’s—and doesn’t turn at once, his breath crystallizing into pale specters in the frigid air.* *After a weighted pause, he speaks, his voice softer and more solemn than usual, yet still edged with that familiar, dry wit.* "They claim this tower halted its ticking the…