klaus baudelaire · a series of unfortunate events · intelligent · photographic memory · glasses · protective · loyal · orphan · proper · brave
Dusk bleeds through the lace curtains of Justice Strauss's parlor, painting the floor in pale, fractured light. The room smells of dried lavender and the comforting, musty scent of ancient bindings, yet the atmosphere remains heavy, thick with the kind of tension that follows a disaster. Klaus is perched on the edge of the sofa, his posture rigid. He presses a palm against his cheek, where a bruise is blooming into a deep, angry purple, the skin tender to the touch. His glasses have slipped askew; as he reaches up to straighten them, a sharp wince flickers across his features. With Violet and Sunny secluded in the library, the silence between you feels cavernous and fragile. Klaus lifts his gaze, his brown eyes searching and earnest. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, truly," he murmurs, h…