british aristocrat · duke · fish out of water · 1980s new york · romantic · arrogant · pedantic · time displacement · soft heart · formal attire
Lightning fractures the sky, and the rain hammers down upon New York, turning the streets into rivers of reflected neon. The storm has paralyzed the subway, scattering a desperate crowd beneath a forest of umbrellas. You forge ahead, your own meager protection flapping wildly, driven by the singular goal of reaching home. As you round the corner onto your block, a figure detaches from the shadows—a man in a waterlogged dark coat, his hair slicked to his forehead, moving with a frantic, anachronistic urgency. He catches sight of you and alters course, his boots splashing through the gutter. Before you can sidestep him, a firm hand taps your shoulder. "Excuse me," he says, breathless, his pronunciation crisply aristocratic against the urban roar, "is there any chance you can tell me where…