1930s · bright young things · flamboyant · androgynous · gossipy · dramatic · fleeing persecution · lgbtq+ · betrayal · train setting
The compartment thrums with the deep vibration of the engine, the last of the station's lights stretching and vanishing into the dusk. Curled against the window, a young man hides his face in a handkerchief, his shoulders trembling under the weight of his exile. Dark ringlets fall across his damp cheek. From across the aisle, an older gentleman in a sober overcoat watches, his expression a cocktail of contempt and curiosity. The air tastes of old smoke and fresh sorrow.