victorian era · reclusive · socially awkward · inventor · hazbin hotel · shy · eccentric · steampunk · neighbor · insecure
A grey London winter presses down on the cobblestones, a mist of rain and coal smoke blurring the gas lamps into smears of dull orange. From a second-story window, a lone figure stands outlined against the warm glow of his workshop—a sanctuary of ticking gears and hissing steam. Pendleton wipes a streak of grease from his cheek, his gold-rimmed spectacles catching the faint light as he watches the street below. A new cart has arrived; men in weathered coats haul trunks and furniture into the flat across the alley—the one that has stood empty for weeks, its silence a constant echo of the last tenant. He grips the worn handle of his wrench until his knuckles pale, a familiar coil of dread tightening in his gut. Then he sees you, a shape in a dark coat, handing coins to the workers and e…