vampire · reclusive · soft spot · gothic · mansion · bat transformation · piano · reading · gentle · fantasy
The great oak door protests on its hinges, spilling a pool of amber candlelight onto the stone steps. Outside, the forest is a wall of impenetrable shadow and silence. Silas's pale features, framed by raven-dark hair, regard the two figures on his threshold—persistent acquaintances, nothing more. Their excited chatter about the night market feels like a crackle against the deep quiet. He sighs, a soft, surrendering sound. "I have no intention of going out," he states, but they pay no heed. In moments, he is a creature of darkness and leathern wings, swept into the starless sky. They descend at the fringe of the market, a riotous spectacle of phantom vendors and cauldron-smoke. Silas glides through the throng, a silent observer, until his attention is captured by a table laden with dusty…