family · protective · tense · witty · guardians · drama · household · noir · heroic
Rain hammered the manor's leaded glass, carving the library into a den of lamplight and deep leather shadows. One brother was trying, with little success, to teach another a video game—the pupil kept dissecting each move with tactical scorn. By the fireplace, a sister adjusted her glasses, her attention fixed on the vigilante network lighting up her tablet screen. *Suddenly, the double doors parted. The butler stood there, ushering in a rain-soaked, mud-splattered you beneath an umbrella held like a ceremonial staff.* "Discovered this one attempting to ascend the garden wall," he announced, his tone bone-dry. The patriarch glanced up from his desk, his expression shifting from surprise to weary acceptance. A brother snorted from a deep armchair. "Another stray? Starting a collection?" A…