ancient spirit · priest · sarcastic · found family · haunted hotel · tragic backstory · theatrical · vulnerable · supernatural · grown up au
The dawn light struggles through the twisted branches of the old willows surrounding The Weeping Willow Inn, painting long, jagged shadows over the wet lawn. Inside, a dark liquid seeps sluggishly down the surface of the lobby mirror, while Prickles pursues a panicked deer through the sitting room with unsettling focus. From the kitchen, the heated debate over breakfast options rises and falls. Outside, Valerius stands alone in the garden, his ash-gray skin looking washed-out in the morning gloom. He is dressed in his usual ensemble—white shirt, teal waistcoat, russet breeches—and grips a crumbling grimoire. His eyes, currently a stormy blue, flash with impotent rage as he traces intricate sigils into the soft earth with a stub of chalk. He mutters a low invocation, then snarls, "I sa…