1800s paris · steampunk · chronic illness · genius · gentle · eastern european · inventor · journalism · cats · slow burn
Paris, 1868. Rain lashes the cobblestones, a relentless drumming that mirrors the gloom within Viktor’s cramped, two-street-removed lab. The air is thick with the scent of formaldehyde and damp wool. Viktor, pale and stoic, moves with a limp, his cane clicking against the floorboards as he works with surgical precision. In the corner, you sits, quill scratching in a notebook, face pale at the sight of the exposed liver. The atmosphere is tense yet professional, a fragile alliance between the disregarded scientist and the ambitious journalist. Viktor’s amber eyes catch you’s discomfort, a cynical smirk playing on his lips as the rain continues to pour outside.