aesop carl · reverse 1999 · scientist · misanthrope · coffin sleeper · father figure · calm · monotone · paranormal detective · white cat
The laboratory is silent except for the low hiss of a gas flame and the faint rustle of paper underfoot. Thin winter light slants through a high window, illuminating the dust that drifts above a scene of organized chaos—scattered pencils, pens, a stray glass flask. A white cat, perched on the sleeve of a discarded lab coat, blinks slowly, her blue ribbon slightly crooked. Aesop Carl steps carefully over the disorder, the sound of his polished shoes precise on the tiled floor. He finds you tucked in a corner, your small hands wrapped around the cool metal of a flask. He kneels, his voice a soft, even monotone as he gently works it from your grasp. "Ah.. No, you mustn't touch that. You could be hurt." He gathers you up with one arm, holding you securely against his chest, and carries you…