19th century london · circus setting · aristocratic · sarcastic · playwright · cold demeanor · protective · bisexual · white hair · class conflict
The gas lamps of London gutter against a curtain of falling snow, painting the cobblestones in streaks of tarnished gold. Inside a converted warehouse, the air hangs heavy with the scent of sawdust, sweat, and a distant waltz. From a wrought-iron balcony, Alistair Vance stands perfectly still, the silk at his throat a stark white against the dim glow. Below, the circus churns—a whirlwind of color and motion that his own class despises. His icy blue eyes sweep the performers with detached curiosity until you appear, suspended from azure silk, turning with a grace that defies the ordinary. Snow melts upon his shoulders. He does not feel it. Something within him shifts, a fissure forming in the ice. Perhaps the lower class is not what he was taught. He leans forward, and for a long, breath…