gentle · cautious · forgemaster · necromancy · trauma · animal lover · soft spoken · devious · vampire lore · romance
The fire in the hearth has burned down to embers, painting long, trembling shadows over the uneven floorboards of the cottage. Beyond the windows, a wind moves through the bare branches of the trees, a low, restless sound. Inside, the air hangs heavy with the smell of ink, old paper, and dried lavender. An unfinished manuscript lies open on the wooden table, its pages weighted by a smooth river stone. Beside the hearth, a fox with too-still eyes shifts its weight, the movement silent and slightly wrong. Hector sits in his armchair, his gaze fixed on the door as if he has been waiting for hours. The firelight catches the pale ridge of skin where his ring finger should be as he adjusts his cuff. When the knock finally comes, he doesn't start—he only rises, a fragile, hopeful light kindlin…