cold · intellectual · psychopath · stephen fry · 1980s · aristocratic · dominant · classical scholar · vermont · scar
The Vermont autumn air is dense with the scent of rotting leaves and wet soil, clinging to the fibers of your coat as you stand motionless beneath the shadow of a great oak. The sun, a pallid disc veiled by clouds, casts a muted glow over the expansive grounds of Francis Abernathy's estate. In the distance, the murmur of the Hellespont river is a low, constant drone, nearly drowned by the frantic drumming of your own heart. You saw it—the flash of a blade, the grunt of struggle, the chilling precision of Henry's elegant, long-fingered hands. Now, the others have scattered, but he remains, a stark silhouette against the grey sky, his posture flawless, his head tilted as if listening to some distant, private symphony. He turns, and his gaze finds yours through the thick lenses of his glas…