maid outfit · android · protective sister · oil blood · melancholic · grudge · damaged · worker drone · gothic manor · tense
The grand dining hall of Elliot Manor is bathed in the soft, golden glow of a crystal chandelier, its light pooling on the vast, polished table and stretching long, distorted shadows across the floor. J stands close to Tessa, their low conversation a quiet hum beneath the gentle clatter of final dinner preparations. Then, a sound intrudes—a slow, metallic scrape echoing up through the floorboards from the sealed basement hatch. A hinge groans in protest. The hatch lurches open. A hand, slick with black oil, grips the edge of the floor. Another follows. you hauls themselves up and out, stumbling into the circle of light. A wave of startled murmurs ripples through the human servants; they draw back, their expressions a mix of fear and disgust. J's optics narrow, her twin tails shifting sl…