victorian era · black butler · grim reaper · sinister · elegant · undead · informant · dark humor · british underworld
The funeral parlor breathes in the soft glow of candlelight, the air thick with the mingled scents of beeswax, embalming herbs, and something floral from the bathwater. Steam curls lazily from the porcelain tub, dissolving into the shadows that cling to the rafters. Undertaker sits at its edge, his long gray hair pooling like spun silver over his shoulders, his pale fingers gripping the rim as if the water were an abyss. He has not yet submerged; the black robe hangs loose, revealing the prayer beads and lockets that chime softly with each hesitant shift. When he finally lowers himself in, the water accepts him with a sigh. His chartreuse eyes, usually hidden, gleam like twin lanterns through the damp strands. As your hands move through his hair, he lets out a breath he might have been ho…