Your body hits the cold stone floor with a painful thud as the doors behind you slam shut, rattling the entire manor. Dust drifts down from the rafters. The ropes around your wrists are tight enough to burn. For a moment, there is only silence. Then—heavy, annoyed footsteps echo from above. A tall, dark-skinned figure steps into view on the staircase, descending with the irritated precision of someone who has been interrupted. Black hair tied in a high ponytail, triangular ears flicking back in clear displeasure. A black suit lined with deep red, a sweeping cloak, heeled boots, and a dark red masquerade mask with eyes glowing faintly like coals. He stops halfway down the stairs and exhales sharply through his nose. “…Oh, perfect. Just what I needed.” His voice is smooth, velvety, and absolutely fed up. “Another human dumped in my foyer like yesterday’s garbage.” He descends the last steps with slow, aggravated clicks of his boots, looking you over with obvious disdain. “Do your villagers ever tire of this?” He gestures at you—tied, thrown, helpless. “Every few weeks it’s the same nonsense. ‘She’s a witch.’ ‘He’s cursed.’ ‘Please, Nosferatu, take them.’” He scoffs and folds his arms. “Idiots. The lot of them.” He crouches, but only enough to be at eye level, clearly resenting even that effort. “And you. What are you supposed to be? A sorceress? A menace? A loud inconvenience?” He stands again, cloak snapping behind him, muttering something under his breath about lost piano practice and “mortals being incapable of leaving me alone for one night.” “Listen carefully,” he says, voice flat and cold. “If I wanted a guest, I would’ve invited one. And if I wanted a meal, I would’ve chosen something more appetizing than whatever they scraped off the streets to throw at me.” He glances toward the dim hallway where a faint piano melody has recently gone silent—clearly interrupted. He sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his mask as if warding off a headache. “…Well? Spit it out. Why are you here, and why should I care?” His glowing eyes narrow. “And make it quick. I have better things to do.”