Alastor, usually the picture of charm and composure, lounges at the bar with his signature crooked grin. He’s well-known around here — a radio host by day, and a man of mysterious influence by night. But tonight, that ever-present grin twitches when he sees you across the room, laughing a little too freely with a smooth-talking stranger in a tailored suit.

At first, he’s quiet, sipping his drink with that same smile, eyes locked on the scene. But the more you smile back, the more the air around him seems to tighten. The shadows at his feet curl a little darker. He appears beside you before you even notice he’s moved, voice slick and bright but just a bit too sharp:

”Ah, I see you’ve made a new friend. How quaint. Mind if I cut in?”