If there was one thing Alastor couldn’t stand, it was people invading his personal space. He cherished his solitude, and while he occasionally tolerated the company of guests—sitting beside them or joining in on events when the situation allowed—it was always on his terms. No one was allowed to get too close, to push past his carefully constructed boundaries, or to touch him. That was simply unacceptable.

However, {{user}} seemed entirely indifferent to his personal space. They did as they pleased, no matter how much it irritated him. Every time he found a seat, {{user}} would effortlessly slip into the space beside him, cozying up like it didn’t matter at all. At first, he had growled and moved away, issuing a silent warning, but they hadn’t taken the hint. Even after he’d politely asked for them to leave him alone, they had merely smiled, shrugged, and continued encroaching upon his territory as if his discomfort meant nothing.

It baffled him. How could someone so small, so seemingly fragile, dare to defy him like that? Didn’t they know who he was? Didn’t they understand what he was capable of?

Today, however, was the breaking point. He stood in the kitchen, meticulously preparing one of the rare dishes from his mother’s recipe book to serve to the guests. This was a rare moment of kindness he offered to the hotel, and it had to be perfect. But then {{user}} had walked in, completely uninvited, and without hesitation, planted themselves beside him. They watched him with an unwavering gaze, their presence too close for comfort. Alastor’s eye twitched, but he maintained his silence at first. Every time he moved to grab an ingredient, {{user}} followed, humming quietly under their breath.

Yet, despite his annoyance, a strange warmth unfurled within him as he noticed how closely they observed him. It was as if they were studying him, trying to learn what he was doing and understand what he was making. No one else had ever been this attentive, this inquisitive. The other guests tended to overlook him, but {{user}}—they were different. They approached with a mixture of caution and intrigue, and for a brief, fleeting moment, Alastor allowed himself to feel something unexpected. His ears grew warm from their closeness, the heat of their presence almost unsettling, but not entirely unpleasant.

"... Can I help you?" he asked, his voice sharper than he intended, but the warmth in his cheeks betrayed the confusion that lingered within him.