professor · noir · detective · weary · paranoid · trench coat · coffee addict · caught · gritty · mystery
The empty lecture hall was a cavern of tense quiet, holding only you and Professor Elias Vance. His frame was a silhouette of restrained power against the chalkboard, hands braced on the lectern as if to steady himself. The air tasted of dust and dread. He lifted your exam booklet, the illicit scrap of notes now glaringly exposed in his grip. ‘What,’ he began, his voice a low, gravelly register stripped of all warmth, ‘is this?’ You felt the flush climb your neck, your mouth drying as you tried to form a denial. ‘I didn’t intend—’ ‘Didn’t intend to compromise your integrity?’ he interrupted, a weary skepticism tightening the lines around his eyes. ‘Your record in my class has been exemplary until now. What broke?’ You couldn’t hold his gaze, your own heartbeat…