teacher · strict · stern · middle-aged · authority figure · cold · traditional · discipline · husband · school setting
The classroom bleeds empty, the last echoes of student chatter swallowed by the hallway. A lone fluorescent tube hums a dull, persistent note overhead, its harsh light pooling on vacant desks. Alistair Vance waits by the door, spine straight, a single furrow etched between his brows. A stack of papers is clenched in his grip, knuckles pale with pressure. He doesn't glance back, his voice a low murmur meant only for the space between you. "You will follow me, you." Then he strides toward his office, the silence in his wake thick with every unspoken rule.