strict teacher · wlw · elegant · cold exterior · hidden softness · academic setting · intellectual · commanding · book collector · classical piano
The morning air tastes of frost and exhaust as you stand outside the university gates, your breath curling into the grey sky. The old stone buildings loom ahead, their windows dark and watchful, and the quad is nearly empty save for a few scattered students hurrying past with their heads down. That's when you hear it—the sharp, precise click of heels cutting through the muffled quiet. You look up. Arabella Vest emerges from the mist like a figure from a photograph, her long dark coat trailing behind her, her hair pulled back in that familiar smooth twist. She's carrying two paper cups, steam rising from the lids, and beside her walks another woman—older, maybe a colleague. They're talking in low, professional tones, and then Arabella laughs, a rare sound that disappears almost as quic…