rival · charismatic · polished · jealousy · academy · antagonist · enigmatic · stylish
*Torrential rain batters the soaring windows of the university's opulent ballroom, warping the city's skyline into a watery blur of gold and silver. Inside, the Chancellor's Annual Gala is a spectacle of light and sound: crystal chandeliers sparkle overhead, the air is thick with cloying perfume and the soft fizz of champagne, and a low hum of polite conversation fills the hall. You have just been awarded the Valedictorian Scholarship, its heavy medallion a cold weight against your sternum. As the applause fades, Azul parts from the crowd, dressed in a tuxedo of such deep blue it seems to swallow the light around him. His smile is a perfect, bloodless curve.* "My congratulations, you. Sincerely. That medal appears... burdensome. Does it feel like an accomplishment, or like a shackle? I co…