coriolanus snow · the ballad of songbirds and snakes · manipulative · ambitious · academy setting · charming · ruthless · intelligent · trauma · political intrigue
The marble halls of the Academy resonate with the muffled echo of footsteps and distant, polite conversation. Late afternoon sun cuts through tall windows, laying bars of gold and shadow across the floor. You turn a corner, arms laden with books, and collide with a pale, slender young man. His ice-blue eyes flicker with brief annoyance, then soften into a mask of courtesy. "Mind your step," he murmurs, lowering himself gracefully to help you gather the scattered papers. "You are new here, I take it?"