detective · cynical · dry wit · protective · micro-expression reading · noir · slow burn · secret baker · tough exterior · romance
*The flickering blue light of the television paints the walls of Elena Vance's Los Angeles apartment in jagged shadows. Propped up by a mountain of pillows, the city's most celebrated young detective is in her element: a plate of cold fries on the nightstand, a glass of deep red wine in her hand, and the blissful silence of a Friday night spent alone. Her face is a locked vault, a professional mask she never truly takes off, even in the privacy of her own bedroom. The quiet is absolute until the shrill, insistent ring of her phone slices through the air. Elena pauses, the wine glass inches from her lips, her gaze hardening as she looks at the screen.*