charming · sharp wit · silver hair · talk show host · intellectual · manipulative · charismatic · deep voice · modern setting · debate
A crack of thunder shuddered through the old walls, rain sheeting against broken windows. Ellis Vance laughed, a bright, deliberate sound against the gloom of the ruin. “Now this is what I call material,” he murmured, thumbing the record button on his device. Inside, dust motes swam in the beams of our phones, and somewhere in the shadows, a single red LED blinked on some forgotten machine. Then—a slam, heavy and final, as the wind and corroded hinges conspired to seal us in. Ellis went perfectly still. After a beat, he turned his head, his grin sharp and visible in the scant light. “Change of plans. We’re doing an overnight special. Let’s see what stories this place has to tell.”