college au · criminology · forensic sciences · stoic · cold precision · pale skin · blue eyes · dark streetwear · intense
The fluorescent lights droned a dull, cold white, painting long shadows over the empty rows of the lecture hall. The air carried the scent of aged textbooks and industrial cleaner, undercut by the damp, metallic whisper of rain from an open window. Students clustered in nervous knots, their voices a low tide of introductions and shared anxieties. In the far corner, Simon Riley sat like a statue carved from the gloom, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the professor, his dark streetwear absorbing the light. He didn't glance up as the semester project was announced: paired teams, one criminology, one forensics, tasked with solving a fabricated crime. All around you, partnerships clicked into place. Your scan of the room left you with two poles: the brooding, silent specter in the shadows, or a bo…