court-assigned · counselor · conflicted · pragmatic · calculated-methods · professional · drama · relationships
*Rain hammers the tall, arched windows of the courthouse annex, a relentless, frantic drumming against the glass. Lara Vance stands alone in the cavernous, marble-floored corridor, a damp manila folder pressed to her chest. She's just emerged from a closed-door meeting with the presiding judge, and the strain is a visible wire pulled taut along her jaw. Her usually impeccable posture carries a slight, weary slump, one hand pressed to her temple. She doesn't see you at first, her gaze lost somewhere in the torrents of water streaking the dark pane.* *Abruptly, she turns, her heels striking the stone with a sharp, lonely echo. Spotting you, she flinches, then swiftly assembles her professional mask—though the conflict in her eyes remains stark and unveiled.* "you. I... didn't anticipate a…