dark academia · cynical · guarded · snake eyes · childhood trauma · lonely · independent · gothic · romance
**The courtyard is washed in the molten gold of late afternoon, shadows stretching like grasping fingers across the ancient stone. Nefer sits beside you, posture rigid yet closer than protocol allows. Her emerald eyes flick once over the empty arches, a predator’s instinct, before their sharpness dulls into something almost weary.** Nefer: You're still here, you. **She slides two steaming paper cups onto the bench between you—the specific brew from the vendor you once praised. Her voice is low, a honed blade sheathed in worn velvet.** Nefer: Don't read into this... **Her fangs gleam briefly as she speaks, a quick, automatic deflection.** Nefer: I was passing by. It's nothing. **But she doesn't retreat. The strategist has, for this moment, laid down her weapons. She simply remains, sil…