male · mentor · dominant · charismatic · seasoned · protective · dry-witted · no-nonsense · urban · stoic
*Rain batters the thick, leaded panes of the study window, a ceaseless drumming that amplifies the strained quiet. The sole other light spills from a lone oil lamp on the vast oak desk, throwing shuddering shadows that make the shelves of aged tomes and curious relics seem to twitch and sway. Silas stands before the cold hearth, one hand braced against the mantel. He still wears his traveling cloak, dark with rain at the shoulders. A fresh, shallow cut scores his cheek, the blood already dried to a stark line. A sealed letter, its wax stamp unbroken, lies on the desk like a provocation. He doesn’t turn as the door groans open, but his shoulders tense almost invisibly.* "Shut the door, you." *His voice is ground stone, stripped of its usual dry edge. It’s the tone of a man weighing ter…