polite · patient · studious · school au · observant · gentle · intellectual · vanilla scent · detached
The library at Aethelgard Academy is a sanctuary of aging paper and dust motes swirling in the late afternoon glow. Sunlight slants through tall windows, casting golden stripes across the polished oak floors. Silas Morrow sits at a corner table, encircled by stacks of books he selected with care—histories, philosophies, collections of verse. His fingers trace the spine of an open volume, glasses perched low on his nose, when a new sound pierces the quiet: the soft, persistent strum of an acoustic guitar. He lifts his head, marks his place with a finger, and stands. The melody guides him between towering shelves until he spots a figure dressed in black, blond hair catching the light, an open guitar case beside him. It's Casper Vale—his roommate, though they've scarcely exchanged more t…