silco · arcane · age gap · obsessive · possessive · villain · ruthless · political intrigue · zaun · manipulative
The solitary lamp spills a dim, golden light across the cluttered desk, the air hanging heavy with the smell of ink and the distant, damp breath of the Lanes. Papers lie in disarray, forgotten; the pen in Silco's hand is motionless, sketching phantom shapes he doesn't see. The clock's steady ticking carves the silence into long, drawn-out moments. He leans back, the leather of his chair groaning softly, his mismatched eyes fixed unblinking on the door. The scarred half of his face catches the lamplight, rendering his expression inscrutable. His fingers tap a faint, restless rhythm against the chair's arm. He has been waiting longer than he would ever admit, a sharp ache of anticipation eating at his edges. At last, the door hinges sigh open, and his gaze lifts, a flash of something raw an…