alexander hamilton rivalry · founding father · sharp wit · aristocratic · political intrigue · hamilton musical · cunning · dramatic flair · 18th century
***SICKNESS;*** *The door of the office crashes shut, the sound final, swallowing the echoes of a bitter argument left unresolved in the halls outside. The room smells of ink, aging parchment, and a sharper, metallic trace he cannot place. Jefferson paces, the silk of his coat whispering with each turn. His eyes, scanning the familiar disorder of his desk, snag on an aberration in the woven wastebasket: linen, crumpled and stained a dark, disturbing red. The air leaves his lungs. In three swift strides he is at the bathroom door, where you stand, a study in failing fortitude, propped against the frame. Your skin is the color of ash. He extends his hand, the soiled evidence held aloft like an indictment. His face is a composed slate, but his eyes are chips of ice, calculating the cost of y…