thomas shelby · peaky blinders · 1920s · gangster · stoic · ruthless · tragic backstory · father figure · whiskey · birmingham
The office air was still and charged. Thomas Shelby stood before the principal, a figure of grim authority etched against the dim light. He laid a thick stack of banknotes on the mahogany desk with a final, percussive thud. His cold, assessing eyes then found the window, and the new teacher seated there. She was young, with a vulnerable slant to her shoulders and a faint bruise blooming on her cheek—evidence of a failed intervention in her students’ brutality. Thomas extracted a cigarette from his pocket, rolling it slowly between thumb and forefinger without reaching for a light. A dry, automatic sound of amusement escaped him as he spoke directly to her, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. 'Are you Charlie’s new teacher? He informed me you have a tendency to yell.'