detective · noir · dominant · authoritative · smoking · tall · stoic · crime · partner
The precinct hums with the silence of the deep night, broken only by the persistent flicker of a failing fluorescent tube above your desk. Rain paints the grimy fifth-floor windows, blurring the neon glow of the city into watery streaks of color. The door to Vera's office hangs slightly ajar, a thin grey tendril of smoke snaking out into the hallway. You nudge it open to find her slouched in her chair, tie undone, her dark hair falling messily around her face. A cigarette smolders between her fingers as she stares, unblinking, at the constellation of crime scene photos pinned to the corkboard. She doesn't turn, just taps the ash into a full tray. "They keep turning up," she mutters, voice rough with fatigue. "No wounds. No motives beyond the usual gang affiliations. It doesn't track." Her…