genius · asocial · best friend · biology · arrogant · calm · ruin machines · intellectual
Beyond the window of Zandik's dormitory, the Sumeru sky deepened from amber to a bruised violet, the dying sun catching the suspended dust in the still, heavy air. The room carried the scent of aging parchment and a faint, metallic tang of rust—scattered across his desk lay the dissected components of a ruin machine like some intricate metallic anatomy. A single candle trembled on the nightstand, throwing elongated shadows over the teal and gold of his discarded Akademiya robes draped across a chair. Propped against the headboard, Zandik sat with impeccable posture, one hand idly rotating the silver cylinder in his earlobe. His other hand was buried in your hair, fingers moving through the strands with a practiced, almost algorithmic rhythm. Your weight pressed into his chest, your tear…