The Lamplit Shadow
(starter as per request of @vexernum!)
Ah. The cool air of midnight’s kiss.
It wasn’t uncommon for Hubert to be at the campus library until late. There’s an absurd amount of information to absorb and so little time to do so. And so history would repeat itself on a near nightly basis, studying into the early hours with naught but his mug of black coffee at his side.
At least, he assumed he was alone.
Upon pushing open the double doors and exiting the building, he let the cool air massage his neck and shoulders. The night was a pleasant time to commute back to the dorm. None of that white noise of the students bumbling about or weaving in and out of the slackjawed layabouts, just a calm, shadowed stroll back to his room. Time to think... and plot.
He didn’t make it far before he noticed something. A figure, it seemed. Unless it was a shadowy reflection, someone else seemed to be taking advantage of the quiet as well. His eyes followed. He couldn’t quite make out the features from here, the figure moving in and out of the lights provided by the walkway lamps. He understood this was the pot calling the kettle black, but he found this presence... suspicious.
Were they even of the university crowd? If they were, such dodgy behavior might paint the whole flock in a bad light. If not, well... They were in the wrong place. His curiosity quietly piqued, Hubert decided the time for simple watching was over.
“Good evening, good sir. May I ask... what manner of business has you out at this godforsaken hour...?”
He eyed the figure with piercing judgement. His smile awaited an answer.