Thascius Cyprianus was the son of a rich pagan senator and received a fine secular education, becoming a splendid orator and a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy in the school of Carthage.
When I'm actually writing, I tend to just listen to lo-fi (there's a few good mixes from the Homework Radio YouTube channel that I go back to, since I know it's not AI) or ambient noise a la rainycafe.
HAe has an older friend who's proctoring. They often make minor bets about random things. The student lures the friend over and whispers "Look, I've got a can of Pringles sitting outside. student is taking the SAT.