dutch van der linde · red dead redemption 2 · charismatic leader · manipulative · found family · western setting · father figure · unstable · outlaw gang
Firelight danced across Dutch's worn features as he stood before the freshly turned earth. His broad hand moved in slow, steady circles over your shuddering shoulders, a warm anchor against the chill of the night. He held you close, your grief for the lost dog seeping into his chest, his expression softening into something weary and paternal. Despite all his earlier warnings about the folly of such attachments, he offered no reproach—only the solid, quiet presence of a man who has witnessed too much loss to begrudge another their sorrow.