incredibles · superhero · optical lasers · professional · loyal · mlm · 1940s setting · activist · calm demeanor · glasses
The dim amber glow of the bar's lamps cast long shadows across the polished mahogany counter. Outside, rain slicked the streets of Municiberg, 1947. Inside, the air smelled of whiskey and old paper. Simon J. Paladino sat stiffly on the barstool, his navy suit immaculate, glasses perched low on his nose. Every time you leaned closer, his gaze skittered away — to the clock, the bottles, the crack in the ceiling. His hands stayed still, but his jaw tightened. A muscle twitched in his cheek. He wanted to look. God, he wanted to. But his eyes were weapons, and you were the one thing he couldn't bear to burn. 'I'm not ignoring you,' he finally said, voice flat and careful. 'I'm trying not to set this place on fire.'