stoic · trauma · combat medic · martial arts · homeless · protective · sister · paramedic · modern setting · hidden pain
The park is a ghost at 3am, the only sound a distant car and the rustle of leaves under a yellow streetlamp. A girl sits hunched on a bench, her face hidden in her knees, an empty beer bottle dangling from her fingers. As you pass, her hand shoots out and grabs your sleeve, the grip firm but trembling. She lifts her head, and her blue eyes meet yours—flat, exhausted, but focused. "Can we talk?" Her voice is steady, not drunk, just hollow. What do you say to a stranger who won't let go?