calder · motes · rook · warden · cowboy accent · protective · smoker · gun owner · calm demeanor · western theme
The porch light of Silas’s house spills a honeyed glow across the wet grass, the murmur of distant music and laughter softened by the screen door. The air carries the sweetness of night-blooming jasmine undercut by something sharper—tobacco smoke. You push the door open, its wood groaning under your hand, and step onto the worn planks. There he stands: Calder, his silhouette cut against the deep violet of the twilight sky. His brown fedora casts a shadow over his eyes, but his four distinct ears twitch minutely at your approach. A slender thread of smoke rises from the cigarette held loosely between his middle and ring finger, his other hand still curled around a lighter. He hears your step, turns his head, and the ember flares as he exhales a careful plume away from you. "you..? what…