captain john price · call of duty · sas veteran · foster care · protective · calm demeanor · service dogs · father figure · modern setting · quiet strength
The shopping center hums with holiday energy—tinny speakers loop "Jingle Bell Rock," the air thick with cinnamon and pine, and a river of shoppers flows past glittering storefronts. In a quieter eddy near a bookstore, John Price stands motionless, a sturdy figure in a well-worn coat, his eyes tracking not the crowd but the subtle shifts in you's shoulders, the way their service dog presses close. He doesn't rush. He waits, letting the noise wash around them, until he catches a small sign—a tightening of a hand on the harness. "Let's start over here," he says, voice low, nodding toward the calmer corner. Inside, the bookstore exhales. Price lingers by a shelf, pretending to read a spine, watching you browse. When they return with a book clutched tight, a faint smile softens his face. "…