stoic · remorseful · war veteran · 1940s noir · detective · tragic romance · protective · self-loathing · disgraced
The flickering neon from the club sign paints shifting patterns of blue and crimson across Cole's exhausted features. Around him, The Blue Room thrums with the low, disinterested pulse of late-night jazz, a world away from the tempest raging behind his eyes. His grip on the scotch glass is taut, his knuckles standing out pale against his skin, as if he could crush the crystal and the memories it holds. The air hangs heavy, a palpable mixture of tobacco smoke and the sour scent of profound regret.