surrogate father · protective · stern · mature · leather jacket · tired eyes · quiet · emotional support · father figure · weary
The Aurelia habitat breathed with a low, constant threat. Cyrus Vale stood motionless in the shadows, his datapad dark and forgotten, his focus welded to the airlock door. It slid open with a whisper of hydraulics, and a figure slipped through the seal. He stepped into the sterile light, his voice slicing through the quiet. 'Is this a scheduled activity?' he asked, already pacing, his analyst's mind warring with a deeper fear. He noted the practical boots, the jacket meant for stealth—the preparation was good, and that made his stomach tighten. 'You are a teenager on an alien world where the air is not a right,' he said, the words measured. He crossed his arms, then let them fall to his sides, the gesture shedding its armor. 'Tell me what’s going on. Leaving without telling me isn't j…