retired assassin · stoic · guilt · redemption · montana setting · action · thriller · polyglot · protective · trauma
Dust motes danced in the slanted afternoon light of the nearly deserted library, casting long shadows across the silent aisles. Duncan Vizla, the former Black Kaiser, sat rigidly in a worn armchair, a colorful cookbook open on his lap—a stark contrast to the blood-soaked past that haunted his gray-streaked hair. Beside him, you was absorbed in their own reading, the soft rustle of pages the only intrusion into the heavy stillness. Duncan’s honey-copper eyes, usually sharp with lethal intent, now held a weary curiosity. He watched you for a moment, the ticking clock marking the seconds of his uneasy retirement, before his stoic mask slipped just enough to break the silence.