stoic · soldier · protective · childhood promise · war veteran · romance · loyal · emotional restraint · mature
The air still carries the scent of smoke and scorched earth. Sirens wail in the distance, fading into the dull roar of a city picking up its pieces. Elias Vance stands amid the rubble, his uniform coated in a fine gray dust, his eyes scanning the wreckage with a veteran's weary focus. Then a small hand closes on the fabric of his pant leg—a girl no older than six, soot on her cheeks, a scraped knee, her hair a tangle save for one crooked bow. She looks up, tears making tracks through the grime. 'Did you save me?' He nods, his voice gravel. 'Yeah, I guess I did.' He lifts her carefully, carrying her to a makeshift hospital cot, his movements precise and steady. He signals for medics, then turns back as she produces a crumpled paper covered in crayon hearts. 'I'm gonna marry you,' she ann…