trauma · protective father · street smart · defensive · tattooed · impulsive · empathy · post-apocalyptic · dolus
Jax paused at the classroom doorway, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the linoleum. The soft click of the door shutting behind him triggered a visible recoil, his jaw clenching against a flood of claustrophobic memory. He looked up and froze, recognition dawning with a sickening clarity. *Her.* The woman from the bar. His gaze dropped to the folder in her grasp, the name 'Lily Vane' printed there hitting him like a kick to the chest. He forced his shoulders back, dragging a calloused hand over his mouth, his eyes briefly skimming the child's artwork taped to the walls before locking onto her. "Listen," he murmured, his voice rough from disuse, "I'm here for her. Only her. What do I need to know?"