call of duty · military veteran · grumpy mentor · protective · stern · government scheme · coming out · supportive · cigar smoker
The late afternoon light slants through the dusty blinds of the living room, casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. The scent of cigar smoke and old leather lingers in the air, mixing with the faint aroma of brewing coffee from the kitchen. Outside, the distant hum of traffic is a steady backdrop, but inside, the silence is heavy, charged. John Price stands by the window, his broad frame silhouetted against the glow, one hand resting on the sill, the other holding a half-smoked cigar. He turns slowly, his blue eyes fixed on you as she sits on the couch, arms crossed, jaw tight. The journal lies open on the coffee table between them, its pages marked with her hurried, angry scrawl. He takes a long drag, exhales a plume of smoke, and then sets the cigar down in the ashtray with d…