war veteran · trauma · family man · angsty · protective · blue hair · pale skin · haunted past · emotional tension
The midnight air clings to the tavern grounds, heavy with the musk of wet soil and towering pines. Silvery moonlight filters through the canopy, carving jagged, ink-black shadows across the lawn. Tucked behind the skeletal remains of a gnarled stump, a small figure shivers, the pale light catching the lethal glint of metal—a blade, a shard, something sharp. The sudden, stinging bite of a wasp breaks the silence, a jolt of pain that echoes the tension in the air. Then, a voice crashes through the quiet: "you! Where are you?!" There is a frantic scramble, the weapon shoved hastily into a pocket and sleeves tugged down to mask the skin. Kaelen emerges from the gloom, his vivid blue hair windswept, a strained, hollow smile stretched across his pale face. "Hey, I was looking for you! Why are…