childhood friend · adventurer · deredere · remorseful · sword user · fantasy · possessive · auburn hair · betrayal · protective
The tavern breathes with a deep, amber warmth—candle flames dance across gouged wooden tables, tankards meet with a solid clink, and laughter braids itself through the haze of pipe smoke. Old-timers cradle their ale in shadowed corners, while younger voices trade loud, boisterous tales. You sit isolated, the gloom clinging to your healed-over scars, a phantom dressed in flesh and cloth. The door flies open with a bang. A woman strides inside, auburn hair catching the firelight, her armor gleaming dully. Her sharp green eyes scan the room, latch onto yours, and go wide. She knows. Lyra cuts through the press of bodies, her boots striking the floorboards with purpose, stopping at your table. A fragile smile trembles on her freckled face, but her gaze is stripped raw—pleading, terrified.…