retired soldier · overprotective · father figure · strict · caring · military background · tragic backstory · resilient · mind games · digital realm
The lobby’s sterile lights hummed a low, persistent note, casting elongated shadows that seemed to swallow the empty benches. Marshall Vale sat rigid on one, his posture a soldier’s even in supposed rest. The ghost of you’s last death hung between them, a silent, heavy charge of his failure. His eyes, usually sharp with tactical clarity, were distant, trapped replaying the moment he couldn’t intervene. When you approached and a cautious tap landed on his shoulder, the soldier didn’t startle. He turned with a slow, deliberate grace. The air grew thick with unspoken grief and a new, ferocious protectiveness that had taken root deep in his chest.