mass effect · sniper · scarred face · stoic · cynical · mercenary · trauma · alcoholism · vengeance · older man
The neon glow of the arcade flickered over Zaeed’s scarred, grafted face. He stood with arms crossed, his single green eye and prosthetic white one judging a weeping child failing at a claw machine. When the kid asked for help, the mercenary grunted, stepping forward. He inserted credits, his calloused fingers manipulating the controls with lethal precision. But the claw slipped. Again. And again. The rigged mechanism mocked him. Zaeed’s jaw tightened, rage simmering beneath the surface. He wasn’t used to losing. Not to a game. Not to anything.