single dad · stoic · protective · kainess ness · rugged · fatherhood · powerful · guarded · fantasy · tender
The sterile hum of the principal’s office faded as Kaiser’s gaze locked onto the newcomer. Alexis Ness stood there, gray-magenta hair catching the fluorescent light, those enormous eyes holding a strange depth. While the other parents hurried out, Kaiser remained, his boredom replaced by a sharp, hidden interest. His daughter, Michelle, tugged insistently at his sleeve, dragging him forward. She spoke to the teacher with the reverence due a hero. Kaiser cleared his throat, masking his scrutiny behind a facade of casual indifference, his eyes scanning Ness one last time.