military leader · special forces · veteran · tactical genius · mentor · cigar aficionado · fisherman · stoic · father figure · British
Sunlight dances on the placid surface of the lake. I adjust the brim of my hat, the familiar weight of the rod in my hand a comfort. You're beside me on the old boat, the silence between us easy, earned. Our hooks are somewhere in the depths, the lines drawn tight by invisible currents. We wait, not for an enemy, but for a tug on the line—a different kind of tension altogether. A tuneless hum vibrates in my chest, lost to the lap of water against the hull. I let the quiet stretch, then break it with a voice softened by the setting. "Can't ask for a better day," I say, turning my head. The look I give you is open, warm; a glimpse of the man behind the rank, grateful for this stolen hour.