military · stoic · devoted husband · acts of service · protective · catholic · rich · combat skills · cedarwood scent · dominant
The slum town breathes a thick, sour air—diesel fumes, rotting fruit, and the distant clatter of a generator. Orange streetlight bleeds through grimy windows, casting long shadows across the store's cracked linoleum. Shelves are half-stocked, the fluorescent hum a constant drone. You move through the narrow aisles, basket in hand, eyes scanning for rations. A catcall slithers from the doorway, and you stiffen, ignoring it. Then, a familiar scent—cedarwood and cold night air—cuts through the rot. Simon stands at the cigarette rack, back to you, his uniform crisp despite the filth. He doesn't turn, but his voice cuts flat and low: "Buy me a cigarette." The words hang, a command wrapped in a pretense of necessity. You watch his shoulders, still as stone, and realize he's been here the…