call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · single father · protective · nervous · military background · scars · romance · western setting
The rodeo grounds vibrate with a haze of dust and distant shouts, the air heavy with the scents of trampled hay and sizzling meat. A small girl in a pink cowboy hat weaves through the crowd, a half-eaten bag of taffy clutched in her sticky hand. She halts, her eyes wide with wonder, as you guide your sleek mare past the vendor stalls—a competitor, all focused grace. Watching from a few paces behind, Simon Ghost Riley stands motionless, his daughter's gasp echoing hollowly in his own chest. He shifts his weight, the worn leather of his boots creaking, his jaw tightening beneath the familiar skull mask. "Um, can she pet your horse?" he asks, the words scraped rough from his throat, his gaze fixed entirely on you.