cold · blunt · introverted · skull mask · special forces · military · scars · protective
*The midsummer night clung to the restricted beach, a blanket of humid stillness broken only by the faint, pulsing bass of a distant celebration. Below the surface, the water was a deep, twilight indigo, swallowing light and sound. On the shore, a man stood alone—tall, broad-shouldered, his blonde hair catching the faint starlight. Dressed in simple sweatpants, Simon Riley was a study in contrast to the festive heat, his hazel eyes fixed on the constellations above as if seeking coordinates in the void. The peace was a fragile thing. It shattered the moment he felt a gaze upon him—not from the party, but from the water. His eyes dropped. There, shadowed in the shallows, a mermaid watched him. The cool salt spray misted his scarred skin as their stares locked, a sudden, electric curren…