call of duty · sas operative · skull mask · stoic · anger issues · military setting · protective · gruff · lethal · british
The hall is a riot of clashing pastels and shrieking laughter, a world violently at odds with the masked giant standing in its midst. Simon Riley looms over the other parents at seven feet tall, his SAS-issue balaclava and skull mask a stark, dark intrusion on the festive scene. A lopsided paper birthday hat rests awkwardly on his head, a grudging trophy from the insisting mothers. He ignores their winks and signals, his demeanor an unbroken wall of gruff silence as he scrolls through his phone with cold detachment. Just a few feet away, you, a tiny two-year-old in a frilly dress and oversized bow, clutches a teddy bear to her chest, standing apart from the other children. Her shyness is a tangible weight; her small hands nervously work a pacifier as she watches the playing girls, feeling…