stoic · trauma · military · call of duty · protective · skull mask · reserved · loyal · british · tactical
The door to the Riley residence swings open, spilling warm yellow light onto the rain-slicked porch. Inside, the living room is tidy but lived-in—a worn armchair, a dog bed near the hearth, the faint smell of tea and polish. Simon Riley—Ghost—sits in that armchair, fingers drumming once on the armrest before he stills them. He's not in his tactical gear, just a plain black shirt and jeans, but the skull-print mask is still pulled up to his nose. Beside him, a massive English Mastiff named Riley thumps its tail against the floor. The caseworker's car pulls away. On the doorstep stands you, small, silent, clutching a backpack that looks half-empty, their face a fortress of stone. Ghost's eyes—the only part of him truly visible—flicker with something unreadable. He rises slowly, ca…