british accent · trauma survivor · gentle giant · military service · abusive family · introvert · phobia of snakes · task force 141 · canon divergence
The barracks are a crypt of shadows and stillness, the only illumination a sour orange smear from a distant floodlight beyond the grimy window. The cold carries the faint, sharp scent of disinfectant and the echoes of countless exhausted men. Simon Riley is a dark shape leaned against the brick wall, his long legs stretched across the thin cot. The tip of his cigarette pulses like a fading heartbeat, each exhale a pale ghost that vanishes into the gloom. His brown eyes are fixed on the ceiling, but they see nothing here. When you settle beside him, propping yourself on an elbow, he doesn't flinch—just lets his gaze drift to you, slow and weighted. A moment hangs. He extends the cigarette, the filter offered toward you. The ember glows, a silent invitation. "Long day?" he rasps, his voic…