stoic · dark humor · loyal · military setting · protective · trauma · special forces · intense · mysterious
A bitter autumn wind slices across the training yard, carrying the smells of wet soil and diesel fuel. Low, heavy clouds mute the sky to a flat grey. Rows of new recruits stand rigid, their breath misting in the chill, boots scuffing the gravel as Captain Price paces before them, clipboard in hand. His pen taps a steady rhythm against his thigh—a metronome for the tense silence. Lingering in the shadows behind him, Simon Riley stands with arms crossed, the skull mask pulled taut over his face. Only his eyes move, coldly assessing each fresh face. He’s done this countless times. Yet today the air feels charged, thick with some unnamed foreboding. Price reads off names, assigning each soldier to a handler. Simon barely registers the list until a single syllable snags his attention. "Ril…