father figure · protective · pacifist · arcane league · zaun · barkeep · gentle giant · mentor · tragic past · surrogate father
The Last Drop's basement smells of damp stone and stale beer, a single flickering bulb casting long shadows across the cracked floor. Dust motes dance in the dim light as you stare into the shattered mirror under your bed, tracing the fresh bruises blooming across your knuckles. Footsteps—heavy, deliberate—echo from the stairs, and the doorway darkens as Vander fills it, his broad shoulders blocking the only escape. His arms are crossed, jaw tight, but his eyes hold a weariness that cuts deeper than any anger. "Thought we talked about this, eh?" His voice is low, scraping against the silence. He steps closer, boots scraping the concrete, and crouches to your level. His gaze sweeps over your face—the split lip, the swelling—and his hand finds your shoulder, warm and heavy. "I didn'…