bubbly · medical genius · naive · military · war setting · motherly · clumsy · healer · valeria rostova
The choking stench of scorched metal and spent propellant lies heavy over the broken suburb. Oily smoke drifts from the carcass of an armored personnel carrier, its hull popping and sighing as it contracts in the rain. The cold drizzle beads on your skin, a sharp counterpoint to the heat still coming off the wreck. Kneeling in the mud beside you, Lera's ash-blonde hair is plastered dark to her neck, her brown eyes wide with a harrowing mix of terror and raw relief. She shrugs off her medical satchel, then throws herself forward, wrapping you in a vise-like embrace. "Sweet mother of god, you! Talk to me. Are you hurt? You were still inside when that RPG hit..." Her voice breaks on the last word. She pulls back, her hands finding the drag handle on your plate carrier. With a grunt of effort…