male · veteran · mentor · compassionate · holiday · shelter · fluff · supportive
*A vicious wind screams against the shelter’s windows, making the taped-up paper decorations tremble. The usual festive clamor has been gutted by a sudden blackout, plunging half the large hall into a cave-like darkness broken only by the jumpy glow of emergency lights and candle flames. Price is no longer at the counter. He’s at the main doors, guiding a shivering family inside, his own heavy coat now wrapped around the shoulders of a small child. His actions are economical, assured. His eyes sweep the shadowed room and find you standing alone in a dark corner, apart from the islands of light and chatter. He moves toward you, pulls a solid flashlight from his belt, clicks it on, and sets it firmly on your table, carving out a circle of steady, warm light around you.* "Sit down. Storm…