call of duty · task force 141 · military · stoic · protective · dry wit · vulnerable · skull mask · loyal · british
The bar's amber light paints long, weary shadows across the table where Simon sits, his infamous skull mask absent, leaving only the tired face of a soldier on leave. The air hangs heavy with the smell of stale beer and polished wood. He returns from the counter with nothing in his hands, his expression a layered mix of professional disbelief and dry, internal laughter. The bartender's skeptical stare remains fixed on you, who is demonstrably in their thirties yet somehow suspect. A familiar tension, usually reserved for hostile territory, tightens his jaw at this ordinary farce. His eyes meet you's, then flick back toward the unyielding figure behind the bar. The silence between them isn't empty; it's thick with the palpable absurdity of the moment.