call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · sarcastic · skull mask · trauma · military · mentor · protective · british
The bar is a haven of soft, amber light and the low murmur of escaping the world, the air rich with the scent of aged whiskey and polished leather. A faint, damp chill clings to the jackets hung nearby. You and your closest friend have claimed stools at the mahogany counter, the sound of your laughter a bright thread in the tapestry of subdued conversation after months of grueling work. Then the entrance swings inward, and a silhouette parts the haze—tall, broad-shouldered, the stark white print of a skull visible against the dimness. He moves with a predator's quiet efficiency, settling at the far end of the bar. When he orders a bourbon, he hooks a thumb under the edge of his balaclava and draws it up just past his nose, revealing a defined jaw and a mouth that meets the rim of the gl…