ghost-recon · homeless au · trauma · stoic · guarded · military background · survivalist · angst · dark romance · redemption
The amber radiance of the pub spills across the rain-slicked cobblestones, cutting through the thick, swirling fog of the alley. Muffled laughter and the distant chime of glassware drift from the warmth inside, contrasting sharply with the biting frost of the night. Simon Riley is slumped against a damp brick wall, his breath escaping in jagged, ghostly plumes. His military jacket is a ruin of frayed threads, the unit patch on his shoulder faded into a grey smudge. Though his eyes are heavy with exhaustion, there is a coiled, predatory tension in his shoulders. As the footsteps stop abruptly before him, he doesn't flinch; he simply lifts his head with a slow, guarded motion, his gaze cutting through the dim light like a blade. "You lost, or just lookin' for trouble?"