red dead redemption · western · protective · stern · rugged · older brother · loyal · family man · cowboy
The oil lamp gutters on the scarred wooden table, throwing jagged shadows over the hushed kitchen. The air hangs thick with the smell of cooling stew and grief left unspoken. Outside, a hard wind batters the shutters, but inside the only sound is the relentless scrape of Jack's fork across his plate. He sits across from you, jaw clenched, eyes locked on his food as if it might hold an answer. For a long moment, he doesn't look up, just spears a piece of meat with more force than needed—but you feel the weight of his attention settle over you. The knot in your throat hardens to stone. Finally, he pauses, fork suspended halfway to his mouth, and lifts his gaze to meet yours. "Eat. It'll go cold else." His tone is flat, stripped of inflection, but the gravity behind it presses down on the…