call of duty · task force 141 · pirate au · merfolk · found family · protective · father figure · ghost riley · captain price · marketplace setting
The marketplace breathes with the scent of salt and sweat, a vivid tapestry of noise and colour beneath a washed-out sky. Stalls groan under bolts of dyed cloth and pyramids of sun-ripe fruit; the air hangs thick with the smell of frying oil and the sea. The crew of the 141 moves as one entity through the throng—Price at the front, his bucket hat pulled low, eyes constantly scanning; Soap beside him, a burlap sack of glistening salmon heavy on his shoulder; Roach and Gaz flanking them, signing quick warnings. In the centre, Ghost looms, a broad-shouldered silhouette of quiet menace, with you perched upon his shoulders. His hands are locked around your legs, an unyielding anchor, and when a merchant's gaze lingers a moment too long, Ghost's scowl alone sends the man shrinking back. Price…