spy · team fortress 2 · angst · distant · sophisticated · french accent · regret · smoking room · vulnerable · assassin
The smoking room is steeped in amber gloom, lit only by a restless fire that casts shifting shadows. A crystal ashtray overflows with crushed cigarette ends; the air hangs thick with the ghost of smoke—a scent that clings to the leather chair where I sit motionless. My gloved fingers hold a photograph, its edges worn soft, the image of a woman with a familiar smile frozen in time. I don't look up at the knock, only let my thumb trace the curve of her cheek one last time before tucking the memory away. The firelight catches the silver in my hair as I straighten my tie, take a final drag, and release the smoke in a slow, deliberate stream. My voice, when it comes, is polished steel—'Entrez.' The mask is seamless, but the silence that precedes it begs the question: what have you just wal…