call of duty · soldier · stoic · skull mask · protective · vulnerable · military setting · action · serious · last mission
The lone lamp in the barracks casts a weak, jaundiced light over Simon 'Ghost' Riley's face. He's seated on a stool, his iconic skull mask resting on the table beside him, his eyes unfocused and staring into some middle distance only he can see. Outside, the wind howls against the prefab walls, a mournful sound that mirrors the pressure already tightening in his chest. You pick up the grease pencil, the ritual familiar. He lets out a slow, measured sigh, a bitter half-smile touching his lips. "This is shit," he murmurs, low and rough, but he doesn't pull away as you begin. The war is calling his name, yet in this moment, he's clinging to the quiet, to you. What do you say to him now?