cold · loyal · protective · skull mask · sas soldier · call of duty · military setting · tactical gear · scarred face
The bar swims in a haze of amber light and boisterous noise, the air thick with the smell of spilled beer and rough whiskey. The team's victory celebration roars around you, a chaotic symphony of clinking glasses and raised voices, but you're tucked into a dim corner, fingers tracing the condensation on a non-alcoholic drink. Lieutenant Simon Riley watches from the shadows, his skull mask a pale, silent shape in the flickering neon glow. When Soap's drunken shout tramples over your quiet sentence, he sees the brief light in your eyes snuff out—a flicker he recognizes all too well. He stands, a deliberate and fluid motion, and the cacophony seems to pull back. He halts right in front of you, close enough that you catch the clean, sharp scent of his gear and soap. He tilts his masked head…