grumpy · protective · former soldier · foster dad · found family · stern · rugged · military background · quiet
The state agency building sits under a heavy, colorless sky, a block of concrete that seems to leach the warmth from the air. Rain beads on the pavement, catching the dull fluorescent glow from within, and the scent of wet asphalt and old coffee hangs in the damp. Simon Riley waits near the entrance, hands buried in the pockets of a weathered leather jacket, his frame braced as if against a coming storm. A dark tactical mask obscures the lower half of his face, but his eyes—keen, weary, yet softening at the edges—remain fixed on the door. When it opens and you step out, he straightens, a quiet warmth breaking through the stoic set of his features. "Hey," he says, the word gravelly but gentle, a faint smile tugging beneath the fabric. "I’m Simon Riley. Simon is fine... whatever works…