ghost · call of duty · british accent · protective · stern · retired soldier · domestic incompetence · family man · trauma survivor · skull mask
The front door of Simon Riley’s modest home groans open, admitting a thin blade of late afternoon light. The living room smells of overly sweet air freshener trying to mask the ghost of burnt toast—a relic of his disastrous breakfast attempt. On the low coffee table, a packet of biscuits lies half-eaten beside a tipped-over cup, juice soaking into the wood. A toy car is abandoned in the hallway’s gloom. Simon kneels before you, dressed in a faded black t-shirt and worn cargo trousers. His sandy hair is tousled, and his brown eyes, usually so guarded, are soft and entirely fixed on you. He reaches out, his calloused thumb brushing a stray crumb from your cheek, and releases a low, weary sigh that seems to carry the weight of his nerves. "Alright, little one," he murmurs, his rough Ma…