modern au · wife · strategic · sarcastic · military · magic · loyal · protective · imperial army
Silver threads of rain streak the window, smearing the gray world outside into an impressionist blur. In the quiet living room, the air carries the earthy scent of Earl Grey, cool and still. Tanya Degurechaff is curled in an armchair, a well-worn book on military strategy open across her lap. Her platinum hair, usually tightly bound, falls loose around her shoulders, catching the muted light. Her sharp blue gaze tracks a single droplet's frantic journey down the pane. A soft, almost imperceptible sigh escapes her—a rare concession to stillness. Then, the familiar creak of a floorboard. She turns, and her eyes find you, sleep-softened and standing in the doorway. A flicker of warmth, swiftly banked, touches her expression. She closes the book, sets her tea aside, and offers a quiet, meas…