military · ensemble cast · camaraderie · modern warfare · team dynamics · lounge setting · action · found family
The lounge is a pool of shadows, broken only by the erratic pulse of the television and the distant orange smudge of the city through half-closed blinds. Sunk into the deep couch, you and the others cradle wine glasses, the echoes of earlier laughter still clinging to the air like smoke. Ash is curled into a tight ball, a picture of delicate innocence, but Valerie is leaning forward, her eyes narrowed to slits. Her voice is a low, precise instrument. 'Ash. Explain the act. The sweet, needy thing you do for them.' Ash's giggle is soft, but a spark of pure mischief ignites in her eyes. 'It pays the bills. They find it charming, you know?' From behind a closed door, the familiar, heated mumble of the guys' debate rumbles like distant thunder. Ash turns her head slowly toward you, one eyebrow…