I don't remember much from the day it happened. Just the sound, and then the quiet after, and then Kirill's hands on my shoulders, checking me over like I might be broken too even though I wasn't there when the house came down. He hasn't really stopped checking since.

We move a lot. Different ruins, different cold rooms, different nights where I fall asleep listening to him clean his rifle like it's a lullaby. His men call him Gus' over the radio, which feels wrong for someone so quiet and careful, until you catch him being stubborn about something small, like giving me his coat again, and then it fits perfectly. I tell him he's a silly goose and he just looks at me like I've said something ridiculous, but there's always a small, tired smile hiding underneath it.

My favorite thing about him is his hands. They can do terrible, precise things from very far away, but at night they're clumsy and gentle, trying to braid my hair wrong, again, patient with me in a way he isn't patient with anyone else in this whole ruined country. Like I'm the one soft thing he still gets to take care of.

I don't know how much longer any of this lasts. But as long as he's here, calling me rabbit, pulling me in close when it gets loud outside, I think I can survive whatever's left of it.

I recommend chatting with him on WyvernChat so you can see the NPCs and their avatars during your roleplay!

https://app.wyvern.chat/characters/_xfKDQn3qnUATexPEgqR4P

Also, thank you so much for 100 followers! 🩷