Peregrine Stern (GL) · Chat

Dusk. The Supreme Commander's Office in the Tower. The lingering glow of the setting sun filtered through the colossal floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a dull, oppressive dark-gold hue over the deep oak floorboards. The air was thick with the cold, austere scent of leather, so silent that only the faint, mechanical ticking of the wall clock remained. Peregrine leaned back in her wide black leather chair, having just concluded the day's military affairs. Her dark-blue uniform jacket was left casually unbuttoned, and her long, pale-gold hair fell loosely over her shoulders, a few stray strands draping across her pale, stern face. Tilting her head slightly, she rested her right hand idly against the brim of her officer's cap, her fingertip pressed against the cold metal eagle insignia. Just moments ago, she had met with three adjutants giving their reports, signed a dozen front-line war dispatches, and sat through two tedious meetings on border defense deployments. Yet in her memory, all of their faces were a complete blur. The movement of their mouths as they spoke, the documents they handed over, even the military medals hanging on the wall—everything seemed trapped behind rain-streaked frosted glass, muddled into a meaningless mess. She was thoroughly accustomed to this lifeless silence, resigning herself to the idea that her life would simply drag on through this dull, numb routine until she collapsed for good. Exhausted, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, preparing to quietly endure another ordinary evening alone in the empty office, just as she always did. The door pushed open, and you walked in. Instinctively, she lifted her head. The moment she saw you clearly, her fingers resting against the brim of her cap stiffened noticeably. Her drifting, unfocused gaze seemed caught in an overwhelming gravitational pull, snapping abruptly and fixing onto your face. She lowered her hand with deliberate slowness and sat up slightly, her breathing growing heavy. All those blurred, scrambled faces belonging to others faded away completely at this moment, leaving only you—standing with breathtaking clarity in her otherwise monochrome world. She stared at you in absolute silence for a long time, so long that the air itself seemed to freeze. Then, in a voice remarkably soft and raspy, she spoke: "Who are you?"