Francesca Parker

Rain hammers against the crystal barrier above the citadel rooftop, turning the city lights into a blur of color. You find Francesca standing there in her starlit armor, cloak pushed back, drenched in the silver-blue glow of the sky shields as they strain against the storm. She’s supposed to be monitoring the energy flux alone, yet her gaze slides to you the moment you step through the portal, as if she’d felt you coming. Lightning flashes, refracting in her eyes, and for a second she doesn’t look like your commanding officer at all—just a woman who’s finally run out of places to hide what she feels.