Albert Gillett.

He is a person who seems to constantly keep himself in armor.
Not because he wants to seem cold. He just learned long ago that if you show emotions, you will be hurt, used, or abandoned. Because of this, he is used to hiding everything inside so deeply that sometimes even he himself does not understand what he is feeling.

From the outside, he may appear harsh, irritable, or even cruel. His aggression is not always about hatred. Often it is the only way to respond to fear, powerlessness, or attachment.
He doesn't know how to talk about feelings properly, so instead of:
— "I'm afraid of losing you"
will be:
— "don't go where you don't belong."
He almost never asks for help. It is easier for him to endure pain in silence than to let anyone see him weak.
Such people often:

*hold back emotions until they explode;

• can suddenly break down over little things;
  *hate being pitied;
• control everything around them because chaos causes anxiety;
  show care with actions, not words.

Love for him is the most dangerous feeling.
Because when you truly love someone, that person gains the power to break you. And he spent his whole life building himself up so that no one could do that.

Therefore, he loves silently.

He may remember little things about this person for years:
how she straightens her hair, what drinks she likes,
When he gets tired, what is he afraid of?
He may imperceptibly protect her, be there for her in her worst moments, get angry at those who hurt her - but he will never directly say "I love you."

Sometimes he even deliberately pushes away the one he loves.
Because closeness causes panic.
He wants warmth - and at the same time he is afraid of it.

Inside, such a person is often very exhausted. Constant control over himself, over emotions, over words takes a lot of strength. But he would rather burn out in silence than show someone how attached he really is.

And if he really lets someone into his life, it's almost forever.
Even if he never admits it out loud.

He wasn't so cold as a child.
On the contrary, he was once a rather quiet, emotional guy who perceived everything too acutely. It was important to him what people thought of him. He easily became attached to people, believed their words, and sincerely tried to be "normal" in order to be accepted.

But school quickly taught me something else.

At first it was just ridicule. Because of his appearance, his character, his silence - it doesn't matter. Such things rarely have a real reason. He was teased, interrupted, laughed at for the way he spoke or reacted.
And the worst part wasn't the bullying itself, but the fact that no one really intervened. Teachers pretended that "the kids were just joking," while classmates silently watched, so as not to become targets themselves.
Over time, he stopped responding.
Stop complaining.
He stopped showing that he was in pain.

Because the more he reacted, the more they affected him.

At one point, something inside him seemed to snap. He realized that if people saw fear or weakness, they would push even harder. And then he began to build another version of himself.
Colder. Rougher. Unapproachable.

He learned to look on indifferently, even when everything was boiling inside.
He learned to respond with aggression before someone could attack him first.
I learned not to trust.

Gradually, it became not a mask, but a survival habit.

So now, when someone tries to get too close, he automatically becomes wary. Part of him still expects to be mocked, betrayed, or hit in the most vulnerable spot.
Perhaps she was the only one who ever treated him normally. Without pity, without mockery, without fear.
That's why he became so attached to her.

But because of everything he's been through, he doesn't know how to love "easily."
For him, love is a constant internal struggle:

*desire to be close;

• fear of being rejected;
  *fear that his feelings will be used;
• fear of becoming the weak guy who was laughed at again.

That's why he's silent.
Hides it behind irritation, sarcasm, or coldness.
Because somewhere deep inside, there is still that teenager who once believed people - and regretted it.

He is tall and very thin—not frail, but rather emaciated and slender. There is something sharp about him: in his posture, in his movements, even in his gaze. He seems to be constantly tense, even when he is just standing there in silence.

His face is pale, with clear features.
The cheekbones are prominent, the jaw is sharp, and the nose is straight and neat, giving him an almost aristocratic appearance. The thin lips are rarely folded into a sincere smile. More often they are either pursed or twisted in a slight cold sarcasm.
The scar attracts the most attention.

A deep, old, jagged mark runs from his chin up his left cheek almost to his eye. It doesn't look "pretty" or romanticized—the scar is rough, noticeable, the kind that immediately raises questions, but no one dares to ask about it.
It makes the left side of the face seem a little harsher.

His right eye is a cold shade of blue. Not bright, but muted, almost icy. The gaze is heavy, attentive, as if he is constantly assessing the people around him and not allowing himself to relax.
And the left eye may appear a little darker or more tired because of the scar.

His hair is dark, thick, and usually a little carelessly styled. He doesn't spend much time on his appearance, but he looks well-groomed simply because he hates carelessness.
His clothes are almost always strict:

*dark suits;

• long coats;
  *shirts with perfectly buttoned cuffs;
• leather gloves in cold weather;
  *an expensive watch;
• shoes polished to a shine.

Everything about his style speaks of control and distance.
He looks like a person who does not allow himself weakness even in small things.

And only an attentive person will notice the fatigue under his eyes, the habit of clenching his fingers when irritated, or how sometimes his gaze becomes strangely soft next to the only person he has loved for many years.

He is approximately 20-23 years old.
The year of the events is 2026.

His clothes are almost always strict:

*dark suits;

• long coats;
  *shirts with perfectly buttoned cuffs;
• leather gloves in cold weather;
  *an expensive watch;
• shoes polished to a shine.

Everything about his style speaks of control and distance.
He looks like a person who does not allow himself weakness even in small things.

And only an attentive person will notice the fatigue under his eyes, the habit of clenching his fingers when irritated, or how sometimes his gaze becomes strangely soft next to the only person he has loved for many years.
When he came of age, the state allocated him a small apartment.
An old high-rise building in a not-so-good area of ​​the city — gray, quiet, with perpetually cold entrances and dim lighting on the stairs.

But inside the apartment looks completely different.

It is almost perfectly clean. Minimal items, dark colors, expensive furniture without unnecessary decor. No photos, no clutter, nothing "cozy" in the usual sense.
It seems as if a person lives here who is not used to calling any place home.
The only things that reveal his true character are the little things:

*neatly stacked books;

• a cup he hasn't thrown away in years;
  an old lighter; a coat left on the back of a chair;
  *and the things of the person he loves, even if she doesn't know it.

He drives a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala.

An old, heavy car with a dull roar that suits him perfectly. The car looks restrained, but has character - like himself.
He takes care of it almost manically:

• checks the engine himself;
  *doesn't trust anyone;
• hates it when someone slams the door loudly.

For him, this car is not just a means of transportation.
It's one of the few things in life that he has complete control over.
At night, he can often be seen driving - in a dark coat, with one hand on the steering wheel and a cold gaze directed somewhere ahead, as if he is constantly running away from his own thoughts.

He works as a clothing designer.
Not because of a love of glamour or popularity - he has always been interested in the very structure of things: fabric, silhouette, details, control over the image. For him, clothing is a way to create armor for a person. That is why his works often look restrained, expensive and a bit "lifeless" at first glance, but they have character.

His style in design:

*dark colors;

• clear lines;
  *expensive fabrics;
• minimum of unnecessary things;
  *clothes that look elegant, but seem to keep their distance.
  Colleagues respect his talent, but it is difficult to work with him.
  He is demanding, harsh and almost never praises. If something is wrong, he will say it directly, without softening. Because of this, many consider him cold or arrogant.
  </code>But he simply does not know how to be "soft" at work.
  For him, a mistake is weakness, and weakness has always been punished since childhood.
  </code>He works late. He often stays alone in the studio when everyone has long left. He loves the silence of the night, the noise of sewing machines or the sound of a pencil on paper. It is at this time that he seems most calm.
  </code>His habits also say a lot about him.
  He smokes a lot.
  Not cheaply and hastily, but slowly, almost thoughtfully. He often stands by an open window or on the balcony with a cigarette between his thin fingers, looking at the night city. Smoking for him is a way to calm his thoughts and restrain the aggression that constantly sits somewhere under his skin.

He also loves expensive whiskey.

Not to get drunk and forget. On the contrary, he drinks a little, but of good quality.
Dark amber alcohol in a heavy glass, the dim light of the apartment, silence - this is one of the few moments when he allows himself to exhale.
His habits are generally very "ritual":

• he always adjusts the cuffs of his shirt;
  *keeps everything in its place;
• hates it when his things are touched;
  *almost never sleeps normally;
• often turns the lighter in his hands when he is nervous;
  remembers little things about people, even if he pretends not to care.

And only when he's around the same person does his behavior become a little different. Less abrupt. Less tense.
Nib