RIVEN | Simon 'ghost' Riley

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Ghost had seen the way she acted once they got back to base. Seeing her leave with out another word room to take a shower. As much as she was exhausted as any of them, it was a different type of exhaustion. he noticed her coldness and distancing herself from the others. When something triggered her.

Ghost could see the mental side of it.

He had changed in the bathroom, locking it make sure no one walked in on him. He looked in the mirror, wiping off the black eye make up from around his eyes. Seeing the dark circles.

As well noting to shave once he got the next chance too. He had a scruff starting to grow in. His light brown hair curling at the end seeing it was still good for not another haircut for at least a few more months. He looked at himself in the mirror as he pulled on a clean mask.

He came back, he was rather pissed. He had to share a room with two of the most chattiest people he's ever met. Walking over to his bed and grabbing the files from his duffel bag. "Did you know this whole time?" Soap said catching ghost attention as he turned around, looking at him.

"Know what?" He scrunched his eyebrows together through the mask with the files still in his hand. Taking a seat on the bed to face soap, knowing they are about to have a conversation about something irrelevant, he believed.

"Where her scar came from." Soap said, adjusting himself on the bed they get more comfortable.

"Yes." He said not looking up at him. 

"How?" Soap asked his voice sounding more concerned.

"Cause it was on her files." Ghost commented back. 

"You read her bloody files?" Soap snapped at him.

"Yes I did mate." Ghost looked back up him, getting irritated on questioning why he did. "Laswell said her name. I remembered seeing it in the recorder from the cases on Hassan."

"Why would her name be in the case?" Soap said now giving him a dirty look.

"Stop with the question, Johnny," he made clear to him by his tone of voice, showing it was time to shut the conversation down for the night. The accent coming out thick with his brooding voice.

—  

The next day they woke up early as Ember went to go and try a new a new technique on hand-to-hand combat. She getting along with the other trops, part of Alejandro's unit squad team. Speaking Spanish helped a lot getting to the know the people talking to one of the new younger men as she cut up and laughing with.

"vamos hijo." She said waving her hands at the youngest one who was getting cocky, praising how he could take her down easily. Ghost had come in through the doors after a run, coming and at the right time, watching her teach them.

Ember got down in a kneeling position as the others came in in a circled around them, chanting the boys name in Spanish. He did the same getting in position as she was. He looked at the back of her shoulder once they started circling each other on the mat.

The boy when after her grabbing on to her head trying to flip her onto her back. Which the even  for a second everyone thought he had her. But soon Ember grabbed the back on his legs and tossing him onto his back. The boy standing up was twice her size. The others laughed, she doing the same. Helping the boy up.

"I see you here. You all are fitting in just fine, brother." Alejandro said coming up behind ghost, watching him, admire her work and strength.

"I see." He said with his arms crossed.

"Se, it's nice to have new people here to encourage them on training. I haven't seen the younger recruitment. This excited for combat practice." Alejandro spoke with Joy as he watched the kids, laughing and playing along with Ember. "Even right after recovering from a dislocated arm. It's quite impressive. You're lucky to have her on your team."

Ghost nodding his head, acknowledging his statement, he was quite even impressed himself. And it took a lot to impress him or make him feel any emotion other than irritation or anger.

"hora de comer!" Alejandro yelled at the unit as they all made their way towards the dining hall. Ember waved at them, smiling, whenever she saw ghost walking over towards her. 

"Impressive." he said to her with his arm still crossed.

"Thanks." She took a sip of her water bottle waiting for him to correct her on something.

"But I have to say..." she nodded her head once she heard the criticism coming her way. "In order to have a clear sweep, you need to live with your knees instead of your back."

"I do." She said placing a water bottle back down at the edge of the map. 

"No." He said his voice stern as his eyes were. 

"Okay then show me." She crossed her arms too. Asking for a challenge. it freaking pissed her off every time he corrected her on something which was almost every day. No, it was every day.

"No, you still hurt." Ghost shook his head now.

" I can take it." She widen her arms. He turned his back to her walking away to go finish reviewing over the paperwork.

Ember saw this a chance to get him with out him expecting her. She ran after him, jumping on his back and pushing down with her feet to the back of his knees. Ghost grabbed her and throwing her onto her back as his knees buckled to the ground.
Ember went down the hard thump to her back. They were now face-to-face as he hovered over hers. "Told you I could." She smiled up at him. She stood up as she looked down at him on his knees.

"Come on." She said getting under his skin again like a tick. "Teach me."

"Fine." He got up from his knees now back to hovering over her once again. " I won't go too hard on you." 

"I can handle it." Ember said to him with a shit eating grin on her face. As looked over at him week spots. Remembering his left knee was bad as she has seen him stumble over a few times. As well knowing his neck was a good way to take him down. Ghost kept his eyes, the same, even though the statement hit him like a bullet train. His thoughts began to run around.

Deciding he was going to pull his full strength against her after the stunt, she just pulled. He got into position, his hands open learning the tactic of creating a distraction for the other opponent. Ember did not fall for it. As she made the first move ducking around him as she came around, but she was it quick enough as he grabbed her by the arm, dragging her back towards his front side.

She loosened within his grip. Ducking back around using his backside as the leverage to jump on his shoulders.

She wrapped her legs around the back of his head, Ghost rolled them onto each other's backs. He thought wrong that she would loosen up around his neck. But her grip around his neck only got tighter.

He punched her legs as she finally let go. Ghost got back up on his knees, flipping her onto her stomach. And pending her hands behind her back, using his body weight to keep her down. she struggled for a few minutes, but eventually tapping out. He let go panting out of breath due to him, almost passing out from suffocation.

Ember rolled onto her back as they made eye Contact once again with one another ghost adjusting his mask. The of the feeling was again between them, between the body heat, and the panting did not help whatever was going on.

Ghost now having a weird desire, to just kis... "Not to bad." Ghost spoke up helping her to her feet. 

"Yeah... yeah it was." He fixed her clothes, looking up at him, Ghost saw the change in her eyes, once distorted pits of hell, now almost doe like. As if she is asking something from him and he could put a name too it. She walked away before ghost could see more.

He felt something different towards her.