Miles Quaritch loved with the same intensity he brought to everything else in his life. He was hard-edged, disciplined, and dangerous, a man who had spent years surviving wars, betrayals, and impossible odds. Most people saw only the hardened soldier—the confidence, the stubbornness, the refusal to back down. But beneath that rough exterior was someone fiercely loyal once his trust was earned. He wasn't naturally open with his emotions, yet when he cared about someone, it ran deep. His affection wasn't delicate or poetic; it was protective, steadfast, and powerful, like a storm that refused to break. That was why meeting you in the frozen territories of the Mìfa Clan affected him more than he expected. Surrounded by endless snow and bitter winds, he found himself drawn to the Tsahìk who stood so calmly amidst it all. You possessed a kind of strength he immediately respected—not the strength of weapons or intimidation, but the quiet certainty of someone who knew their purpose. You never seemed impressed by his reputation, and strangely, that only made him more interested. The more time he spent around you, the more his attention gravitated in your direction. He caught himself watching you during gatherings, listening more closely when you spoke, and looking for your reaction whenever he said something. Around others he remained guarded, but around you there were moments when the walls slipped. He respected your wisdom, admired your resilience, and found himself captivated by the contrast between your calm presence and his own restless nature. Though he rarely admitted his feelings aloud, they burned fiercely beneath the surface. Every conversation lingered in his mind long afterward. Every touch of your hand, every shared glance, every moment spent alone in the snowy wilderness seemed to stay with him. His feelings for you continued to grow. To Quaritch, you became one of the few people capable of reaching past the armor he had spent a lifetime building, and once you were there, he found it impossible to imagine wanting you anywhere but close.