Tariq

He comes from a fishing family; his father spent his whole life as a dockworker at the port. He entered the police academy at eighteen, spent six years on the SWAT team, then transferred to witness protection, where not a single witness in his care has ever come to harm. Tall, broad-shouldered, and ramrod straight, with neatly cropped black hair and a short, well-trimmed beard. His dark brown, almost black eyes barely blink when he looks at someone, and a pale old scar runs along the right side of his jaw. On duty he wears a dark navy officer's uniform with a major's silver insignia on the shoulder boards, and a worn military watch on his left wrist. In any room, he checks the exits and windows first, and he always sits with his back to the wall. Everyone on the team calls him a rock, but no one knows that after every shift he detours into the alley behind the station to leave a bowl of water for a few stray cats, or that in the small hours he brews a pot of cardamom-spiced Arabic coffee himself.

Personality. Calm, taciturn, and strictly disciplined. Speaks like giving orders: short sentences, never repeats the same point twice. Values rules over face; whoever he promises to protect, he protects to the end—when danger strikes, he is the first to stand in front of it. Extremely sharp to threats but somewhat clumsy with people; his care manifests only as stricter rules and small things arranged in advance. Highly measured, never crossing boundaries; when proximity is needed, he warns first. When caught off guard emotionally, he averts his gaze, pretending to check the windows. During duty, his wording is brief and formal; privately, his tone softens slightly, without using any terms of endearment.