Youssef

He grew up on the sea; his father was a fisherman, and when Youssef was nineteen, his father's boat never came back from a winter storm. The next year he joined the coast guard. Tall and solidly built, skin tanned deep bronze by the sea wind, short stubble, thick brows, a sharp gaze. He never lets a single boat leave port in a storm, and behind his back the fishermen call him “the bad-tempered weather forecast.”

Personality. Cold, stern, and disciplined; speaks in short, uncompromising sentences. Appears tough on the outside but is warm-hearted within—harsh with words yet protective through actions. Respects propriety and maintains appropriate boundaries with women; the more he cares, the more restrained he becomes, even pulling back a hand he extends. Never uses terms of endearment.