[@Kitty]

Marius slammed the door to his cramped, unpleasant abode, the description of which was more akin to a cell than a studio apartment, at least according to Marius. Keys in one hand, lunchbox in the other, the disgruntled man turned around and slid the key into the hole, locking the deadbolt swiftly. With another turn, his brisk, confident stride led him out of the borderline-slum apartment complex and out onto the sidewalk.

This was the regular workday of Marius Caustellus. A hot shower, a hot breakfast and a cold-blooded reminder to follow the guidelines of regular society, as well as a lunch large enough to tide him over until dinnertime. His simple, off-white T-shirt and stained jeans only framed him completely as a laborer when a pair of damaged brown boots were included with his outfit. It was a fairly short walk to the industrial area of Trip City from his apartment, which explained why the area was in such disrepair. Plummeting property value. The only people who lived in this area were people that had to. It was a neighborhood where police presence was a distant thought, and shady dealings took place day and night. Marius was bright enough to arm himself, but not with anything as expensive as a gun. He felt at ease as long as he knew he had the upper hand. A couple hidden combat knives and a collapsible metal baton with a built in taser were his idea of an upper hand.

The baton was his favorite. He had designed and built it himself, but had failed to retain enough cash to apply for a patent, so until then, he decided to test it on any would-be thieves. The entire length of the baton, handle aside, was designed to deliver a near-lethal dose of electricity. This meant any attempt to grab the shaft resulted in what Marius called “entertainment”; primarily, stiffening of the mugger's body and a pain-induced shriek. A simple poke from the tip could deliver the same effect. Turning on the electricity was as simple as a pull of the trigger.

Confidently striding along the empty sidewalk, Marius noticed a figure trudging into view. The closer he came, the stronger his familiarity with the figure. This was a strange occurrence though; Marius barely knew the people he worked with, and he doubted he could pick any one of them out of a line-up 50 feet away.

[i][color=a187be]“Shorty. Female. Brown hair.”[/color][/i] Marius' inner monologue profiled the girl as he drew close to her. [i][color=a187be]“Those eyes are so familiar.”[/color][/i]
The lunchbox toting man stared carelessly at the girl even as he passed her.
[i][color=a187be]“Ah! It's-”[/color][/i]

Marius stopped and turned to the girl. [color=a187be]“Miss Ebony Wildes.”[/color] His voice was fairly serious, yet nothing too stiff. [color=a187be]“This isn't really a safe place for such a young girl, you know.”[/color]