The Minako family had sustained such cramped conditions for so long that it not longer was an uncomfortable situation. The smells on the other hand, were something that the Minako family could never fully adjust to. The air was seldom clean but mildew and cigarette smoke, along with rotten potatoes were the main culprits that frequently assaulted their nostrils. Despite the sometimes soggy floor or leaking roof, they knew it could be much worse. They knew they were one of the lucky ones. Her father brought in most of the money though Hisano tried to contribute and pay her fair share whenever she could. Seeing her mother so ill often weighed heavily on her shoulders and she knew if she and her father lost her, then hope would truly be stolen from their pathetic world.

Hisano dragged her hand through her hair and glanced down at the dirt under her nails. Not matter how much time she spent at work digging the crud out from under them, by the time she got home, she'd be filthy once again. To make matters worse and add insult to infected wound, she often passed by glaring advertisements for things no one around them could afford. The latest trend seemed to be weightless water you could carry around and used to make tricks in the air before drinking it or to wash your hands. It was clearly just meant to show off to your friends but that whole notion of needless waste irritated the pink haired woman to no end.

But there was nothing she could do.

She and everyone around her were powerless and she had accepted the life she was living, even if it gave her no sense of satisfaction. Hisano decided with what money she had left, she would treat her family to a nice drink, not cheap nasty stuff she always got at Ray's Dive. She wanted to taste the real stuff, stuff that some folks were killing for. Of course she wasn't a killer, if anything she steered away from the rougher areas of District 9. She had a mother and father to look after. She couldn't be caught up in something stupid and otherwise illegal. As much as she wanted to lash out and take what she wanted, she was determined to go about things the right way, even if the right way wasn't fair.

At the moment, the woman was laying down, her back pressed into the thin mattress under her. She could hear her mother coughing on the other side of the stitched together curtain she and her mother made when she was a little girl. She was getting ready to head out for the night and try to look for something special, be it liquor or something else to brighten her family's weekend. She was tired of the same old shit. As she sat up, she got a text from an old friend, someone she feared she had lost to big corporate giant, VMT. Without hesitating, Hisano sent him back a message:

[i]'Fine but this better not be something fuckin' crazy.'[/i]

Of course, she knew it was.

Hisano slowly got to her feet, her back killing her. No matter how many sleepless nights she spent on the old so-called mattress, she never found a way to make it even the slightest bit comfortable. She grabbed her gun and slipped it behind her, tucking it into her faded torn jeans, under her black long sleeve collared shirt. "Hey I'm heading out." She called out to her parents as she pushed back her curtain and took the seven long strides to the apartment's exit. Heading down the steps she waved to some familiar patrons at the bar and kept on walking, her hands already sticky from the god awful humidity. Hisano looked around, trying to see if anyone happened to be following her. The vibe she got from Tommy's text was that something was really wrong.

In the pit of her stomach she had to question why she was meeting up with him after not hearing from him for nearly two months. She had half a mind to show up swinging a baseball bat. He knew she didn't get into trouble anymore, not unless a life was on the line. She just hoped Tommy's life wasn't on the line. After cutting through some seedy alleys, she finally made it to the office. She dug out her own key card and let herself into the building. It was quiet and dimly lit. "Spooky." She muttered to herself and headed over to the stairs going all the way up to the seventh floor before she quickly walked along the glass hallway, locating 7112. She sighed deeply, knowing she had one last chance to just bolt and pretend like he had never contacted her but she had to know what was going on.

Knocking, she stepped back, bringing a hand behind her to grab her gun, just in case.