[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3zQdPsp.png[/img][/center][hr][b]Location:[/b] Stallo City - [b]Time:[/b] The day after the festivities. Around 5 AM when she wakes up, around 6:30 AM when she leaves.[hr]
[b]Beep… beep… beep… beep…[/b]

A body shifted under the sheets, the sound of the alarm clock penetrating the skull of its victim and mercilessly poking, akin to a jackhammer operator hammering away at their brain. Zara groggily woke up to the offending sound blaring at her ears.

[b]Beep… beep… beep… be–[/b]

She grumbled and reached out with her hand, smashing the alarm clock until it went silent. Peeking through from under a mountain of blankets, a half-opened eye stared at the, now, silent contraption with sheer indignation. The clock, evidently unable to respond – it did not have a brain – had nevertheless proven itself to be one of the toughest enemies for the young woman. Despite her past, she had never been a morning person; her cold-blooded constitution left her little choice but to, come sleep time, huddle under the warm embrace of her bed. Plus, the reminder that she would, eventually, have to leave said embrace had never sat well with her.

She slowly sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake herself up. No matter how much she would have loved to sleep in, Zara knew she would have to get up soon; her new "employer" would not take kindly to her showing up late for her first day on the job. [color=E4D00A][b]"Damn Mutrenians…"[/b][/color] Zara grumbled and groaned, but in the end, she got up, albeit reluctantly. With a yawn, she performed a few morning stretches before making her way to the bathroom.

Once there, she turned the faucet all the way to 'hot' and let the water run, waiting for it to heat up. By the time the temperature had risen to an "acceptable" level for her, the bathroom had turned into a sauna, with the steam from the shower fogging up the mirror, making it hard for Zara to see her scaly reflection. [color=E4D00A][i]"Yeah, that's more like it,"[/i][/color] she thought as she tested the water. 

Stepping into the warm spray gave her delightful goosebumps, and a refreshing feeling 'washed' over her as the morning grogginess slowly faded away. Washing up and rinsing off the soap and dirt went by fast, and before long, she'd find herself staring out from her balcony window, coffee cup at hand, at the expanding cityscape of Stallo City. The bitterness of the dark roast on her tongue; the crisp and cool air flowing into the room from outside; the sound of the city coming to life as people started going about their daily lives… It all still felt so unreal to her.

Zara had a hard time coming to terms with her life so far; the endless fights that she'd once seen no end to, had suddenly come to a screeching halt; the dark slaughterhouse she had forcefully been made to call her home, had finally run out of fresh meat, and the head butcher, along with his accomplices, had been shipped off to… wherever Mutrenians sent their outlaws to be processed.

A rather loud honking sound echoed from below, rousing Zara from her reverie and letting her know that time was ticking. Her coffee was growing colder by the minute. [color=E4D00A][i]"It's all in the past now, forget it…"[/i][/color] the young woman told herself as she moved away from the window and towards the small kitchen top, where something much more important lay.

She picked up the memory chip with her free hand, taking a better look at it, yet failing to recall when she'd last seen one of these. [color=E4D00A][b]"It's definitely Riotifu tech though, that's for sure."[/b][/color] Zara, having grown up in the Bloody Divide, had – in one way or another – been exposed to different cultures, and thus could detect the slight stylistic differences between Riotifan, Sutisuian, and Mutrenian tech. She had been given this after her request for more information about her employer. She inserted it into a small device on the kitchen table, and a holographic screen appeared in front of her. [color=E4D00A][b]"Oooh, jazzy~"[/b][/color] Zara exclaimed in mild surprise.

[color=E4D00A][b]"Hmm… Jorath looks to be quite the big shot,"[/b][/color] Zara muttered to herself as she scanned the file. [color=E4D00A][b]"Owns several businesses, has a large estate, and apparently has some powerful enemies."[/b][/color] She frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. [color=E4D00A][b]"Well, I guess that's why he needs a bodyguard. It would suck to get offed while you're out vacationing now, would it?"[/b][/color]

The information was a good start; however, it was just that, a start. Albeit impulsive, she was not an idiot. Zara knew that any type of information shared by Jorath's side would, no doubt, paint him in a better light, or at the very least try to do so. That was why Zara decided to splurge a little, in the name of research of course. 

She returned to her bedroom, coffee and chip in hand, left them on top of the nightstand, and pulled out a pair of augmented reality glasses from the cupboard underneath. [color=E4D00A][i]"You better be worth your money…"[/i][/color] With a sigh, Zara laid down on her bed and put on the glasses, quickly accessing the city's public virtual network. She proceeded to search for Jorath's name, which quickly resulted in a wealth of new, non-curated, information.

After a while, Zara removed the glasses, placed them at her side, and just laid there for a few moments, absorbing and organizing all she had learned. [color=E4D00A][b]"Interesting,"[/b][/color] she finally said after a while. [color=E4D00A][b]"I guess it's not just his enemies that he has to watch out for…"[/b][/color]

As she'd delved deeper into the research, Zara felt more and more confident in her ability to protect Jorath. She knew that her job as a bodyguard wouldn't be easy, but she was up for the challenge. However, after putting on the uniform she'd been provided with – a black suit with a white shirt and matching tie – her elevated mood took a downward turn. Formal clothes and Zara were not a good combination. She only had to look once at herself in the hallway mirror to know that those sleeves would not have much more life to them, especially if it came down to it and she had to fight someone. [color=E4D00A][b]"Well, I guess that's that… I'll deal with the problems as they come. Now it's about time to go meet the boss,"[/b][/color] she reminded to herself out loud before exiting her hotel room.

[hider=Summary]We are given a glimpse into the daily routine of Zara, as well as some information about her past (already detailed in her biography) through an introspection scene. We also learn that her employer is name Jorath, and that he has some things to hide. She proceeds to do some background research, before heading off to meet with him on her first day at work[/hider]