Alright! Now to begin :)

The city was alive with activity. People were every where. Out shopping, tourists seeing the sights, workers building new structures, or just enjoying the warm sunny day.

One particularly quick moving citizen was a young woman.

Her black leather boots stretched just beyond her knee. They didn't look even remotely comfortable, but she seemed not to mind them. A pair of black leggings covered her legs, going down into her boots. She wore a deep, blood red button up shirt underneath a black vest. A black leather satchel, full to the brim and barely shut, hung off her shoulder.

Her long blonde hair was carelessly twisted into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her skin carried a hint of sun and a dusting of freckles across her nose. Amber eyes scanned the list of places she was to go that day. She had quite a handful of errands to run to her employer. She worked for a very private scientist. His goal was to create a new clean energy source. She was grateful for the work and very excited to be apart of his progress, even if she did nothing more than run errands and deliver messages. It was work and she was proud of it.

Rounding a corner, she headed for her first stop. She had a very important package to drop off. She never questioned where she was going, but this was the first time she'd been sent to a...well...dodgy part of town. Gripping her satchel's strap, she kept her eyes forward and tried not draw attention to herself.

~: Here's a profile for my character :~

Name - Charlotte van Dort
Age - 25
Hair Color - Blonde
Eye Color - Amber
Bio - Raised along side two brothers, Charlotte lived a quiet life with her family. Upon moving further into the city, she managed to find a job as an errand runner for a scientist. His research focuses on finding an alternative clean energy source. In order to keep her silent about his work, he pays Charlotte very well. She keeps silent on his work and does almost anything he asks of her.

One didn’t normally see a fully black suit on someone unless they worked right alongside death. Offices weren’t necessarily lit with candles and oil lamps unless the office owners were old scholars living in the past. Far, far in the past. And most offices weren’t mostly empty. But Ezio Giordano’s was. It was dark, lit with just a few candles around his desk and the few bookcases. The place was large, more wide than it was long, and on either side, two men stood at each corner. They wore black suits fitted specifically to their exact measurements, just as Ezio’s was, but while they lacked accents, his included a rose pinned to the lapel. Only a short stack of papers stood in front of him. One he was writing on. None of his men asked what he wrote. He just wrote. What he wrote, he slid into folders. They were never opened but by those whose names were written on them.

The door opened in front of the desk. He looked up and straightened his wire-rimmed glasses, brushing back his dark brown hair. The newest inclusion to the scene was rather disheveled, and dragging something heavy. As he stepped into the light, he dropped it. An older man. Ezio studied the bruised and bloodied living man first, and turned his attention to the body on the floor. Then he raised his right hand. The two black-suited men to the right left the corners and grabbed the corpse by the head and the ankles, taking it away through the door it was just brought in from. Ezio bent down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, lifting out a stack of paper money and counting through. The younger man moved forward, clasping his hands and waiting patiently.

When he counted out the right amount, he set it on the edge of the desk. It was taken up by the younger man with a word of thanks and a bow, and he turned to leave as someone else entered. Another man, this one tall and thin, came to Ezio’s desk and nodded. “You have a visitor.”

“Check them and send them in, Grimm.” Ezio returned to his papers. The newest inclusion to the room, Grimm as he was called, nodded curtly and spun around, stalking out once more.

++Character Profile++

Name: Ezio Giordano
Age: 30
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Left--blue and right--brown
Bio: Ezio grew up around death. Mainly around his father, the organizer of a kill-for-sport game not necessarily given a name. Ezio even participates in the game as well, but for the most part, reviews, records those who are killed, and gives out prize money to those who succeed. He is often visited by a scientist and his runner for conversations based on alternate energy sources.

Charlotte had managed, somehow, to make it into the shop uninhibited. It surprised her greatly, but perhaps she blended better than she thought. She was sure she stuck out like a sore thumb.

When she had located the address she was sent to, she readied the package and waited patiently to drop it off to her contact. While she waited, she looked down at the small package, wondering what was inside of it. That, of course, was none of her business, but she couldn't help but wonder. All of the work she did was so secretive. It was agonizing working in the dark sometimes.

She rocked back and forth on her feet, the floor creaking loudly under her shifting weight. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings while she waited to finish her errand.

A camera moved close to the stranger. Not necessarily close enough to be detected, but it spied a small package. Grimm opened the door and looked down upon her from his towering height. "Come in, dear." He said. "You've been expected." He knew who the girl was. Multiple times he'd been sent to fetch her, and each time either she had something or Ezio had something to give her.

Grimm never knew what she had. Or what Ezio had for her. It usually involved various papers, sometimes glass bottles, a couple leather-bound books that looked to be very old and used. Ezio had kept it all safe, meaning he had kept it from even his guards. Even Grimm. And only gave few, quick, evasive answers as to what it was and who he was speaking to through the girl known as Charlotte.

He led the girl through the shop and into a back room and through a hallway ending in a wide door. He opened it, leading her into the back office.

Charlotte jumped lightly when he spoke. She looked up to him and gave him a hesitant little smile. She had seen him before when she had to drop things off and pick things up, but he still made her nervous. No less nervous than the man she was really there to see.

She followed him without a word, clutching the package tight in her sweaty hands. If this man was supposed to help her boss with his research, why was his office in such a bad part of town? Ah, it was none of her business, anyway. She had a job to do and would see it done.

Yet another name crossed off. This one had put up quite a fight but in the end was no match for some of the veteran players. He sighed a bit. Now he’d have to find a new player. He set the papers aside as the door opened and Grimm showed the young woman in and led her forward. The two flanking the right side of the office had returned.

“I’ve been expecting you and your delivery.” Ezio said. “Rather important, this one, I’ve been told.” He studied Charlotte calmly. “You can set the item down and be on your way, if you prefer.” He gestured to the empty stretch of dark wood desk in front of him. The item was rather small considering the importance of this delivery, so Ezio had heard. But he’d learned at a very early age to judge nothing based on first impressions.

Charlotte put the package on his desk and took a small step backwards. She glanced around the office, then met Ezio's eyes again. She gripped the strap of her satchel in both hands and nervously twisted it back and forth, "The doctor instructed me to inquire as to whether you had anything for him. A message or a package?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot while she waited for his answer. This was the only contact from the Doctor that made her nervous. He was intimidating, but she couldn't figure out what bothered her about him exactly. He was just....strange.

Ezio brought the package to him with ginger movements. They didn’t indicate distrust, more than a general, eased movement that showed he was calm around the girl. Thirty years old and already he was the prime go-to for a scientist seemingly desperate to find a new, reliable source of energy. Though Ezio didn’t quite know why, nor did he trust the doctor fully, it passed the time while waiting for his players to come to him each day.

“Tell the Doctor that his last samples indicated no electrical charge.” Ezio said, bending down and pulling a large, yellow envelope that seemed to be stuffed with paper. “No electrical charge, and no sustained burning. This folder holds specific information regarding each test I’ve done.” He slid it across the desk. “Give him my regards, won’t you?” Ezio smiled at Charlotte. She was a very reliable delivery girl.

Charlotte watched him carefully while she waited for an answer. Her nervous fidgeting may have made her appear less than patient, but it was hardly the case.

"I understand, sir. I'll tell him." She had caught glimpses of what the doctor had been working on, but didn't pretend to understand what he was doing exactly. She knew the basic principal of the work, but the work itself looked like a jumbled mess of confusion. So what Ezio had told her didn't make much sense. Despite this, she said it over in her brain five or six times to commit it to memory and took the envelope. She undid the latches on her satchel and slid the envelope into the back pocket, "You can count on me, sir. It'll be in his hands before supper time."

Ezio nodded and rearranged his glasses again. Annoyingly, they slid a bit too much. With the end of his pen, he began opening the small package and speaking at the same time: "Thank you very much." He said. "Your speed is legendary. If you would like something from the shop front, just talk to Grimm. It can be free for your hard work."

The front of the shop, which hid the office and the truth behind why it was there from the general public, held many small trinkets. From small lights that used electric currents to be eternally self-sustaining unless broken, to large clocks, and various bags, bottles, and jewelry. Grimm not only ran the shop, but was Ezio's most trusted person. Though generally business-minded, Grimm made sure Ezio never permanently misplaced anything. Not that he did often. "I'll get to work on these immediately." He assured the girl, standing with the box. He didn't quite understand everything the Doctor was doing, but he understood enough, somehow. His mind sometimes surprised him.

Charlotte's stomach twisted around when he praised her and she couldn't fight off the smile that broke out across her face. Her cheeks turned pink and she nodded, "Thank you very much, sir, that's very kind of you."

She gave him a final nod and turned, heading back into the front of the shop. She glanced around at a few things. She was drawn to the bags when she came across them. She looked down at her worn out satchel. Perhaps she could use another one. A bigger one. Of course, she'd use this one still, but for shorter, lighter trips. She hummed lightly in thought and twisted the strap in her hands.

Ezio dismissed his guards when Charlotte left. Grimm reluctantly did so as well, to go back to the front of the store. Not too many people came in, but when they did he had to keep up appearances. Ezio extinguished the candles in the office and pushed aside one of the bookcases, revealing an electrical-lit room behind, which he entered and closed once more.

At a metal counter, he sat on a stool and pulled the cardboard flaps. Inside was an old leatherbound book and a few new vials. One held something yellow and very thin, something Ezio could see though. Another was dark, almost black, and held a shining rainbow tone when held to the light. Another was a lightweight rock Ezio had seen before, coal. It stained his hand when he picked it up.

He'd have a long evening ahead of him.

After a few minutes of silent debated, Charlotte picked up the larger satchel and carried it to the counter. She looked up at Grimm and cleared her throat awkwardly. She looked down to the bag and spoke in a meek, unsure voice, "Is thi-um. ..Is this alright?" She wasn't sure what she could choose or if she any sort of limit for how expensive a gift she could have. She figured the bag might have some worth and she really wanted it, but she didn't want to assume she could just take whatever she wanted.

While the young lady searched through with her eyes, Grimm remained situated calmly behind the counter. He had little idea why Ezio associated himself with the girl or her apparent boss, whom Grimm had never met. Ezio was in the killing department, having control over a game that's been going on for five decades, with few clear winners. To be the main go-to for a scientist went over Grimm's head. He was snapped back to reality when Charlotte approached with her choice. "Certainly." Grimm nodded. "Ezio said you could take one of whatever you wanted." He took the bag and pulled the price tag off. "It should be a good replacement, eh?" He looked to the older satchel around Charlotte's arm.

Charlotte smiled when he gave her the okay. While he took the tag off, she couldn't fight off imagining all the stuff she could jam inside of it without overloading the bag. When he referred to her old bag, she glanced down it. She gave it an affectionate pat and smile, "Ah, yes, it certainly will. This bag has had a short, but rough existence." Her voice carried a little more confidence than it did before.

Grimm smiled while he snipped off the string the old tag had been attached to. He didn't smile often, but being in the front of the store, it was almost automatic. "Well, it's yours now." He handed the bag over, then leaned on the counter. He couldn't take the curiosity anymore. Ezio wouldn't tell him anything and he could never sneak a glance at those papers or what was in the boxes sometimes handed over. "If you can tell me..." He muttered. "... What is it Ezio and your boss do? He's rather secretive, Ezio, and doesn't really let anyone in on what they do."

She took the bag with a smile. She opened it and balanced it on one knee as she began to transfer some of the items stuffed in the smaller bag into the new larger one. She glanced up to Grimm when he asked what her boss did and frowned. Even if she knew, she couldn't tell him.

She gave a small shrug, "The truth is. I don't know exactly. All I know is that whatever it is he's doing in his lab, he's very passionate about it. But even if I did know what he was up to, I couldn't tell you. I'd be risking my job and I'm very attached to my work. Even if I'm running blind most of the time."

She looked up and gave him a sympathetic smile as she swung the new bag over her shoulder, "I'm sorry."

Grimm paused, then nodded. “Of course. I understand. Maybe I’ll try my luck with Ezio again. He might let me in on something.” He stood up straight. “Well, I don’t want to keep you here any longer.” He went around the counter and offered a hand. Perhaps she was being truthful. Grimm usually had a hard time believing people, but considering this, in which Ezio wouldn’t even tell him what he was working on, it was more than possible.

Charlotte smiled and shook his hand when he offered it, "I'm sure I'll see you soon. Have a good one!" She headed out of the shop, hastily checking her pocket to note the time. She had quite a handful of packages to drop off and a few things to pick up for the doctor.

Grimm watched her leave, head spinning with ideas. They fell away as he turned and left the front of the store.

***

A puff of smoke exploded upward and sent Ezio back, coughing out a lungful of the black smoke. “Damn.” He flicked a switch above his workspace, and a fan began buzzing, clearing the space. The resulting miniature explosion had stained the countertop, a mix of oil and flammable additive. The stink of the smoke left after a few minutes, and as he waited, Ezio wrote the reaction down. He hadn’t been told how flammable the actual substance was. The notebook didn’t hold more than information on what the items were. It seemed with each vial or brick or powder bag he was given, the more volatile each reaction became. Was that fool trying to kill him?

Ezio shook his head, taking off his glasses. He’d need more information on the other things before he even decided to try to add heat to them.