It was a normal day for Mark. As his phone rang telling him that it was time to go to work he barely resisted the urge to just throw the phone to the wall and continue his sleep. He slowly sat up before picking up his phone and turning the alarm off. He was currently living in a small apartment that had a single room that worked as the living room,bedroom and kitchen. At the very least unlike dorms he had his own toilet and his own shower. He started up the water heater before proceeding to the bathroom. After looking in the mirror he noticed the fact that he was suffering from a severe case of bed hair causing him to look like a mix of a guy that was buzzed and a mad scientist preparing to create an unholy abomination. After wetting his hair and fixing it up with his comb he made coffee in a thermos and got dressed. He felt like his work clothes which involved a white top and black pants got more restricting each time he wore it. Not in the sense of getting fat but rather he felt a bigger urge to call his boss and tell his he was quitting before shredding these clothes each time he wore them.

Finally being ready to head to work he took his small black bag and placed the thermos in it using it as a cup holder before leaving his room and locking the door. Not that there was something worth stealing in there. He had just gotten used to locking his place before heading out. He was living just 4 miles away from his work so unlike most of the his colleague he used a bike to get to work instead of a bus. Along the way he bought a bagel from the the nearby bakery. He still wasn't sure about the home country of the cashier working there. He stood six feet tall and had slightly dark skin along with a bushy moustache combined with blonde hair through he never actually said anything other than 'One bagel please.' to the cashier there so he couldn't exactly ask him about it.

After reaching to his workplace which was a 40 floor building with several corporations renting different floors he got on an elevator and pressed the 32th floor button before leaning back and listening to the elevator whir upwards while wondering how long was left till humanity managed to make doors that just transported you to the floor you wanted to go upon stepping in them. Not that the elevator took too long to reach to the floors but he felt like it people would be happier if they didn't get stuck inside a cube with people they hadn't talked to in their entire life or perhaps the problem wasn't travelling in a cube but it was in not being confident enough to talk to people you meet every day. Things were getting a bit too philosophical at this point so he just stopped thinking about this and waited for the elevator to reach 32th floor. The office itself was mostly empty as only people that started to work in the company last year were expected to arrive at the office at 8 am.

With a sigh Mark went to his cubicle and pressed the power button before opening his thermos and starting to eat his bagel. Rest of the people were in a similar state to him. The company had tried to get them to talk to eachother by having a picnic event and a orientation event but in the end most of them were really interested in eachother. A few was prone to socializing but he had kept his distance from them during the event like most of his coworkers. He couldn't really know what was going through the mind of others but he saw work as a prison which he could only escape by completing the tasks that were given to him as quickly as possible.

Taking another bite from his bagel he looked at the computer screen asking for username and password. After entering it the computer started a bunch of programs. Mark never really understood why the computers couldn't just open up these programs before asking for the password but as a newcomer he was hardly in a position to make complaints or suggestions. Finishing up his bagel he opened his work mail in order to see what he had to do today. Clicking the PDF files to start downloading he went to the company's kitchen in order to get a company provided donuts before people who took three or four of those instead of one came. Well to be fair he had become one of those people too as after losing the chance to eat donuts several times and having to get one before he could even finish his coffee he had decided that it was within his right to take several donuts. Finishing the first two in the kitchen he started walking towards his desk with a single donut in his hand when one of his coworkers called out to him.

"Mark right? I think i remember you from that picnic. Not that we actually talked. I just remember your nametag." said the coworker in question while smiling.

The guy in front of him was wearing a white shirt and black pants through that was to be expected considering the company had a rather strict dress code and while those who worked here for a few years got a bit leeway none of the new people could wear something other than a white shirt and black pants without getting fired through his clothes looked like they hadn't been ironed for a long time and his hair fell on his shoulder. His hair combined with the state of his clothes could cause someone to mistake him for a hippie.

He dug through his brain trying to remember this guys name but unfortunately he was never good with names and he hadn't talked to this guy at all so in the end all he could say in response was:"Yeah. They gave us those name tags at the picnic." while trying to not to look awkward.

His behavior resulted in the man smiling and continuing:"You don't have to pretend you remember my name. There were too many people to remember even for those who paid attention. I'm Jason. Nice to meet you again Mark." and then Jason offered his hand.

To be honest he wanted to just flee to his cubicle but he couldn't do it without seeming like a weird guy so he shook the hand that was offered to him before saying:"Sorry about that. Anyway was there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"

Jason said:"Well i saw you leaving with just a donut and it is pretty irritating when people take two or three donuts at once. It turns a source of relaxation into a source of stress. Anyway i was hoping for you to sign this petition i am making asking our supervisor to make a written rule about this instead of just relying on unspoken rules since they obviously don't work." before taking out a sheet from a nearby table.

Not having much of a choice at this point and feeling slightly guilty he signed the sheet before walking back to his cubicle while listening to Jason approach another coworker about the donut situation. This guy had way too much free time. He understood that this was a problem but going as far as gathering signatures and risking himself for donuts was too much. Upon reaching his cubicle he sat down and looked at the PDF file the computer had just finished downloading. These computers had gotten archaic and they barely functioned but the company refused to get new computers through after working with this crappy computer for six months he was actually willing to get his salary cut in order to get this computer replaced with one that actually did it's job.

Scrolling down and waiting for a few seconds for each page to render he checked the systems he were supposed to analyze and debug. At college they made the job of data analyst as something where he would deal with complex problems through programming skills but upon starting his job he had found out it involved cleaning behind people who dealt with complex problems by handling the mind numbing parts of the job.

By the time lunch break came his brain was so numb that he felt like he wouldn't notice it if someone stabbed him and he wished someone went ahead and did that to end this torture. He went to the canteen and got himself some soup and bread before seating himself on a table with people from his company. The canteen floor was basically shared by all of the companies and at the tables of people whose jobs were to be 'creative' heated discussions were going on while on his table everyone focused on his food as if they couldn't wait to get back to work.

After finishing his lunch he washed his hands before returning to his cubicle like most of his coworkers while a few stayed behind to chat while having some snacks. By the time his work was done it had become 9 pm and his brain felt like it could just slide off of his skull but at the very least he was finished for today.

Unlike the morning there were many people who were leaving along with him so the elevator was a bit cramped. Luckily there weren't any female coworkers near him so he didn't actually need to glue himself to somewhere in order to avoid pressing on a woman. As the elevators doors opened the elevator slowly emptied as everyone either went to get a cab or sat at the bus station while he went to remove the lock of his bicycle from a nearby alley.

Parking his bike on an alley turned out to be a mistake that day as he felt a small cold object press onto his back while he was unlocking his bike lock followed by a gruff voice that seemed to belong to someone whose throat was damaged by smoke:"Your money or your life." Mark instictively tried to turn around but the mugger mistook his intentions and fired at him. At that moment time seemed to slow down as he considered his life choices and then he caught a glimpse of what was of the world. He barely understood what he saw and he wondered if he was dying for a second before hearing a scream and feeling something warm splash on his arm. Fully turning around he noticed there was a bullet in the arm of whom he assumed to be the mugger while the gun had fallen to pieces.

Name

Mark Hilson

Race

Human

Mage

Attributes

Magical Statistics

Physical

Arete

3

Strength

2

Spheres

Dextery

2

Correspondence

3

Stamina

2

Entrophy

0

Social

Time

0

Presence

2

Life

0

Charisma

2

Matter

0

Manipulation

2

Mind

0

Mental

Prime

0

Wits

3

Forces

0

Intellegence

4

Spirit

0

Resolve

3

Time

0

Paradox

0

Quintessence

0