"Damn, business is slow today, huh?"

The young half-elf named Cindy was now twenty-two years old. On her own since the age of thirteen, the young woman had managed to survive by almost any means necessary: stumbling in and out of shelters, joining gangs, stealing, gambling, and scamming to make ends meet. Basically everything short of selling her body, which was simply not something she would ever do. Even if she had gotten that desperate, she was too good at cracking locks (and had no moral compunctions about doing so).

By now, however, Cindy had grown tired of that lifestyle and wanted to go legit. Lacking formal education and with limited options, she had decided to invest her questionably earned finances into a new car: the new 'Beetle' model. The same brand that her mother used to drive, that held so many bright childhood memories of her. She even got the same color as her mother, the car sporting a shiny black exterior.

With a car, Cindy was now able to become an Ubear driver. Ubear was a taxi-like service that allowed her to use her own car to ferry passengers to their destinations. The car also doubled as Cindy's living quarters. Though far from ideal, it was a lot better than sleeping on a park bench.

"I need to hurry up and make some cash, dammit! I'm sick of living in this car! This arm could use some maintenance too," Cindy said aloud as she tapped her mechanical fingers on the steering wheel. She had fallen into the habit of talking to herself. Spending so much time alone in a car will do that to anyone.

Cindy had left her west coast hometown of Anahym. She wanted nothing more to do with that awful place; she had grown to hate it. She hated the scorching hot weather, the stuck-up elves, the violent ogres, the gangs she was a part of, and the overpriced cost of living that rendered the average person poor. But the thing she hated most about Anahym was that her mother's family was still there. The family that had sold her precious childhood home, where she had spent so much time with her mother. The family that had left her out to dry after her mother's passing. The family that had also given her a new arm. Cindy gazed down at her mechanical arm. Contempt and gratitude wrestled for control of her emotions; contempt won.

"I never want to see any of those bastards ever again!" she growled, her emotional wounds still fresh all these years later.

Cindy had decided to head eastward and eventually wound up in Baldimore City. Although she was still homeless and sleeping in the Beetle most nights, her new line of work gave her a steady flow of income. The shifts for an Ubear driver were long and exhausting. Some nights, the half-elf even worked without rest in order to secure more finances. She did not mind the taxing work very much, though; she had grown used to sleepless nights and going without food for days. All things considered, her situation now felt like a paradise. She had never had anything to her name half as nice as the Beetle.

"Anyways, enough reminiscing. Where are these freakin' customers at?"

Ping ping ping! The Ubear app rang softly in the car, over the sounds of pop music playing on the radio.

"Finally," she breathed. "Let's make some cash! I've almost got enough saved to get an apartment."

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This city is nice!

Cindy had only been living in Baldimore City for a year, but she had already fallen in love with the place. The weather was perfect: she loved the cold winters and the mild summers. She adored the local cuisine and the architecture.

The elves are so much nicer here. Everyone is nice here!

As she made her way to pick up her client, Cindy was enjoying the cool autumn breeze from her car, her hand waving freely through the car's open window. It was truly a perfect temperature for the month of September, as she watched the yellow leaves scattering in the air.

Why are the elves so nice here?

Both Anahym and Baldimore were governed by elves, but the similarities between the two cities stopped there. The people of Baldimore were mostly peaceful and mild-tempered. Elves, humans, and ogres coexisted peacefully here. The elves in Anahym were mean and stuck up. Looking at them the wrong way often triggered them to lash out if you were of another race; Ogres were especially targeted, often being jailed for the smallest of offenses. The humans in Anahym avoided the brunt of the elves' prejudice by sucking up to them. Half-breeds like Cindy were considered the lowest of the low; she had had to be extra careful in her criminal endeavors there. It was a region of intolerance with a hierarchy that would probably never change. Cindy did not even take the time to glance in her rearview as she finally left that place behind. It was a new beginning at last.

"What more could I ask for?"

The young half-elf smiled gleefully as she made her way into Downtown Baldimore, not knowing what was in store for her.

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"Hold on, this is..."

The destination to which Cindy's phone had directed her was a massive building in the downtown area, measuring almost six-hundred feet. Slick and shiny with new reinforced steel, this building had been completed not long after Cindy had first arrived in the city. This company soon gained notoriety and praise for their efforts to keep the people safe and the streets clean, a job that the police had previously performed none too well. When the elves passed a law that made assassination legal in Baldimore under the approval of the "Warden of the State," crime rates in the city dropped by an astounding ninety-nine percent. The building towering above Cindy was home to the assassination headquarters in Baldimore City, known as "The Fam."

I knew about the business, but I never expected to ever come here! Why would assassins need Ubear drivers? Aren't they all rich? Maybe they're going out drinking? No, it's too early for that. I know that they only eliminate bad people, but I want nothing to do with them! Well, the money can wait for now. I'll just cancel-

Cindy was holding her phone, trembling her hands while trying to cancel the assignment. A slight sweat was building up on her head. Before the half elf had a chance to finish cancelling, a young man in a clean, white suit knocked on the window of her Beetle car. She rolled the window down halfway.

"Are you my ride?" the young man asked.

"Y-yes! Where can I take you, sir?"