"Another night in my new skin

Throw emotion to the wind

Just try to find a face that make me feel something -"

In a blur of movement, a hand shot out from under a thick plaid duvet and crashed hard onto the top of the blaring alarm clock, silencing the song immediately. After a moment of pause, the hand slowly retreated back under the confines of the duvet, its owner grumbling in annoyance as they shifted away from the alarm and towards the wall instead. A deep sigh echoed into the dark room as they curled up again, drifting quickly back to sleep.

"And for all the pretty mouths and pretty words that turned me out

I just end up at your house

Twenty-thousand leagues beneath the ocean -"

The hand again struck at the clock, the first few strikes falling uselessly around the base of the clock before again silencing the machine. A young woman emerged from under the duvet with half-closed eyes and a tangle of auburn hair sticking up in every which direction. As if on autopilot, she slowly tossed the warm, plaid cover off of her torso and away from the possibility of it luring her back to sleep. She scrunched up her face as she stretched, a few pops, cracks and groans were elicited from the girl as she returned unwillingly back to reality. She sighed deeply and rubbed at her eyes while fighting away a tangle of sheets from holding her legs hostage. Once free, she planted her feet on the ground and she leaned towards her nightstand, her nose nearly pressing against the display of her alarm clock.

She narrowed her bleary eyes, wondering briefly if her sleep-deprived brain was playing tricks on her as she leaned inwards even closer to the clock face, when she suddenly froze. A cold chill of panic descended upon her rapidly as her eyes glanced over the time again and again and again. With a string of barely audible curses, she grasped the clock in her trembling hands, her eyes now wide open and fully functional.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no - I'm gonna be late!"

Soft, fluffy clouds had been lingering off in the horizon of the Pacific Ocean long before sunset, but as they made their way closer to the City by the Bay, the happy looking puffballs had evolved into towering, ominous cumulonimbi. As the beastly, flat-topped formations lingered ever closer, the muted rumbles of distant thunder and waves of unforgiving breezes whipped through the streets threatened to unleash a downpour on the coastal town. Nonetheless, the clouds moved slowly on their way in to land and the first drops of rain didn't start until the amber sun dipped low behind the magnificent but not-so-golden-tinted bridge and beyond the glittering ocean, when dusk had fully engulfed the sky above San Fransokyo.

The moon and the twinkling night sky were swallowed whole as the storm rolled in, casting a dark shadow over the city in one fell swoop. The carp-shaped wind turbines floated gently as they were slowly consumed by the lowered cloud ceiling, meanwhile a contrastingly fierce gale whipped through the city's many hills, before the looming clouds finally released and dropped sheets of chilling rain down into the awaiting city.

Streetlights came blinking to life, causing the now drenched streets to glow in warm, amber hues. Lighted windows dappled the city skyline like artificial stars in the dark, bleak night while welcoming neon signs and lit-up advertisements hung above the sidewalks, beckoning damp passerbys to abandon the streets in search of a warmer reprieve.

As the rain fell, the city was lulled to sleep. The exciting, fast-paced beat of the day came to a silent crawl as people made their way home, eager to be out of the elements, until the streets were entirely devoid of life. The calming sounds of the slow downpour echoed between the buildings and through the streets, eating away the sounds of the hustle and bustle of city life.

Night had finally fallen in San Fransokyo.

For once, the city that never slept had decided to give in and take the night off. The usual hectic city life was paused as everyone tucked themselves in to slumber while the rain peacefully encased the city in pure serenity.

That is, for everyone except one rather reckless girl .

Cass was doing her best to be quiet as she stumbled around her bedroom, attempting to hastily get herself ready for her late night shift. She pulled a striped tank over her head and she drew up her favorite tight jeans over her hips before trying to fix a stubborn, leather boot onto her foot, of which she was having little luck in doing.

As soon as she had driven her heel sharply downwards into the ground, her foot popped into place in her shoe. She quickly repeated the process with her other foot, thrilled that even if she would be late, she would at least be out of the apartment without being caught by any of her family members. Cass turned about in a circle, looking around for her jacket but all she found during her frantic spin was another glimpse at the alarm clock next to her bed.

Was it possible that time had sped up? There's no way it had taken her that long to get dressed!

She did her very best to choke down a lump in her throat as she approached her nightstand table, the clock's illuminated face glowed ominously in the dark. A slight red tint was spread out over the table and a few of her belongings - including her phone and cosmetics pouch - as if the clock was now instead an alarm system watching over her personal items and warning Cass not to do anything or go anywhere but back to sleep.

Not one to be controlled by fear, the girls snapped her attention from the clock face to her make up bag and swiftly snapped up a handful of cosmetics. Nonetheless, she couldn't stop herself from breathing shallowly as a pool of anxiety bubbled in her stomach.

"Tachibana, you useless girl, that's it! The next time you're late, you're fired !"

Cass groaned, only now remembering the stern rant Boss had gone on after she was late to her shift earlier last week. Sure, she had a problem with tardiness, but she was a great waitress and her customers always loved having her as their server. Why Boss couldn't overlook her only major shortcoming and instead praise her on her many, many wonderful talents was beyond her.

He was just a pessimist, she figured, just like mom and dad. None of them will ever understand what I've got to offer this world!

Cass nodded to herself as she raced to her bureau and tapped her fingers gently to the touch-activated light she had glued onto the mirror's frame a week or two ago. Maybe she had a chance at buttering up Boss and getting him to ignore the time clock if she could overwhelm him with her girlish charms.

Now her mind was set. Even in the muted light, Cass intended on working a miracle on banishing that raggedy, fatigued look from her normally cheerful face. In a careful rush, Cass pulled out eye shadow and mascara, quickly applying the cosmetics before moving on to tend to the rest of her face. A bit of cover-up here, a bit of blush there… By the end of her make-up frenzy, she sighed, hoping dearly that she wouldn't look at all atrocious once she was in the well-lit environment of her workplace.

As she gazed over her done-up face, her pine green eyes glanced over to steal a look at her alarm clock. Cass sighed deeply, trying to control her nerves. After all, she always managed to talk her way out of trouble - it was one of the few things she was genuinely good at doing after all. People rarely ever could keep mad at her for long. Here's hoping Boss would fall victim to her charm and follow suit as everyone else did.

As she brushed her cheeks with another streak of pale blush, Cass crossed her fingers prayed to whatever holy being might be up there that her tardiness wouldn't be an issue tonight. She attempted in vain to again assure herself all would be well, doing her best to ignore the clock as she rolled a thin layer of glittery gloss across her pouting lips. Cass quickly raked her fingers through her locks, straightening the part of her crazed hair, following after with a brush, easily taming her somewhat Medusa-looking 'do. Cass sighed deeply, hoping at least if everything else went wrong tonight that the rain would have ended before she made it out of the building. She gingerly tapped the light off, fear jittering through her system as she turned into the darkness and began feeling out for a trace her purse.

She dug around briefly to pull out an umbrella - just in case! - while she still searched for her purse. She came up empty in every spot she looked. Of course, it didn't help at all that the room was pitch black because she was trying not to wake her sister who was currently silent - although her sister was always known to be a regular snorer - in the top bunk of their shared beds.

As she dropped onto her knees and patted around in the space under her bed - the last place her purse could possibly be - Cass' heart pounded mercilessly in her ears, but silenced suddenly when the room was bathed in the low light of her trusty desk lamp.

Cass slowly drew herself out from under the bed, grimacing pathetically as her eyes locked with that of her older sister, who was now standing at their doorway. A judgmental scowl had been glued onto her face as she looked over Cass, disappointment searing into Cass' very soul. One hand held tightly onto Cass' purse and her other hand was clamped onto the light switch on the wall.

It was now going on 18 years that Cass had spent stuck sharing every detail of her life with her older sister, Florence. While Cass had started taking culinary classes at a nearby university and chose to cut down on her spending by living at home all the while, Flor had been given a full ride to a good number of schools, where she eventually eenie-meenie-miney-moed her way to a school in Washington state. Flor had been so charmed by Seattle that she rarely returned back to her hometown, which gave Cass a taste of that delicious freedom she had always hungered for. In fact, Cass had long imagined that when Flor finally moved out of state - which, by the way in which she ranted and raved about her new home, was inevitable at this point - she would finally get a reprieve from her older sister's overbearing wrath.

Cass was right, in part, that she was now finally able to live her own life, have her own insane job, and make her own - sometimes very bad - decisions during the week. Regardless, her sister was such a family-centric person that she usually ended up driving home every few weekends to visit their family and her darling, dorky fiancee who had been making quite a name for himself at the nearby university, SFIT. Through her regular day trips back home, Flor would always take over the top bunk in their shared room, unleash her older-sister personality and immediately make Cass feel like she was seven years old again.

And, of course, this weekend was when Flor had decided to come home. The biggest weekend in the San Fransokyo bot fighting underground and here she was - home again and already giving Cass hell.

Flor stood cross-armed as she guarded the door, her long red hair taking on a large shape behind her - somehow looking even more threatening and massive than any of the bouncers that worked at the Pit - as a stern expression set itself on her face. Her jaw was offset in a tight frown and Cass' purse was clenched tightly between her trembling hands. To a fault, Flor was always looking out for her baby sister, even claiming that she was trying to protect Cass from herself - or, at least, that's what Flor had always said to her.

Though Cass rarely ever heeded Flor's advice, admittedly, her older sister was almost always right. Preparing for the tongue lashing of the century, Cass took a deep breath and groaned. She was in no mood for this tonight. Flor wouldn't be able stop her. She had to do this tonight.

"Oh, sorry, sis, did I wake you?" Cass said, her voice shrill and unable to hide her annoyance. "Was I being too loud?"

Flor sighed in annoyance before tossing the purse to Cass. "You know damn well how loud you were being. Loud enough that you didn't hear me climb down from the bed, you dope."

Cass winced as she caught the purse, not knowing if it was Flor's tone or the impact of the purse against her chest that had her do so.

"Either that or you're just so self-centered and focused on yourself that you never even paid me any mind - like usual."

Cass tried on a weak smile. "Sorry, Flor, I didn't mean to wake you, honest." She confidently strutted toward her sister, intending upon sidestepping around Flor, but her sister refused to budge.

"Where are you going?" Flor asked, gently pushing her sister back into the room. "I can't help wondering what's up, especially considering you - the girl who once slept 23 hours because she forgot to set her alarm - purposefully woke up this late at night."

Cass waved her hand up and down, trying to fan away her sister's concern. "Oh, it's nothing - just work. I have an overnight shift, no big deal. Boss' orders!"

Flor glared at Cass, taking in her fully made up face and casual outfit. Flor's thin eyebrows furrowed downwards in disbelief, calling sweat to bead up on Cass' forehead. "You sure? You look like you're going on a date, not going to slave away all night at that 24/7 coffee shop you swear you're always tied up at."

Cass gulped defensively, the dryness in her mouth was suddenly all too overwhelming. She knew eventually Flor would be the one to catch her lies in the end, but tonight, Cass really needed her sister to turn a blind eye on her somewhat illegal nighttime activities.

"Yeah, it's just the old coffee shop, that's all," Cass drawled as she attempted to fit between her sister and the door frame, only for Flor to grab onto her shoulders, holding her steady in place. "It's cool though - they don't enforce the uniform policy overnight. Isn't that awesome?"

"Seriously? That's the best you can lie to me?" Flor sighed and her face fell. "God, Cass, stop with all the lies. I'm not stupid. I know you've been lying all this time, but I wasn't sure why. Now, something's going on. Tell me, Cass: what is it? Why are you leaving at this time of night?" Flor's grip on Cass' arms tightened as she questioned her sister more forcefully.

Cass groaned and pulled herself out of Flor's grip, now painfully aware of how she was now going to be even later to work. "I'm not lying, I'm just going to work. Honestly! And if you can excuse me," she glowered at Flor, her temper rising. "I'm gonna be late. Get out of my way - now."

Flor clenched her eyes shut and she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Cass, I won't stop you, but I need you to know I'm worried about you."

Cass sighed exasperatedly. "Look, Flor, I can take care of myself just fine and -,"

Cass' mouth snapped shut as Flor suddenly wrapped up her sister in a tight hug, freezing Cass in place.

"Cass, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on this weekend and I know you're going down there." Flor leaned away from Cass, but she kept her grip on her upper arms, trapping her in place for the time being. "You have a long history of making some really stupid decisions and I'm worried about you - I'm worried for you! I can't always be there for you and I'm so afraid you're going to end up in a really bad situation one day because I wasn't there to save you."

Cass bowed her head, trying to keep her eyes from meeting her sister's. It was way too hard to keep staring into Flor's broken-hearted gaze. Cass' stomach flopped. She was actually starting to feel kind of... guilty.

"Don't do this." Flor begged. "You already have enough of a criminal record. Please, Cass. Don't go there tonight. Please. "

"I appreciate your concern, Flor, really. But I can't do this right now. I have to go. I have to do this." Cass took her sister's hands in her own. "We can talk about this in the morning and, I promise! I'll try to change my ways. I'll be better after all this, I swear it to you!"

Flor sighed, a single laugh broke through her weary smirk as she released her hands from Cass. "Fine, I get it. One last hurrah and all that. Look, just don't do anything stupid. Don't get arrested and don't get yourself killed. We'll talk in the morning."

Cass smiled and gave her sister a quick hug. "You're awesome, Flor! Thanks," she released her sister and finally was able to squeeze past Flor and she started towards the door leading out of the apartment. "I'll see you in the morning! Love ya, bye!" Cass waved energetically as she ducked out and closed the door behind her.

Flor sighed dejectedly as she listened to the melodic clicking of Cass engaging the lock from the other side of the door. She rubbed her temples and turned around into their room, too exhausted to chase Cass down and far too happy to get back to sleep. Flor grabbed onto the small ladder at the foot of their bed and clamber upwards, but suddenly her gaze was drawn to the window.

Flor slowly tugged the blinds up, glancing down at the shining streets, here eyes tracking one lone girl who stood at the stairway to their apartment complex, who was fighting with opening an umbrella. All at once, the black thing expanded outwards and over the girl's form, engulfing her whole and finally protecting the petite girl from mother nature's wrath. Flor could only watch, overwhelmed with worry, as the girl and umbrella bounced down the street and off down a side alley.

Flor reluctantly let go of the blinds, darkness and fear creeped instantly into the room. She slowly crawled up the squeaky metal frame into the top bunk where she remained for hours, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Cass… Here's hoping you can make it that long."

Cass had taken what she wanted to imagine would be just a temporary job in the dirtiest part of Good Luck Alley for, as she would say, the "experience."

Really though, as a pretty young lady in one of the seediest joints in the city, she kept her waitressing shtick at the Pit for the good sum of money she rounded in every night. She desperately needed the cash to continue with her culinary degree - and god only knows that her parents would never help pay for her "idiotic" career choice and were only just kind enough to let the foolish girl live in their home free of charge, but nothing more - and this ridiculous job took care of her. She really couldn't complain.

Unlike Flor, who got a free ride at an amazing university in Washington, Cass was struggling immensely to keep up with her education and every buck counted at the end of the day. Now looking back at her school days, Cass wished she could go back and time and give a good dose of reality to her younger self. She had always been far less of an overachiever than her older sister and their parents constantly remarked that Cass was too sloppy and lazy with her schoolwork and that she needed more drive and passion to be successful in life. As difficult and vile as her parents could be to her, Cass had to admit it: if only she had listened to them then, things might be a lot easier now. It definitely felt like all of her shortcomings had been coming back to bite her in the ass at this miserable point in her life.

And ignoring the shady criminals, the rowdy punks and all of the Pit's other worrisome clientele, Cass never had any problems at work - that is, no problems that couldn't be solved with a slap to the face and a bouncer at her back, ready to toss anyone - along with their unwanted advances - out of the building.

Plus, she just had to work tonight! Tonight the Pit was hosting the Tournament of the Kings.

Cass had heard the other waitresses talking back and forth about this night ever since it had been released as the location for the tournament. From what Cass was able to gather from loose bits of conversation that tumbled about and around her, it seemed that once a year the best of the best bot fighters from around the world gathered to try their luck against the King - this being the person who won the previous year's tournament - in a no holds barred, anything goes, fight to the death tournament where only one bot would survive the night.

The night would culminate in the most intense match of all where the winner of the tournament would have a chance to take down the King in a battle of the ages. If anyone could take down the reigning King, the title would be pass to the new winner for a full calendar year until the madness started all over again with the next tournament where he would now have to defend his title. Not only would the winner be added along the likes of the legendary Kings of the past tournaments, but an incredible total of the night's winnings would pass to their hands, alone.

At first, the prize money was all Cass heard about, but the topic of focus changed recently and as Cass catered to the Pit's patrons over the last few nights, it came to her attention that the winner of last year's tournament and this year's current King had usurped someone who had held the title for five long years! Though she was very new to this underground life, Cass couldn't help but be impressed by the previous King as it seemed everyone had echoed the same thought: his winning streak had been absolutely unheard of. She couldn't help but believe herself that there was no way that this guy wasn't going to return and do whatever he could to take vengeance on the current King. Cass shuddered as she remembered a few hulking brutes whispering about it all over a few large glasses of beer: it sounded like this dethroned King was out for blood. This night promised to be intense.

And considering that each year the Kings of the past returned, they brought along an ungodly hunger to reclaim their title along with suitcases upon suitcases of cash for bribes and bets. Sake would be flowing generously into every raised glass, increasingly dangerous bets would be wavered against the the opponents as the night progressed, and the waitresses would get monstrous tips as the night built up to the ultimate climax and the massive battle for the title of "King." Paired with what was expected to be a bloodbath between the past champion and the current King, the night promised to be a party with no limits.

Cass just couldn't believe her luck: she had stumbled upon this job opening totally by mistake a few months ago and now, this year, the tournament just happened to be held at the Pit. She couldn't hold in her grin - she was going to do anything she could to ensure that she would be rolling in money by the first of the morning's light! The waitresses who were familiar with this event and those who had been told from a friend who heard from a friend and so on, had only overwhelmingly good things to say about the tournament. It would be a crazy busy night, but it sounded it would be well worth it! Cass had grown wildly excited to participate in the insanity, if only to reap such great rewards for herself - as long as Cass wouldn't be fired for her tardiness as soon as she walked in the door, that is.

With a fire in her eyes, Cass made record time on her run through the barren streets, with the cool downpour and all. Her wet socks sloshed in her boots with each step but she held her head high and broke into a huge grin as she caught sight of the familiar lantern light emanating out of Good Luck Alley, knowing she'd be out of the elements soon enough.

Cass really hated herself for not being able to have found her jacket - she really could've used it now! Her umbrella had helped keep most of her body out of the rain, but her bare arms and wet socks were chilling her to the absolute bone. She could only hope the Pit would be warmer than this and she'd would be perfectly content drying while running around and serving the Pit's vile customers, if need be.

Cass rounded the corner and broke into a quicker gait as she caught a glimpse of a rowdy group moving toward the - now not so secret and heavily crowded - entrance to the Pit. In her untamed elation upon arriving at her destination, Cass became oblivious to her surroundings and in one poorly timed step on a slick "One Way" marking on the ground, her foot slipped out from under her, sending Cass sprawling onto the dirty, wet asphalt.

Cass attempted to lessen the blow by sticking out her hand, which was still holding tightly onto her umbrella. The pole snapped backwards as it collided with the ground, doing her no real good, only leaving her with a useless umbrella that was broken in two. Her grip loosened as she landed roughly on her front - her right shoulder and knee taking the worst of the hit. The pieces of the umbrella scattered into the alleyway as she collapsed onto the ground.

She couldn't refrain from crying out in equal parts shock and pain as she came to her senses, slowly trying to pry herself off the disgusting wet asphalt. Her body ached miserably with the sting of fresh injuries as the rain continued to saturate her form and beat down on her back, soaking Cass and her thin outfit straight to the core. Tears had gathered at her eyes as she felt the first pangs of pain, but now they broke through their dams and streamed down the sides of her face as she realized how badly she had screwed up this time.

Not only was she unforgivably late, but now Cass was wet and covered in rain and dirt and gook and god only knows what else. There was no way she'd be able to work tonight - she'd be thrown out on her ass if she even tried coming in the door looking like this! What paying customer in their right mind would want to be serviced by a girl looking as miserable as her?!

While still on her hands and knees, stuck miserably in her own self-despair, a shadow descended over Cass' body, gently protecting her from the elements. Cass was curled up in a protective ball as she did her best to contain her overrun emotions, absolutely oblivious to the stranger's presence.

A polite cough sounded out, breaking her out of her pity party. Embarrassed of being caught so unaware, Cass looked up in grateful shock, about to choke down her emotions and thank her savior. Instead, she could only gasp sharply as her eyes locked with those of a piercing gaze. For a few moments that stretched seemingly into oblivion, Cass was completely frozen staring into the chilling, frigid depths of a winter freeze.

Narrowed ice blue eyes glanced over her, not a hint of emotion passing over their hypnotizing gaze as they searched Cass' soft, tear streaked face. She froze involuntarily as the eyes pieced into her soul, Cass now feeling like a mouse caught under the paw of a hungry cat, silent and completely unable to move.

As if suddenly aware of her discomfort or having found what he was in search for, the man raised an eyebrow and his lips formed into a soft, half-hearted smile. He stood close to her side, his one hand clutching onto an umbrella, doing the best he could to keep her out of the rain and he quickly extended his other hand and offered it downwards to Cass' face.

"Well, hullo, down there. Need a hand?"