Lillah was coming upon the park as she turned the corner. She assumed the most she would find there was druggies and drunks. Sure enough, a man clung to a bench as if protecting himself and his alcohol against the dark night. Though, his expression was annoyingly amused and curious as he stared at her. [i]For fucks sake,[/i] she thought in irritation as she still approached him. Typically, a strange drunk man in the park was a young woman's cue to take a detour, but Lillah continued on her path with nonchalance. Either he was harmless or harmful--and if he was the latter, Lillah was right where she needed to be to solve some of the problems in town.

Instead of passing the man and continuing on her route, she slowed to a stop before the bench, scowling at him. "Can I help you?" she prompted aggressively, pulling the music from her ears and letting it spill out into the night yet again. Predictably, her breathing was heavy from all the energy spent and beads of sweat trickled over her olive skin. Her tank top was darkened with perspiration, as well, and the phone strapped to her upper arm blinked to life as an app encouraged her to keep running--don't stop now! However, the man before her had her attention: he was dressed too nicely to be a hobo so any business he had in the park was worthy of inquiry.