You''ll never meet a woman looking like a bum, his grandfather had always told him. Tommy could practically hear the old man''s voice as if he was standing behind him, his lessons having been drilled into him from a young age. Trust me when I say, you will always feel underdressed when you meet the one. So best to look sharp. It was a good rule to follow in life, even if only half-heartedly.  Taking in his own appearance and making an assessment, he couldn''t help be feel slightly bedraggled. His khakis had a slight wrinkle to them, and his belt was starting to fray where the loop met the leather. At least my polo is fresh, Tommy thought to himself, sniffing his freshly dried shirt. Having run a quick comb through his shaggy black hair, he couldn''t help be feel at a loss with his wild hair. It had a tendency to dry wavy and a bit unkempt, and brushing it out only served to make it poofy.


    Character and personality outshine wardrobe flaws anyways, he thought to himself. Running another hand through his hair, he rushed to the door, grabbing his sweatshirt on the way out. Being fall, it wasn''t especially warm anymore; but, the weather wasn''t demanding enough yet for a heavier jacket either. Making his way down the block to the nearest subway, he clambered his way through the terminal and onto the train, finding standing room near the corner of the car.


    Subway, check. Breakfast? Tommy glanced at his watch, seeing he had an hour before his shift started, he smiled. Shouldn''t be an issue. Throwing in his earbuds, he closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the car, letting his beats and the swaying of the car rock him into a light snooze. A short thirty minutes and three stops later, Tommy found himself emerging from the underground a short block and a half away from his office. Breaking into a quick walk, he made his way around the corner to the closest donut and coffee shop, delighting in the sweet smell of the baked goods sitting behind the counter as it wafted out the door and down the street. After a brief wait, Tommy found himself making his way to his office building with a hot coffee in hand, and the leftovers of his double chocolate, glazed pastry stuck to his fingers. Doing his best to lick them clean, a less than satisfactory way to clean them but what else could he do for the moment, he found himself walking into the main level of the worst place on planet Earth, ChippiCenter. One of the worlds leading software companies.


    best. But, it did pay the bills, with a little left over for extracurriculars. And for that, Tommy was happy.


    Always look for the silver lining, Thomas, his grandfather''s voice chimed out from the back of his mind, breaking him out of his already slightly zombie like state of mind. This job, while not simple, wasn''t overly complex either. Once you work a place long enough, any procedure just becomes rote.


    <hr>


    Titan’s Rising: Rebirth, the latest role-playing game in his all time favorite series. As he expected, there was a day one patch that he needed to install first. Kicking it off, he decided on grabbing some food before losing the rest of his night to cutting down the Gods in a virtual, bloody battlefield.


    Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Slick, thump. Tommy held his breath as a new sound joined his frozen world. Slowly, a slashed and severely mangled arm made its way out from behind the counter, slowly dragging its host behind it. Whoever it was, Tommy could only assume it was the poor night shifter who had been managing this shop tonight, made it no more than three feet before the monster hacked down, finishing off it''s gruesome act with a sickening crunch.