Leon had been strolling through the streets of Eden, as he'd come to know the name of the city by, for some time now. He'd found a store selling phones, bought a cheap one for 100 Tales, as he came to understand the currency was called, and furiously started googling.
Apparently Eden was on a continent called the "Old World," while across the ocean there was the "New World." The problem came when, sailing over the ocean on the other side of the New World, they didn't find the Old World again but another continent. Already having a new world, they called it the "continent of Loft" after its discoverer.
Eden itself was the capital city of the nation of Burusa. A wealthy nation with 20 states, each having their own provincial government, with the nationwide "Symposium" passing federal law with a so-called "Rex" being elected as head of state.
Most of the nations in the Old World, at least all nations bordering Burusa, followed a similar style of governance. Eden, he found out, was a city-state with Mayor Morton being in his second of 5 years in office.
Leon had woken up fairly close to the city's financial district, wandering around, seeing overworked and underpaid office workers. He felt their stress, their tiredness, and in one he felt… desperation.
"I mean, their lives do seem pretty bleak, but not like this. Not to be this desperate, as if something is missing from him."
Having decided that this man was strange, and therefore interesting enough, and having nothing better to do, Leon decided to follow him. The man led him through the steel jungle. Past skyscrapers and busy roads until he arrived in a park not far from the financial district. There he went up to a group of young, rowdy-looking men and…
"He's buying drugs," Leon realized. The man handed over some cash to one of the thugs and himself received a small package with white powder before scurrying off in the direction of the financial district.
Leon had felt him. Had known the man was desperate for something. He could do it again. If he himself were to sell, he would know his "customers" before even they themselves would know. A grin began to form on Leon's face.
"In for a penny, in for a pound. I already decided that I won't be as morally rigid as I was before." He needed an in, though. A plan to join, to sell.
Leon began to approach the group leisurely.
Leon: "Hey."
Thug: "What's up?"
Leon: "I heard if I ran with you guys, I could earn some… pocket money."
Thug: "Right… And where did you hear that from?"
Leon: "I grew up in an orphanage; news travels fast there."
Thug: "Look, man, no offense to you, but you don't seem like the type of guy we need."
Leon: "I can prove myself."
Thug: "Prove yourself?"
Leon: "See here, I have 400 tales on me right now. Give me as much stuff as that can buy me. I will sell it for you. If I manage to sell it by the end of the day, you let me run with you guys; if not, you still made 400 bucks. Win-win for you."
The thug looked Leon up and down, as if to scrutinize him.
Thug: "Ok, I'll bite. Be back by 19 at the latest. If you don't show, I'll take it as a failure."
Leon could feel it. Their smugness. Their self-assurance. He could practically hear them. Thinking, "He barely has hair on his chest and thinks he can just run around slinging drugs."
He would show them, and they would be his in.
Leon: "Cool, I'll be right back."
With that they made the transaction, and Leon took off to the financial district. Once there, it didn't even take him 10 minutes to find his first "customer". The man was stressed, severely sleep deprived, hurried and worried, terribly worried"
Leon: "Hey you."
Random: "Me?"
Leon: "Yes, you, come here. I have a proposition for you."
Random: "Sorry, I don't have time for" Leon interrupted him.
Leon: "What's got you so hurried? It'll just take a second."
Random: "I have got an important meeting; I can't be late. If I screw this up—" Leon butted in again.
Leon: "And you want to go looking and acting like that?"
The man felt startled, with even more worry creeping into his thoughts.
Hook.
Random: "What do you mean? I took specific care for today. I even went to a barber."
Leon: "Come on. It's completely obvious that you are super sleep deprived."
Random: "It is?"
Leon: "You're slurring your words, you're mumbling. Your eyes are glossy, your skin is pale, and you have huge bags under your eyes. You're like a ghost that decided to go to work today."
The man's worry deepened; it transformed. It became terror.
Random: "Fuuuuuck," he defeatedly said. "Is it really that bad?"
Leon: "Yes…. But don't worry. I've got something that can freshen you up. Make you awake for your important day."
Random: "Really?"
Leon felt hope appearing in the man's thoughts.
line.
Leon: "Yes," he took out a bag of drugs. "A little bit of this and you'll be as energetic as you have ever been."
Random: "I don't." Leon forcefully broke off the man's sentence.
Leon: "This is YOUR big day. You NEED to take every measure to make sure everything goes alright. It's only for today. You DO NOT WANT to walk in there looking like a zombie."
Random:"…Ok…but… onl…only for today."
Sinker.
Leon: "Sure, buddy, that's 150 for the gram."
Random: "That seems expensive. I don't know."
Leon: "This is premium stuff, pure. Comes directly from Loft. But," Leon pretended to think, "let me tell you this. It's an important day for you, so I'll do you a favor. 120. How does that sound?" Leon had bought each gram for 80 Taler.
Random: "S…S… Sounds good."
By the hour, Leon was sold out.