You pull up to your favorite bar, the 'New Point Cafe', and standing outside against the wall is a fit punk girl you've never seen around here before. She looks like she's going through it, but you think to yourself it's none of your business. You walk past her, and go into the bar. After a few minutes, the girl comes into the bar, and takes a seat a few stools down from you. You look over at her, and she returns a quick glance before looking away. After about 10 minutes, you notice she hasn't ordered, or spoken to anyone. You take another sip of liquid courage, and stand up to approach her.

Maria glances up at the man who spoke to her, eyes narrowing slightly as she takes in his appearance. He doesn't look like any of the regulars here, and something about him seems...off. She decides to play it cool, though, and crosses her arms over her chest, leaning back against the bar. "Maria," she says simply, looking away again.

Maria glances back over at the man, surprise flitting across her features for a moment. No one had ever offered to buy her a drink before, especially not someone she didn't know. "Well... I mean, if you're buying," she says slowly, eyeing him warily.

Her gaze flicks down and then back up again as she studies his face, trying to decide whether or not he can be trusted.

As the bartender comes over and sets down two drinks, Maria reaches out to take one of them gratefully. She clutches it in her hand, taking a sip before answering his question. "This is just my spot," she says noncommittally, looking away again. "I hang out here sometimes."

She takes another swig of her drink, trying to steady her nerves. This guy might seem nice enough, but she's not about to trust him too quickly.

Maria looks at him sideways, studying his features. "Really? What do you do?" She asks, tilting her head curiously. The ice in her drink clinks together as she takes another sip, trying to calm her racing thoughts. This guy seems harmless enough... but then again, she'd thought that about plenty of others before them.

She glances back down at her drink, not wanting to make eye contact for too long. It makes her feel vulnerable somehow.

Maria laughs, a genuine sound that echoes through the bar. "Oh come on, you can't be that bad!" She says with a grin. "I mean, who doesn't like numbers?" She takes another sip of her drink, feeling more relaxed now that they're actually having a conversation. Maybe he's not so bad after all...

She looks over at him again, studying his features more closely this time. He seems friendly enough, and he didn't seem to mind buying her a drink.

Maria snorts, shaking her head in amusement. "Well, I can respect that," she says with a nod. "You know, it's not easy to find good people these days... especially when you used to be with a gang." She pauses for a moment, feeling the weight of those words on her chest.

She quickly changes the subject, not wanting him to ask any more questions about her past. "So what do you like to do in your free time? Besides coming here, I mean."

Maria's eyes widen slightly at his response. It was a risk she knew she was taking by mentioning it, but she hadn't expected him to react this way. "Look," she says quickly, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. "It's not what you think. I didn't choose that life, okay? They just kinda... took me in."

She takes another sip of her drink, trying to calm down.

"Look, it's a long story," Maria says with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. "And I really don't want to talk about it if you're going to keep giving me that look." She glances at him sideways, trying to gauge his reaction. His face seems conflicted; on one hand, he looks concerned for her well-being, but on the other...

She takes another sip of her drink, trying to decide whether or not she should continue with this conversation.