<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#000066"><u>Seraphina Harlow</u></span></span><br/>
<i>Brring!</i><br/>
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The notification bell dung on her phone, rousing her from her sleep. Normally, Sera wasn't a very light sleeper. However, this morning her body seemed to be on edge, waking at every little sound throughout the night. She was expecting her assignment email, something that was announced at the last meeting. Careful not to shift too much since Riley was sound asleep next to her, Sera reached for her phone, blinking back at the brightness of the screen, despite it being on the dimmest setting. The familiar icon for her email greeted her and she quietly slipped out of bed, unplugging her phone from the charger. Bare feet moving soundlessly over the ruddy carpet, Sera made her way to her laptop that was resting on their coffee/dining table. <br/>
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Headlights from passing cars illuminated the raindrops running down the window, the occasional tire screech heard from beyond the thick walls of the apartment. <i>At least it had that going for it, </i>She thought to herself, <i>as well as the strong roof</i>. By law standards, the decrepit building should have been shut down. But in the city where the government was being run, there was no time to waste on stupid little apartment complexes. Otherwise, the place no doubt would have been turned to rubble a long time ago. The building itself was very weather-worn and falling apart. Lights in the hallways flickered ominously above and many of the tenants' doors were cracked, years of fighting and abuse etched in the very walls. Still, the rooms were overpriced and with the salary that both Seraphina and Riley had, it barely got them through the month. Even less for Seraphina as most of her earnings went to her family. Lucky for them, they had become close enough friends so they had an apartment with only one bedroom. It was affordable. <br/>
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Opening her laptop and pressing the button that would turn it on, Sera left it to wake up and headed for the kitchen to get the coffee brewing. The aroma of coffee soon filled up the small apartment, making the tension in her shoulders relax some. She didn't grab any right away; Riley usually had first dibs. Instead, Sera made her way back to her computer and sank down into one of the beanbags. They couldn't afford a couch quite yet, though it was one of many items on the list of things they desperately needed. Her body worked on auto-pilot while her sluggish mind tried to catch up. The laptop was brighter than her phone and she flinched at the harsh white light that served as the background for the inbox. Clicking the email sent by Adventure Corps, her eyes scanned over the words.<br/>
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The usual. Some random item, get it at all costs, don't worry about the damage we are rich, the partner is James Anderson...Hang on. That wasn't normal. Sera squinted and backtracked, rereading the email once more. <br/>
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<i>Ms. Harlow,</i><br/>
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<i>Since joining our ranks, you have proven to be a valued archeologist and a fantastic representative of Adventure Corporation and its values. This next assignment is has been failed by many and it is agreed that you are the most qualified to succeed in finding this lost treasure. </i><br/>
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Dear gods. They really laying it thick. This was a classic startup, especially if the assignment proved to be a fucking pain in the ass. Buttered you up and tried to make you feel like a special fucking snowflake. <br/>
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<i>Sunstone, a plagioclase feldspar, is a mineral commonly found in various parts of the United States, Southern Norway, and Sweden. Not overly rare and find it easily for an affordable price depending on the cut. However, we have gained intel that there is, in fact, a rather large deposit in South America, more specifically in the heart of Brazil in an old sacred temple. More details are enclosed in the PDF attached to this email. Your partner for this mission will be James Anderson. His contact details are listed below.</i><br/>
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"You got to be shitting me," She snarled at the computer, purposely looking into the camera located at the top of her screen. Call her paranoid but she honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were watching. "You're fucking assholes, you know that right? Right pieces of shits and there is a special spot in Hell with your name etched in hellfire waiting for you."</span>