Lorenzo knelt next to the puppet, running the broken string through his fingers. The blood that had soaked into it stained his gloves, turning the white crimson.<br/>"Your first public appearance and already causing me problems." He said, his tone light as he gathered the puppet in his arms and began moving back to his work area to reattach the broken strings. He couldn't afford to have this happen again. Before he could get the attention of a stagehand to help move all the puppets, he heard the curtain being flipped open and two young individuals appeared, one being the girl he had had his eyes on earlier.<br/><br/>Setting the puppet in his arms down, he chuckled as he slowly approached the two.<br/>"Enjoyed the show so much you thought you'd come see the work a little closer did we?" He asked, pulling his bloodied gloves off. "Well, there's a reason I don't give backstage tours." He said as one of his men grabbed the girl, pulling her away. He couldn't help the scream that escaped her, but it was soon silence with a rag. He approached her, being held by his man. With a grin on his face, hidden by the mask, he took a strand of her hair and ran it through his fingers.<br/>"Such an exquisite beauty. She would make an excellent addition to my collection." He said. "Though I must say, I've had my eye on her." Snapping his fingers, the man holding the girl pulled a second rag from his pocket and held it over her nose until she fell unconscious.<br/><br/>Turning to face the second intruder, all previous signs of delight vanished.<br/>"Now, how much are you willing to give to get your friend back?" He asked. "And I don't mean money." He let a few seconds slip by before commenting once more as his man took the girl away.<br/>"Tick tock, time is ticking."