The hint of a smile crept across Lucius' visage as he listened to the younger man's reply. "My dad," he said wistfully, "was paralyzed from work. So I picked up work in the factories." He took a long drag from the cigarette and exhaled smoke, watching it hang in the air before dissipating into the breeze. The thick air here in the Grounds District was harsh on the senses, threatening to suffocate as it diffused into the lungs. It clung to his clothes and closed in all around him, as if to weigh him down and confine him to this district for all of eternity. The road here was etched in cracks and crevices and a stifling layer of dust hung over the pavement.
As Karsin tossed the carving he'd been diligently working at Lucius caught it with a deft hand. Removing his cigarette he turned the carving over and over admiring the adept craftsmanship. The man was certainly skilled at what he did, there was no denying that. Perhaps one day he'd make it back to the Common District with his mother and make a living off of his true talent. Lucius hoped so. "Thanks. It's quite good," he said genuinely." The woman was a stunning beauty despite her ambiguous features with shapely curves and a long, flowing dress that accentuated her figure. He stashed the carving in a pocket within his jacket and slipped the cigarette between moist lips. Inhaling he suddenly withdrew the carton and extended it out towards his partner. "Smoke?"
