Men just waiting at his house was weird, even for Marcus. It also made him think that this was it. They were onto him. The illuminati. They had found that he'd been tracking them and had seen his research and were finally making their move and this is what he'd been training for at the gym and why he had a fake ID and passport and cash monies in a suitcase burried in the woods for.

He was ready for you illuminati.
He
Was
READY

However, after staking out the man, (maybe it was a woman, Marcus was sure they recruited both so he'd not discount that possibility), who was waiting for him for a good 30 minutes, Marcus finally gathered what little courage he had and made his way to his home, leery of this mysterious stranger. Without knowing his blue orbs turned a dark orange-red, the color of faded fall leaves that were just shy of beginning to decay. Marcus was uncertain, and he had no idea how readily his face spoke of his hesitancy to interact with this stranger.
As the man spoke, offering him the envelope, Marcus stared at it. Then slowly, just circled around the man to unlock his door and slide into his house. Leering as menicingly as possible aat the young person. Hoping that they'd take the hint. He wasn't going to join them. He'd never join them. They were corrupt and sought to control the free minds of men. Marcus was stronger and would not be swayed by whatever they had to say.

When the man didn't leave after five minutes?
"I don't want whatever it is you're sell- wait why does this smell like grandmas?"
The smell served to distract him long enough for the envelope to be slipped into his hand.

And that's when the man vanished.
And dark orange orbs turned to a vibrant pink of shock and fear and wonder as he shrieked, stumbling backwards into his house and slamming the screen door far too hard to the point it made an angry screech of metal in it's hinges.

Wide eyed, shaking slightly, Marcus remained fixed on that spot a decent while as his mind processed what had just happened. Later, when hhe'd look at his security cameras, they'd find nothing, but for now, he was left with a letter that reminded him what the old ladies down at the community center sometimes smelled like. Like potpourri but not. It was an off scent and he found it rather unpleasant. Then, he also found the smell of earl grey teas the same way so he didn't put much stock into that.

The envelope had a decent weight to it, and as he looked it over and deemed it on a bomb and had gone and found gloves and a gas mask, (for his own protection), he opened it. No white dust. Just.. a key. And a letter. Marcus almost was disappointed. Almost. So maybe that wasn't illuminati but it sure was something.

Reading it over he felt that there were three options.
One, ignore it and maybe it would go away. He'd done this before and sadly it didn't work. Items didn't tend to get forgotten or lost.
Two, go and have a good time. He'd done this at other parties which usually led to him flirting poorly with women and making things awkward before he'd slip out and away and go find a corner to hide in shame and embarrassment for the rest of his night.
Third option was do a bit of research and go and get evidence of whatever this was because if not illuminati it was certainly something else.
Something that no one talked about.

Something... other.

A chill ran up his spine then and he took a moment to suck in a breath.
It was worth going he supposed. And... Gloom's offer hung in the back of his mind. Shadows were real and he'd help. The blood moon, and masking and unmasking.

Marcus sighed as he leaned back against the couch he'd fallen into after recoiling from the vanishing Illuminati salesman.
Sometimes he wished things could be normal in Ashdown. But then he supposed, if it was normal, he'd not be able to fit in as he did.