.::Tender Sugar::.

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Riley Owens

Riley's tears ran dry from the heat long before the Legions chained him and the other prisoners each to their own sacrificial altar in the town square. Riley shuddered and reached weakly for Isaac as they were separated. He didn't know what the big gold tables were for, but judging from the bloodstains, it couldn't be anything good. "Isaac... W-what are they going to do to us?"

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Riley Owens

Riley screamed in fear when the multiple Spinalogy Temple buildings began to blow up. The poor kid had had more than enough nasty surprises for one day. His fear vanished the moment he saw Honey, though. He knew the male would never let anything happen to him or Isaac.

He nodded and obeyed Honey's order the instant he was free. He'd never thought he'd be so glad to run back to the place he'd come to think of as a prison... Before he reached the place, he ran into Jennifer. Literally ran into her.

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Jennifer Owens

Jennifer caught her brother in her arms and held him tightly, crying silently as she hugged him. She'd never felt so angry or so relieved in her life. "Never, never do that again, Riley! Thank god you're safe... Thank god..." She took a step back toward the bar, but stopped and looked back at Isis. She didn't want to leave the other female alone, and Isaac wasn't likely to be far away.

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Jennifer Owens

Jennifer glanced back over her shoulder uneasily. She hoped that Honey would be okay... Then again, if that man had proved anything, it was that he knew how to take care of himself. She heeded his recent instructions and ran like all hell toward the only safe haven in Giza.

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Jennifer Owens

Once they finally got back to the bar, the first thing Jennifer did was set Riley on the stool beside Drew. After such a scare, she had a feeling he wouldn't be wandering off again anytime soon, but she wasn't willing to risk it. She wouldn't take her eyes off of him, and it couldn't hurt to have a few more pairs of eyes watching as well.

"Drew, Valti, would you two mind keeping an eye on Riley and Isaac for me? I'd really appreciate it." Jennifer smiled a bit at both of the adults she'd spoken to and returned to the stage with Isis, stepping back after a bit so that the girl could start her singing. Isis might not have been much of a talker, but when she decided to sing, there was no one with a lovelier voice.

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Drew Johnson

The Cactus Juice's alcohol content had finally hit Drew's bloodstream, causing her to forget all about her history book and focus mainly on flirting shamelessly with Valtiel. It didn't seem to be working, but that didn't deter the woman in the least.

She laughed when Jennifer asked her to watch Riley and nodded. "Sure thing, sweetie pie," she said in a voice that was only slightly slurred. Now she looked at her, Jennifer wasn't too bad looking herself... She had to admit, Honey had great taste in the outfits he stuck his dancers in.

The inebriated woman turned her attention back to Valtiel and laughed. "Boy, let me tell you, Valti, I used to be a real looker back in my day... Don't mean to brag or nothin', but I had all kinds falling down at my feet... There was this one girl, from the South... Damn, she was fine..."

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Drew Johnson

Drew laughed riotously at Valtiel's compliment. "Well, aren't you the sweetest thing since sugar? C'mere, Valti, I wanna thank you properly." Drew stood and walked toward Valtiel, forgetting one little detail; the counter. She ran right into it and fell onto her back, eliciting laughs from the other customers. Drew sighed and pouted, staring up at the ceiling. "What the hell... Who put that ******** counter there?"

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Lena Ryder

"Oh, is that what you think, b***h? Well, ******** you very much!" Lena shouted back at the pissy little Giza Citizenship Agent as she exited the Customs building. She smirked behind her purple hair; she could hear the man still seething behind her. In her mind, she had won the argument; she was now a citizen of Giza. Sure, it had cost her her motorcycle, but she'd been out of fuel for it anyway, and it wasn't like there was a Texaco just down the road.

The reason for the argument with the annoying little man had been simple; he'd been trying to shove Spinalogy down her throat. Like she hadn't heard it a thousand times. 'The Great Earth Mother loves all her children and wants the strays to come back to her'... 'It's such a beautiful, fulfilling faith'... 'You don't want to be numbered among the Heathens when Judgement comes'... It was all the same s**t, over and over, and Lena was more than sick of it.

Luckily, Giza didn't require that their citizens be Spinatologists. But, as the annoying agent had warned her, non-Spinatologists were more likely to be targets of violence. Lena smirked again and placed a gloved hand on the gun holster at her hip. 'Let those bitches try to pick a fight with me... I'll ******** turn them into Swiss cheese.'

Lena had to remind herself not to go around looking for trouble. She wanted... no, needed... to stay in one place this time. Now that her bike was gone, she'd have nowhere to go if this city chucked her out. She'd be dead in a day. No, she had to try and get along with others this time. First things first; find a place to stay, then find a job. She'd traded in her old U.S. money for Giza's coin currency. Pharaohs, which were worth ten dollars and gold; Sphinxes, which were worth five dollars and silver; and Pyramids, which were worth one dollar and bronze.

She had a fairly sizable coin pouch attached to her belt now; she wasn't too worried about finding a job right away. So she focused on finding a decent place to stay. There was a hotel in town, but judging by the huge Spinalogy emblem on the door, she wouldn't be welcome. She asked around until someone pointed her toward Tender Sugar. "Trust me, sweetheart," said the kind older woman. "Even if Honeybee doesn't have a place for you himself, I guarantee he'll find you one somewhere in town. Heart of gold, that man has...."

Lena thanked the woman and continued down the dusty streets. About a mile off, toward the center of town, she could see smoke rising. 'Huh... Wonder what happened there...'

 

[Dreaming_Drifter]

Lena Ryder

The directions that the woman had given her were a bit a**-backward, but eventually Lena stumbled upon the Tender Sugar bar. There was a woman sitting outside, apparently absorbed in a book. Lena hesitantly touched her hat to the female and went inside without a word.

The room was crowded, but oddly quiet. It didn't take Lena long to figure out why; there was a beautiful girl onstage, singing in an angelic voice. Most of the customers were staring at her, just listening with longing looks on their faces. Lena maneuvered through the crowd with little difficulty, toward the bar itself.

She seated herself on the only empty bar stool, between a muttering brown-haired woman and a burly, brooding male. She rested her chin on her hand and waited for the bartender to acknowledge her. It was busy, so she wasn't going to bother him when she was perfectly content to wait until he had time.