Child Of Promises

Chapter Two

Roxas huffs as he enters the back room of the casino, throwing his bag into the employee locker assigned to him before running his fingers through dirty blond hair, making it even spikier than usual. A tall, broad shouldered blond with a goatee and piercings walks up behind him, smiling amicably until he sees the state Roxas is in.

"Rough day Mate?"

Roxas grins a bit, "Professor Wise has it out for me I'm pretty sure, wants me to do a two-thousand word essay on the heart and have it in by next monday," Roxas shakes his head and shrugs in a 'what can you do' gesture, his grin turning slightly rueful, "and here I thought I could have a relaxing weekend."

The man, who goes by the name Luxord though that isn't his real name, laughs heartily and pats Roxas' shoulder, "yeah, collage life sucks, I'm glad I could get out when I did."

A wicked gleam enters his eye, "how 'bout after your shift at the bar, you play a couple rounds of poker with me and the chaps to loosen ya' up?"

Roxas snorts, "I think that'll put me on edge worse than anything else. Thanks, but no thanks."

Luxord chuckles before he begins walking out of the break room, "suit yourself mate. Ah, before I forget," he pauses at the door and looks over his shoulder, "we got a new talent; just a heads up, since I figure you'll be seeing 'em around." With that warning, he leaves.

Roxas throws on an apron and heads to the bar, shaking his head sadly. If Luxord called the new guy 'talent', then Roxas is more than likely going to see them on stage. Luxord's casino, named simply The Joint, is in the more seedier part of the town of Radiant Garden, this half of the big town so disconnected from the more eye appealing and well meaning side that it got it own name all together. Luxord doesn't do anything terrible per say, Roxas wouldn't be working for him if that were the case, but Luxord is famous for his high quality booze, games that may or may not be rigged every once in a while, and of coarse the entertainment. The thing that Roxas is thankful for is that the british man, despite his questionable morals, treated all his employees like family and would not hesitate to break a few bones if some of the patrons decided to do something unwelcomed.

Luxord's employees usually have a choice when it comes to what they do here, but there wasn't always a need for waiters or dealers, and the employees need to do something to earn their pay check, so what else is there to do? Roxas doesn't like the idea of showing a bunch of skin to a crowd of lechers, but business is business and at least Luxord makes a point of protecting those who can't protect themselves.

He walks up behind the bar and nods to Xigbar, a man with long graying hair and an eye patch covering one of his eyes. The man never told why he got it, and Roxas never asked; you don't usually make a habit of digging for information when it isn't warranted here.

"Hey Tiger, you up for tonight?"

Roxas shrugs, picking up a glass and cleaning it, "pretty sure, hows the flow?"

"Bleak," Xigbar chuckles, "not a lot of people comin' in tonight; maybe with the new kid things will pick up again."

"I heard, are they really all that though?" Roxas asks, glancing at the older man from the corner of his eye.

"Heh, you kiddin'? The boy's got the face of an angel. Acts like it too." Xigbar shakes his head, leaning back against the shelf behind him, "kinda makes ya' wonder how he got into this business."

Roxas opens his mouth, about to answer, when the lights dim slightly in the casino. Not too dark to interfere with the games; but not too bright to interfere with the spotlight drawing people's attention to the stage.

"Ah, speaking of," Xigbar mutters, just loud enough for Roxas hear him when a man with wild chocolate brown hair appears on stage.

The brunet isn't dressed very skimpily, but that doesn't mean the outfit isn't provocative with the way it clings to him. He is dressed in a red muscle shirt that clings to his chest, black leather jeans, and no shoes on his feet. A small red demon mask is on the right side of his face and obscuring one of his eyes, his bangs casting a shadow in the spot light as his remaining blue eye seems to glow. Black wings twitch and move on his back as if they are alive, a brown furred tail that Roxas would match to a lion swishing behind him.