Regona City: The Creed (BK1)

The Incident of Three Years Ago

A bell chimed as they entered Drake's Café. Sahara paused to take a look around and yet Terrell shoved her from behind. He made her keep going. Even though all the tables, except one, were empty, Terrell lead her towards one at the very back. As they passed the occupied table Sahara noted the two girls who sat there watch them with interest as they walked passed, or to be more accurate, watch Terrell.

The room itself was pretty simple. There was a long counter to one side with a door behind it. The counter had a few chairs placed before it so that one could sit there if they so pleased. The rest of the room was filled with metal tables and chairs with cushions on them. Even though the windows looked grimy, it was a pretty clean place and the aroma of food filled the air.

"Here," Terrell murmured as he nodded towards a seat, facing away from the girls, at the back table. Sahara obediently sat down in it while Terrell slipped in across from her. Reaching forward he pushed what looked like a little glass tablet towards here.

Sahara looked at him blankly.

"We can't just sit here and talk or we'll be kicked out. Order something," he told her with a shrug.

Sahara responded by looking down at the glass tablet in confusion.

"What? You don't have those in..." Terrell leaned forward and whispered the last part, "America City?"

Sahara nodded.

With a sigh, Terrell pulled the tablet towards him. He tapped on it and at once it switched on, images zooming across the screen. When he shoved it back towards Sahara she was able to make out that the images were divided into two vertical rows, one of food and one of drinks, which were all, moving up the screen at a leisurely pace. Curiously Sahara put her finger on a dark blue like drink.

She gasped as at once a hologram popped up and it began to rotate so that she could see the drink from every angle. Terrell watched with a bored look on his face as Sahara tapped another picture and up popped a new hologram to replace the last. When Sahara was about to touch the third she heard heavy footsteps.

Looking up she saw a large middle-aged man appear from behind the counter, out of the door. He was wearing an apron, which looked almost too small on him, and his muscular arms added a feeling that he should be working as a private bodyguard rather than in a café. His brown hair was buzzed short and he had a golden earring in his right ear behind which he had tucked what looked like a pencil. He was holding a block of paper in his right hand.

Sahara watched him make his way towards the two girls. She swallowed as she saw him shoot a quick glance in her and Terrell's direction. Terrell, however, was busy staring out of the window and didn't seem to notice.

"So, have ya decided yet?" the man asked the two girls causing them to finally tear their eyes from Terrell.

"Are these really the prices?" The one sitting further away from Sahara asked sounding shocked.

"Mine are just like everyone else's," the man replied calmly.

"But they are almost twice as high as last week!" the girl protested.

"You know the situation," the man replied. "Regona City is running out of some stuff. It's been what, three years? We are only going to have the basics left sooner or later."

"But couldn't you just make it a bit...well less pricy?" the second girl pleaded.

The man didn't respond for a moment.

"For us, please?" the first girl asked her voice softening somewhat as she gazed up at the man as though trying to use her womanly charms.

"Can't charge you cheap for something we won't have soon anymore, now can I?" the man replied. "If I start with you where will it end?"