[IC] The Badlands

[dee]

Reagan Woods

The Inner Circle was abuzz with excitement. The day was winding down, with the sun dipping low in the horizon and casting orange rays in the sky. The shops were being set up in the streets, and fireworks of varying sizes and colors sat at the center of the city.

Reagan stood among them, back resting against the wall of a cafe. It had been so long since she found herself in the Inner Circle without the threat of being met with hostility hanging over her. This used to be her domain and she used to be one of those people dancing and mingling at the top of Central Tower. She saw some of them, once or twice, pass her on the streets. They never recognized her - she supposed that they had never really paid enough attention to her to commit her face to their memory - and sometimes she was thankful. Her clothes were far from what she had grown up with. She looked every bit like an Outerner, and she still hated it. She shook her head softly at herself. If any of the Young Gods knew of her thoughts, she was sure she'd be met with a gun to her head.

With a soft sigh, she pushed herself off of the wall and wandered around the streets. She waved to some of the Young Gods she passed by, smiling at how they were enjoying the short reprieve from the usual tension that hung over Badlands like a storm cloud.

She paused in front of a stall that had just finished setting up. Its owner was an old man. Recognition sparked in both of their eyes as Reagan looked through his products. She'd stolen from him time and time again before and he's gotten her bruised and wounded. Now, she'd be paying for her purchase because no one dared to disrupt this day. Badlands Independence Day. The same three words were printed in different neon colors on bracelets, necklaces, and tees. She grabbed a couple of bills from her pocket to pay for the bracelet she's just taken and smiled softly at the way the green script seemed to dance against the cool metal.

"Happy Independence Day, Badlands," she muttered to herself.

[Apokalipse]

Sunshine

Sunshine hated a lot of things, but what Sunshine hated the most was the Badlands. The aristocracy, the politics, the Great Divide between the elitists and the dirt poor. And, somehow, Sunshine found herself with one foot in each world, hanging in Limbo. She knew things about the magnificent politicians around the Inner Circle, that, if they ever got out, could ruin their entire career – but why should she even bother? She was a hooker, a prostitute; who would listen to her? Among the things she hated, Independence Day was not one of them. It gave her reprieve from such inner turmoil over spilling the beans or eating them. Plus, it was the one day out of the entire year that no one looked at her like dirt on their shoe, or a toy to be used. Because on Independence Day, she was not a low-class rat or an “exotic dancer.” On Independence Day, she was Sunshine.

“Good day, Sunshine.” A beautiful brunette called and Sunshine pulled her in for a chaste kiss, her hands greedily slipping over her leather jacket. The smell and touch of leather jackets had filled her life from start and, hopefully, to finish – yet she couldn’t get enough of it.
“Bye, Sunshine!” The same brunette shouted enthusiastically as the redhead left her behind, her overwhelmed senses taking her to a new experience.

The dessert looked delectable, though Sunshine didn’t know what it was. It was a pastry of sorts, dripping with goopy jam that smelled suspiciously like cinnamon apple. The vendor behind the pastries gave her a coy smile; his lips crinkling as he slyly slipped the succulent sweet from the display, placing it on a plate. Sunshine bit her lip, digging into her shallow pockets, rounding up as much loose change as she could and slapping them onto the counter: one, two, three…

“Don’t sweat it, sweetheart. I’ll give you a discount, this is just enough!” His salt and pepper hair reminded her of a grandfather of sorts and Sunshine found herself stubbornly searching for some silver until all the money was placed on the counter. On Independence Day, she pays in full.

“Thank you, sir.” Sunshine dipped her head demurely, taking the pastry into her hands and ducking out of the vendor and crossing through the crowded street.

The first bite was the best. Aphrodisiac ambrosia abounded into her awaiting mouth, swathing her salmon-stained tongue with apple and nothing but apple. Though there was much more to be had on the streets on Independence Day and so Sunshine wandered from stall to stall until she saw a string of sapphire stones. The bold blue hue blinked with the breezy sky, glittering and goading. Sunshine stalked closer, her fingers barely touching the gems of the necklace when she heard an expectant sound.

Glancing up, Sunshine glared at a gray grandfather with an expectant gleam in his eye. Shrugging away is eyes, Sunshine straightened up and peered around the stall, her eyes catching onto another woman buying a bracelet. Wrapping her arms around herself, Sunshine bounced on the balls of her feet and grinned at the stranger.

“Great day, ain’t it? On Independence Day, the sun shines, don’t it?”

[Zetsuko]

The sounds of celebration and revelry could be heard from a building along the side of the main road. The interior of which was almost entirely devoid of anyone but Dead Zone Revolution members, not out of any effort on their part to keep others out more that most inner city people wanted to avoid them, even on this day. The interior was designed as a bar/club with a stage and open space for dancing, the atmosphere was a more nostalgic one, meant to be like an old pub. up on the stage a band, wearing the colors of the revolution, was playing and singing "Dance, Dance, wherever you may be, 'i am the lord of the dance' said he...".

While they played there was two people on the floor with a space cleared around them. They faced each other, feet moving in an Irish Jig as they tried to outperform each other. one of the two was a member of the Young Gods, Moriarty Clark, one of the few non-Dead Zone members there. The other was the leader of the Dead Zone Revolution himself, Ezikiel Asturias, holding a stylish cane in a way that it didn't get in the way of his feet while the two followed the music. as the song ended and the two stopped the surrounding crowd cheered and they shook hands before parting ways and leaving the floor as others went on while the band transitioned into another song.

Moriarty went back over to a table with a few other Young Gods who greeted him with cheers as he grabbed another drink and sat down. Ezikiel went over to a slightly private area, not that it was fancy but it did have the most comfortable non-smashed chair in the room. Looking around the sight of them all would probably come as a surprise to most due to the stereotype of the Revolutionaries, the same one that kept most people out now. it wasn't entirely unfounded, after all...well, let's just say this year's fireworks show will end with a little extra 'bang' but that's a matter for later. right now Ezikiel picked up a drink and help it up "TO INDEPENDENCE!" a cheer went up in response around the room, causing a grin to spread across his face.