Information

Demerara
Legacy Name: Demerara

The Glade Jollin
Owner: Luxe

Age: 15 years, 2 months

Born: March 13th, 2009

Adopted: 15 years, 2 months ago (Legacy)

Adopted: March 13th, 2009 (Legacy)

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

SOMEDAY

The sound of glasses clinking as they were filled with ice and the growing din of a tired but jovial crowd of Ziara citizens could only mean one thing at Le Bonbon: Showtime! As if on cue, a knock came at the dressing room door and a cream feli peeked in her head.

"Showtime, girls. I hope you're ready to entertain tonight! It's nearly a full house."

"Almost, Champagne. Just putting on the final touches," Demerara replied sweetly.

Nearly everything she did was sweet. Demerara, known simply as Sugar to her friends, family, and frankly most of the men in Ziara City who frequented Le Bonbon, lived up to her name. She was born and raised in Willow Park, a poorer neighborhood in Ziara, but social status was merely a game to her. She sweet talked, ear-tickled and flattered her way into parties and functions well beyond her class. She had plans, and no silly thing like a social status was going to interfere with them.

It was at one such gathering that she met Champagne, the owner of Le Bonbon, one of the finest cabarets in Ziara City.

"I can't help but notice you seem to have attracted the attention of almost every male in this facility," she purred.

Demerara looked Champagne up and down and nodded, coyly. "And some of the females too, it seems. What of it?"

"I also can't help but notice that you don't belong here," Champagne continued, unflinchingly.

Demerara stared in stunned silence.

"Oh, don't worry. My life is built on discretion. If these uptight ladies knew there was a demimondaine in their midst, that handsome archan and I would be escorted out on our tails faster than Vermouth could pour their next drink. No, I'm not here to out your secret, my dear. I'm here to make a proposition. You have spirit! I don't know why you're here, but obviously you're a girl of ambition, and I like that. How would you like to work at my lounge?"

"Your lounge?" Demerara asked.

"Yes. Le Bonbon over on Bordeaux Avenue. You'll sing or dance-- whichever you choose-- and if you're good at neither, you're pretty enough that the men will find you entertaining, even if you sit around and play the glass harp. Just make sure to smile at them once in a while," she winked. "Of course, you'll be scantily clad, but judging by this slinky number you have on tonight, I'm sure that won't be a problem, will it?"

"Excuse me," Demerara replied somewhat heatedly, "but I do have standards. If you think I'm going to parade around half naked until some drunken patron decides I'm exactly what he wants to bring to some back room and--"

"Sacrifice your values? Nonsense." Champagne waved a graceful paw dismissively. "It's not that type of club. Your job would be to entertain, to captivate their interests and show them a good time from the stage. If men want any of that other garbage, they can go to any street corner in Willow Park."

Demerara winced at the words, but they were right. That's why I'm trying to get out of there, isn't it?

"What's your name, dear?" Champagne interrupted her thoughts.

"Demerara."

"Hmm, pretty name but no one will ever remember it, and it certainly won't look good on posters. How about we call you Sugar?"

Demerara perked up. "Most men already have."

That was several years ago. Nowadays, she and Burlesque were the acts to see at Le Bonbon nearly every night of the week, and the glass harp wasn't even necessary. She could dance, sing, and even tell jokes. As she finished her makeup, she began her nightly ritual of encouragement with Burlesque.

"Here's mud in your eye, Burlesque."

"Break a leg, Sugar."

Sugar smiled wistfully. "Someday, you'll say that to me for the last time."

"I still don't know why you're in such a hurry to leave here," Burlesque protested, not for the first time. "The money you earn from Le Bonbon pays all your bills, including that university tuition. Take that out of the equation and you could be living in one of the finest places in the city, I'm sure!"

"Probably," Sugar shrugged. "Don't you ever want to see what's beyond Atebus, though? Or even beyond Ziara? There's a whole world outside this city. So much to learn!"

"Sure, I've been to the Galaxan Wastes. Between that and the backwards culture of those Gypsies in the Coda Caves, I'm happy to make this my home. You should be too."

Sugar sighed. "I am, Bebe. Ziara will always be my home. I would never have been able to go to the university had it not been for Le Bonbon. I'd probably still be someone's arm candy-- likely Port's-- wishing I could learn more and travel more and experience more. But Le Bonbon also means that I don't have to wish anymore. As soon as I finish my studies, I can see the world. The mainland! Have you ever seen Subeta? The Omen I--?"

"Speaking of Port and the Omen Islands," Burlesque interrupted, "I thought he promised he would take you after you got married. Why would you give that up? A classy gentleman wholly devoted to you, regardless of where you came from, doting on you and taking you on all your adventures…"

"I love Port. I really do, but he's a sweet-talker just like me. He said we'd go 'someday'. Do you know what 'someday' means?"

"Yeah. It means someday, not never."

"I'll tell you what it means. It's a nice way of saying 'when we get around to it,' which to Port probably meant after we settled down, got married, raised our children, and by then I'd be too old to enjoy the adventure. Port is a wonderful guy, but his fairytale happy ending would have been more important than my grand adventure."

"What if you were his happily ever after, Sugar? And he didn't care where you were as long as you were together?"

"I-- " Sugar hesitated and took a deep breath. "I'm sure that's probably exactly as he saw it, Bebe." She shook her head and shrugged helplessly. "I'm just not ready for my happily ever after yet. I'm at the point in my life where I need to ride off into the sunset into the great unknown. I've always wanted to see the world; I can't let that be taken away from me, not even for love. I'd regret it my whole life, and what if I ended up resenting him? That's not fair to Port. He's too nice to end up with that burden. Let him have the chance to be some other girl's perfect gentleman."

"You know he won't. He'll wait. He's probably out there right now."

Sugar smiled, despite the sadness in her eyes. "I won't be disappointed if he does wait, but my adventures come first. I've worked too hard to give up on those dreams."

As she approached the dressing room door, she heard Champagne announcing her entrance and the crowd erupted in applause, hoots, and cat calls. Her usual sassy sparkle returned to her eyes as she opened the door and said, "Someday, I'll come home. I could never leave this forever."

---

COLLECTS

* fans
* feather boas
* animal print clothing
* omen islands stuff

REFERENCES

[1] [2] [3][4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

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