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[Rose Red]

Casey's father hadn't quite understood why she had wanted a job. She could remember every single arguement he had made, most of them including the phrase, "I make enough money to support all of us". These 'fights' never got very far, since he had to be happy no matter what happened. That meant that Casey had the advantage, and she knew it.

There were several reasons that she wanted a job. One was that it gave her something to do besides study and run around and smile all the time. To Casey, work actually was enjoyable. However, the most important reason was that she wanted a certain amount of financial independence. There were some things that she wanted to buy that she didn't want her father finding out about.

Plus, people watching was an amazing experience. People came up to her, asked for their drinks, and meanwhile presented wonderful studies on human nature. It didn't even bother Casey that most of this was obscured by their near-plastic grins. Well, it didn't bother her much anyway, and she certainly wasn't going to let it show.

Casey looked around Happily Ever After. It was actually rather empty at the moment, and the few people who were there didn't approach her. She mentally shrugged to herself, and occupied herself by tightening the pony tail that her brown hair was currently being held in. Someone would come eventually, after all. Somebody always came if Casey waited long enough.

[Tinkerbell]

"Form a group, a circle if you mind, that you will trust to be the most loyal. Bring them to me and then the real mission begins. I suppose you could call it a raid..."

Could there really be that many trustworthy people here? Jade wondered, fidgeting with one of the hairpins that annoyingly poked onto her scalp. She was, at least, thankful that it hadn't been one of those sharp ones that use to be made but she guessed that it was discontinued to avoid problems in Red's "Happy World All The Time". The thought of her being happy 24/7 was mind-throbbing; what ever happened to freedom of speech? Too much "violence". she sarcastically told herself.

She had never worked undercover before... or was she even undercover? No one knew about her. This could have been seen as an advantage-- she could just put on a bright smile, wait for the moment to find the leak about a rebel group, then... then what? The girl let a sigh slip, but she remembered that the world surrounding her was probably watching for a false move, so she tried to make it sound like a refeshing sound. However, her attempt was futile. Although she was a good liar, it was hard to keep at it when she caught herself offguard. She needed to be more careful in public places.

"Just water." she said as politely as possible. To seem convincing, she beamed brightly, hoping that it didn't seem too awkward. Don't try so hard! she barked at herself. She wondered what her "uncle" would have said to her if he saw her now, but she more than likely new the answer already. He was a very likable man with his wit and understanding.

Her Uncle Mac would have probably told her that the best way of lying was to be "simple and fresh". Simple and fresh, simple and fresh... her mind echoed the words.

[Rose Red]

A customer! Casey almost jumped up and down, but managed to control herself. Her enthusiasm had once startled a patron, and that did not end well for them. Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if it was just to take their order. She smiled at the girl, and nodded as she went and got her a glass of water.

Casey had caught the sigh of course. She prided herself on noticing things, and even though the girl had saved it to what most people would have ignored, the sigh had snagged on Casey's memory like a bush catches cloth. Her customer was frustrated, and in her opinion needed something a bit stronger than water. Of course, she couldn't just come out and say that.

"You know, we've got a lot of other stuff in here." She said with a smile, and handed the girl her water. "Don't get me wrong, water is great. However, you can get it from any sink in the world. Now this is one of the safest places I know of. So, if you want to indulge a bit, go ahead." There. Now the girl could misunderstand her as just being a pushy, if enthusiastic, bartender. Or she could have caught that Casey was one of the few people out there who would let her talk and not give her away.

Casey really liked her job sometimes.

[Tinkerbell]

"...So, if you want to indulge a bit, go ahead."

Peachy. Jade thought to hereslf. She wondered if it was sarcasm, annoyance or worry that had inflicted the thought, but either way she couldn't risk herself getting too light headed. Otherwise the bar-girl might ask why she was there at Happily Ever After and then Jade'd stupidly reply: "Oh I'm just on a secrety mission for my... hic... rebel leader. Nothin' to worry about tho', just a raid is going on." However, she couldn't be rude to her, otherwise she might let her manager know and then not only would Jade be kicked out, but she'd be sent to execution. Talk about your regular Off-With-Your-Head Queen of Hearts. But would the twist be that Red was actually nice? A dictator who wants happy-go-lucky all over town? Methinks no.

"I'll think about it," she replied quietly. "Thanks." It was hard to squeeze out, but it sounded convincing enough (to her, that is). She took a sip of water before placing it back onto the table and folded her arms onto the table. What should she do now? Dance? Sure, she wasn't horrible at it, but she felt awkward if she was dancing by herself. And it'd probably be twice as awkward if someone invited me... a very BIG if. Fat chance. She imagined herself rolling her eyes at a male who was probably brainwashed by the Requim rules that said that women always had to say 'yes' when being told what to do.

In reality, she'd have to force herself to flutter her eyelashes shyly and say that she wasn't a good dancer (or that her father didn't appreciate her dancing with other boys). Either way, she'd probably put a harsh alternative picture in her mind as she "softly" rejected them. There was always, of course, a few accepting standards but in a world where ego-males roamed the planet it was safer just to lie.

Jade gently stroked her finger up and down the imaginary spine of the glass, impotentially smiling at the feeling of coolness tickle the tip of her index. Coldness was actually pretty calming, if you thought about it versus heat, and when she was younger she saw it as an easy excuse to have to snuggle against someone. All right... enough of that. Loyal Circle. Need to find someone...

Her eyes trailed back to the counter girl and gave a smile. Well, it's worth a shot.

"So..."

[Rose Red]

So the girl didn't want to talk. Or drink either, for that matter. Casey shrugged didn't worry about it. People didn't open up just because a stranger said that it was safe. Well, at least they didn't if they wanted to stay alive for very long.

Casey was willing to wait. Well, at least she was in theory. In reality, waiting was a rather hard thing for her to do. Still, she lingered around the girl for a bit, not too much to be disruptive, but close enough to be there if the customer had a change of heart. After all, there was nothing better to do. The bar was still relatively empty, and the girl was interesting, even if she wouldn't open up.

Of course, then she did say something. It wasn't much, barely a syllable, but it was something. "Sooo." Casey said, drawing out the vowel and smiling broadly. She returned a bit closer to the girl and leaned against her side of the bar. Then she laughed, a big true laugh that wasn't forced at all. Casey noticed that not many people laughed like that anymore. It was a shame, really. Being forced to be happy took all the joy out of it for most.

"Sorry, I just thought the way you said that was funny, all slow and deliberate like. You are one stale pastry, you know that?"she said, smiling broadly. Then she thought about it for a second and let her smile drop a couple centimeters. Perhaps she was coming on a bit strong. That happened sometimes. "What do you need?" she finished.

[Tinkerbell]

"Sooo."

Jade's head snapped up more attentively as the girl gave a hearty laugh. What was so funny? Did some sort of gas leak that she wasn't affected by? Maybe that's what Red should have used for this dictation: Laughing gas. She told herself, sarcastically. Or maybe, even better, brainwash the little damsels so they weren't much of a problem. That'd be a little more creative, dont'chya think? she gave a mental nod to her mental conscious, keeping a straight face in the process as she looked directly at her "company". She felt herself sink a little into her stool as she unintentionally made fun of how Jade had tried unsucessfully (or just the opposite) to make conversation with someone.

"You are one stale pastry, you know that?"

"Stale pastry?" Jade repeated, bewilderdly.

Then a lightbulb came on, her eyes adjusting ever so slightly as she realized what she meant. Once she understood within the minute, she gave a right-shouldered shrug with a tilt of her head. Not bad, for a distincted marshmellow. Jade wasn't sure how she would have taken it, so she kept her mouth closed, lacing her skinny fingers.

"What do you need?"

How do I put it? Jade asked herself, adding on that she'd have to bring the question in delicately. And how would I do that? Delicate wasn't exactly her best suit, even if she had to. She breathed a sigh through her nose before bringing it up, but kept her eyes onto the glass.

"... What do you think about how things are going? With all of this 'All Days Happy' ... arrangement?"

[Rose Red]

Casey giggled a bit at the girl's bewilderment. "Yes, a stale pastry." she said, but didn't bother to explain. It was always more interesting to watch people muddle out what she was trying to say then to just tell them. Plus, the girl seemed to have caught on. She was no longer looking confused, anyway.

However, what came next almost made Casey gasp.

She was very professional about the whole thing, if she did say so herself. Her smile might have dropped a bit, but not enough to give her away. "Well, that's an odd little question. Do you ask everyone that?" she asked. Silently she was thinking about how she should answer, and who this girl was.

It was possible that she had found an ally, and Casey knew that she needed more of those. However, the more likely option was that this girl was a spy, and someone had leaked that she was a part of the resistance. So, the most logical action was to tell the girl how wonderful it was and be done with it.

Casey didn't defy logic very often, but this time she started to second guess herself. For some reason, the posibility of a friend seemed more likely to her despite the odds. So, she had to think about a way to avoid suspicion, yet leave the posibility open.

She laughed again, easy and amused. This whole situation was probably a whole lot less complicated then she believed anyway. "Well, if you can't tell already, I don't have a problem with happiness." she said, and beamed at the girl, "My name is Rose, by the way. What about you?"

[Tinkerbell]

Jade’s laced fingers tensed as she heard the bar tender girl gasp, but tried to keep a still expression. There was no need to get bent out of shape over a small noise, not yet at least, so she tried to wait for the answer she was looking for. Did she ask everyone that? Was the girl out of her curly little mind? That was like putting up a billboard that said: Please, oh please, come take me away! I love getting my head chopped off.

Now the teenager realized how stupid the question was, since everyone here seemed to either go along with Red because they either enjoyed the circumstances, or they feared of getting arrested – or worse. She could feel the goose bumps on her sleeved arms at the thought, but reminded herself that she would be fine. Her time to greet her real mother would be after a happy life – the genuine happiness.

"Well, if you can't tell already, I don't have a problem with happiness."

Was the girl serious? Did she not mind living under the male’s rules and being told what to do? Her fingers tensed again, ever so slightly, with her frustration but tried to stay attentive as the girl introduced herself with a flowery name. Her own name was of a stone, but then again, the people of this time had aliases so it could also mean that this girl was playing it safe. Then another light bulb flashed.

Does Rose think that I’m a spy?

“Bell.”

She could have given her the name “Sol”, but then, if someone from school had come then they would be able to find out what she’d been up to. Who in their right mind would ask forbidden things under the watchful eye of the dictator? And the name wasn’t that far off from her own alias, but “Tink” would have made it obvious that she was using an alias.

The thoughts that rummaged through her head had been making it ache, and the water wasn’t helping much. She pushed the glass away after two small sips and gently drummed her fingers as she pondered what to say. The previous words of indulgence had been hammering to her head, but she needed to remain focus. Didn’t the drinks end up making your head hurt even worst, as the after effect? Jade decided to wait on that offer.

“It was rude to ask, sorry.” She half-heartedly apologized.

[Rose Red]

Casey caught Bell's fingers tense. She did pride herself on being perceptive. That meant that the girl was nervous, which could mean one of two things. One, Casey's instincts were in fact right and she was trying to reveal her resistance membership without getting her head chopped off. If that truly was the case, flying in the face of all logic, Casey would have to make herself a trophy. However, she could just be a badly trained spy.

Casey had never gotten the game of poker. Her father told her that the main point was that everyone subconciously gave away when they were lying, and the point was to find out that particular signal. Useful, perhaps, but she had always wondered why a good poker player wasn't smart enough to create a concious signal, and curl their toes whenever they were lying or something. That way, none of the other players would notice. She figured that a good spy would do something like that, and conceal all visible markers of distress.

Oh, Casey loved tangents.

"Belle? Like Beauty and the Beast?" she asked, beaming and secretly hoping that she was right, "Rather Disney, but I guess it's a pretty name. My favorite was Mulan, you know. My caretaker let me see it once, the whole girl power vibe was refreshing. Didn't much like Snow White though, they cut out her sister." Casey almost groaned at herself. Bell probably didn't want to hear her ramble on about arcaic children's movies. But, it was a valuable clue if the girl was paying attention. Plus, Casey really loved tangents. "And I don't mind, really. Be rude all you want, it makes thinks interesting." she finished.