The Dog in the Manger

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"Atreyu!" Frank called as she recognized Akeem Ten-Amen. He happened to be getting a drink at the Silverlight. Technically, he happened to be getting a drink for a girl who looked like she probably shouldn't be drinking alcohol (which you could technically say of Frank, but that was just details). "Atreeeeeyuuuu, it's me!" Frank then plopped down next to him, leaning over to give him a slight push. "You remember me, right? Frank? It used to be Frank Cox, but it's Frank Laffont now because of Vegas, but I'm not actually married, so I'm totes available. And hi pretty girl! Did he tell you about his magical Egyptian god powers? I think he got them from a--- and she's gone."

Frank leaned back to watch the girl leave, nodding a few times before she leaned forward again. "It's okay, Atreyu: you got me!" Frank then spread her arms wide, grinning wide and doing a little wiggle. She waved the bartender down, asking for a drink that involved a lot more energy drink than alcohol, really.

"So, how have you been? Oh, did you wanna buy me a drink? Because that would be totes awesome of you," Frank leaned over and put her head on Atreyu's shoulder, looking up at him and blinking in what she clearly thought was a coquettish fashion.

[Akeem Ten-Amen]

Akeem would be dead without alcohol. If he couldn’t ease off with a glass of whatever-took-his-fancy every now and then, he’d get tensed, irritable, he’d lash out, eventually kill someone and then have the police kill him because he’d be too mad for them not having the choice but to use lethal force. Okay, it might be an exaggeration but he still felt like a drink, good music and the prospect of picking one of the ladies here tonight back to his loft was the only way he could take on this life.

He found some pretty little thing on the dance floor. The kind of girl that just purrs at you when you treat her right. And certainly walks away the instant you tell her no. But he didn’t care, since he’d want her gone by then anyway. They got close for a dance, then another. And they went to the bar to get something to drink while they moved on to the small talk apparently required before a guy could ask ‘my place or your place’. He didn't really bother with her age. She looked old enough. Perhaps too young for alcohol, he didn’t know. She asked for a cocktail as if expecting no one to question whether or not she should be allowed one so Akeem ordered it to her.

At least it was his intention. When someone called out Atreyu. He didn't think about it at first. It had been three years and he erased that event from his memory but a young woman approached him, acting like they knew each other. He showed no sign of remembering her or being affected in any way by her presence. In fact, he was ready to leave. “You’ve got the wrong-“ But the girl kept talking and he started to remember her. Not the name, of course. Oh no. Oh hell no.

He tried to stop the girl from leaving but she was already gone. And this one, this walking nightmare, was leaning towards him like they were buddies. She even hinted that her drink would be on his tab. If that could get her off his shoulder, he wouldn’t mind, but he seemed to remember how difficult it was to get rid of her. Harder than cockroaches really. “Actually, I was paying her a drink but I guess I can now forget about the rest.” Yet he still paid her the drink. Awesome. He was just robbed. He eyed this Frank character, holding her responsible for it. He put the money for her drink down on the counter as she got it. “Here, you have your drink. Enjoy it.” He was not about to get stuck with her again. He had enough troubles in her life already.