Chapter 2: The Grand Opening

Ivan always read the newspaper with his Cheerios, and that particular Thursday was no exception. He scanned over the front page, something about a dog saving a little girl and the erruption of Mount Aleph in Vale. He was turning the page when Hammet came in, paled, and snatched the paper from him.
"What are you doing?" Ivan asked him. "Give me back my dailing morning reading material."
"Here's the comics," Hammet pulled out that section and handed it to him.
Ivan ignored the black and white pictures being waved in front of his face, and held out one hand. "All of it. Now."
"Well, Ivan, first I need to explain something," Hammet put the paper down on the table.
"I'm listening," Ivan said, reaching for his glass of orange juice.
"Well, you know that Dance Club idea you gave to me last week?"
"Uh huh," Ivan nodded, and began to down some of his juice.
"The Grand Opening of Ivan's Dance Club is tonight," Hammet finished.
Ivan sprayed him with orange juice. "WHAT?!"
"I-I decided it was a good idea," Hammet used one of the napkins to wipe off his face. "And since you came up with the idea, I named it after you."
"Y'mean I have my own Dance Club?" Ivan stared at him in disbelief. "SWEET!"

***

That night was indeed the big night. Ivan sat on the stage, surveying the entire place. Ivan's Dance Club was furnished in black, white, and grey. The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere seemed a bit hazy. The pit opened into the street, and stairs led up to the bar. It was the perfect Dance Club.
The DJ walked in. He was a tall, auburn haired seventeen year old from Vale named Garet.
"Hey, Ivan," he greeted him. "Pretty sweet little set up."
"Yeah, I like it," Ivan nodded. He looked across at the bar, where Garet's best friend, Isaac, who had spiky dishwater blonde hair, was cleaning out some glasses. "Hey, you ready?!"
"Yeah, everything's ready," Isaac looked up and grinned. "Release the wild animals."
Ivan bounded down the steps into the pit and opened the doors. The noise from without, which before had been a soft humming, was now an overwhelming roar. "Welcome to Ivan's Dance Club!" he yelled. There was a cheer, and Ivan stepped out of the way. Teenagers from all over Angora spilled into the pit, the music started, and the dancing began.

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