Why Tigers Hate Dragons...

[DoS Archive]

From: sofiaagianetti@aol.com (Sofia A Gianetti)
Date: 06 Jul 2003 00:14:49 EDT

Sofia hadn't been back to that blasted arena since her first time there. She knew she didn't dare until she had her head cleared ... no matter how much it eased her homesickness. Adjusting to life in RhyDin was harder than she'd ever could have imagined, but she'd sooner kiss a Dragon's backside than admit that.

Bah.... Of all the people and, well, things she could've run into in RhyDin, why'd it have to be a $^@#$ Dragon?!? Tony's accent had so reminded her of home, she nearly forgot she wasn't there, at least for a little while. She could almost even look past the fact of his ... affiliation, until the image of Gino flitted through her mind.

Sofia idolized her older brother, even if he had elected to stay in Queens when Mom and Pops decided to move. Their parents had allowed him to stay behind with friends, rather than make him change schools his senior year ... not that he had graduated. Without parental guidance, Gino started hanging out with a rather unsavory bunch. To the best of Sofia's knowledge, he'd never been a part of the any gang , but he didn't exactly try to keep from causing trouble either.

Sofia had skipped school that day and hitched a ride, across the Bronx-Whitestone bridge into Queens. She knew just where to find Gino, and all she really wanted to do was see him. She rounded a corner which would put her right in front of Gino's favorite hang out. From there, it was like slow motion. Spotting Gino, Sofia raised her hand to wave and call out to him. Gino's eyes widened as he whipped his head to look at her. What Sofia thought was to be a wave turned out to be a motion to go away. Stubborn as she was, she put her hands on her hips, her mouth opening to tell him where to go ... then ... boom.

The shot rang out, echoing off the buildings and down the alley. Sofia watched as Gino was struck in the shoulder, the bullet spinning him about. Too shocked to scream or move, Sofia just stood there, the report of the gun sounding a thousand times over in her mind, broken only by Gino's voice telling her to run. Before she could even lift a foot, the second shot was fired, this one threw Gino back to the ground, a nearly point blank range slug slamming into his forehead.

Sofia never saw the assailant. She turned and ran, and ran ... and ran. The last thing she remembered seeing was the word "Dragons" emblazoned in spray paint upon a brick wall.

Gino's death was basically ignored by the authorities. They chalked it up to another gang shooting ... and one less thug they'd be responsible for busting. It was never proven that the Dragons had anything to do with it ... but in Sofia's mind, it wasn't proven that they didn't, either.

A month after laying her brother to rest, Sofia found herself a new "family", one that hated the Dragons as much as she. Six months later, she was jumped in. The tiger tattoo that now curled around her hip was given amber eyes, and Sofia Amberetta Gianetti was just... Amber. Gino had been the last one to call her Sofi.


Amber shook off the memories and looked up, finding herself once again at the Arena. Tony could look all he wanted, he wasn't going to find out anything about her, or her affiliation to the Tigers. This was RhyDin, not New York. For that matter, she really didn't even have to speak to him again....