Maxwell leant back looking at the restaurant in front of him. A table of patrons were just being served. The waiters were smartly dressed with white long-sleeved shirts and dark brown vests. This particular one had jet black hair. It went down to his ears and was as smooth as silk. Despite that, the most striking part of him was his piercing green eyes.

The man placed a steaming steak onto their table. “Hope you enjoy, this is our specialty after all, tangerine monkey steak.” said the server. As he was putting it down it slipped from his fingers clattering to the floor. The steak landed in their lap and they hurriedly stood up.The server stood there like a deer in the headlights.

“I’m so sorry sir,” said another server. He came over from another table. The man had a head full of strong dirty blonde curls. They bobbed energetically as he frantically helped clean up the mess while constantly apologising. Maxwell watched mindlessly. The only thought on his mind was how to find food. To be frank he didn’t give a damn. At least those people had food to eat. An idea emerged.

“Uh!” he audibly exclaimed. Dumpster diving! The answer has been right there from the beginning. There must be some scraps I can eat. He shook his head as he walked to the back of the restaurant. His former self could never imagine himself being delighted just to go scrounging for scraps. It took some time but by going through a small road on the other side of the restaurant he was able to get behind it. There was somewhat of a raised platform with a ramp going down the side. Beneath the ramps were a couple barrels. He could see a bone sticking out from it. Bingo.

He scampered over. The food didn’t smell that bad yet, which probably meant it was ok to eat. A door opened above him.

“What happened back there?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s clearly something, you stormed out of there!”

Maxwell remained completely still. He stood as close to the ramp as possible. Have they not noticed me? Two people seemed to be having a conversation right above his head. They were on the ramp judging by their voices but if they walked to the edge they would easily make him out. He just hoped they wouldn’t be throwing trash anytime soon.

“I’m just tired, to be honest I don’t want to work here any longer.”

“But you’ve been here a while, you can’t just give that up!”

After a short silence the other man responded in a quiet tone. “It’s stifling, there’s no freedom. My work here is meaningless.” There was another pause while the man worked out his thoughts.

“You know the new guy, just because he's jade class he gets away with everything. When he messed up in front of customers and I helped him, I somehow found myself getting chewed out!” The man’s tone was rising. “In what world is that fair? He’s been here a tenth of the time I have yet he was promoted when I deserved it!”

A silence ensued.

“Forget it, I know what you’re going to say,” said the man. “I’m young and inexperienced. I shouldn’t keep envy in my heart, and I should read up on the scriptures.”

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“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“What do you think Shay’s DIner is known for?”

“Huh, why’s that relevant.”

“Just answer the question.”

“It’s food, the tangerine monkey steak. It’s what’s drawn customers in since it reopened. We’re famous for serving people of all classes. It’s sort of a common ground between the slums and the outer city.”

“You’re on the right track but it's more than that. Besides nobody even came here for the tangerine steak ‘till the upper class started eating here and the amber class followed suit. Tangerine monkeys were considered too “human” before that. But that’s not the important part” he said, waving the tangent off. “Shay’s diner has always been more than just a restaurant. We sell more than just food.I can’t tell you the details. That’s up to the owner. The more jade class servers we have the more right customers we bring. The better it is for business. That opens up a wider market for us and more profit to be made.”

“What did you mean by more than just food?” asked the man.

“Forget it, you’ll know when you’re ready. I’ll head back before we cause more trouble, come back when you’re ready.” A door scraped open before shutting. That was then followed by silence. Maxwell eyed the sky above him trying to peer behind him. Did they both go in? Not to mention what was going on with Shay’s DIner? It can’t be good.

A flick of a lighter. Above Maxwell he heard the sharp inhale of a cigarette followed by a long breath of air. The smoke trail floated forward.

“I never thought I would be this unhappy working in a place like this, after I left everything to move to the capital.”

Maxwell scrunched his eyebrows. Who is he talking to? He’s all here alone isn’t he?

“I thought what a wonderful Idea it would be, what a marvelous idea it would be for people of all backgrounds to be able to share a meal, to laugh and enjoy each other's company. I’m sorry mother.”

His mother huh… Maxwell stared wistfully ahead. It was starting to feel like he was hearing something he wasn’t supposed to but then again what choice did he have.

“I thought by coming to Shay’s Diner I would learn what I needed to make a restaurant of my own, one that was a place of equality, where everyone regardless of class could eat together. I’m sorry mother. I don’t know if I’ll be able to realise our dream. The world you believed in so strongly. If you’re listening to me, grant me the strength to persevere.”

The cigarette fell at Maxwell’s feet and the door closed behind the man. A world where everyone can eat and enjoy each other's company regardless of class. Maxwell retrieved a bone from the trash. He tore off a small piece of the charred flesh. That’s no small ambition…He took another bite. This isn't that bad. The odds of it being the scraps from a tangerine monkey were very high but god was he hungry.

He rooted through the scraps. When Maxwell thought of eye color it was simply a characteristic. If someone had a vibrant green eye color he would simply have been envious at how pretty it looked and moved on. In this world he always forgot that it was more than that. In this world eye-color was much more than that.

He wrinkled his nose skimming the surface of the trash. It had a pungent smell. But his stomach was begging for any morsel of food. It also helped still the eternal coldness he felt within him. He grabbed an apple core gnawing at the small piece of fruit left on the pit.

He heard a growl in his ears. The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

He’s right behind me isn’t he. Maxwell slowly turned around. A pack of wild dogs were encircling him. They paced around eyeing him. This is no time for jokes, things are getting serious. One particularly menacing one larger than the rest caught his eye. Not for the right reasons of course. Its hackles were raised revealing large, white canines. More akin to a crocodile than a dog.

A white dog in the back snarled and the dogs charged him, frothing at the mouth.