Six Boys, One Girl and a Cafeteria (and the two people who run it)
Kory, Aybol, Leo, Fitz and Zek
The boys are members of the royal guard in Central City. Unless they're on duty, they tend to keep to their own levels of the palace, specifically the cafeteria. All of them have different personalities, but the five young men have formed a bond. After a chance meeting one night with the younger princess, the boys will find that their lives are about to get a little more interesting.
Kory Hale
Kory is the son of a Tin Man - he died at the Last Stand - and has always wanted to be just like his father. He's serious - which he is constantly teased about - but has a sense of humor and is loyal to his friends. He's known Leo the longest and met Aybol at school. Fitz and Zek, he met upon arriving in Central City. Kory was the victim of a practical joke in his first year of school, which found him tied to the scarecrow's post in a field.
He's most often described as "Cain Junior".
Hunk Aybol
Aybol prefers to go by Aybol. Just Aybol. He had nothing to do with the first name and wishes his grandmother had simply gone with Hank. Aybol is tall, dark and mysterious in every sense, but has the brightest smile and most contagious laugh of anyone in the Outer Zone. Aybol is from the North and met Kory and Averic at school.
Aybol tends to be the one to bring out Kory's fun side, and also seems to be the only one who can keep Zek in check.
Leo Tigg
Leo is an odd duck; he's an excellent soldier, but slightly paranoid. This is almost entirely because he's the victim of an older brother. Following his brother, Av, around, Leo became friends with Kory and Dena and, after Kory and Av returned from school, Leo followed Kory to Central City.
Leo is afraid of Wyatt Cain. It's not his fault, because Cain scares everybody. But, Leo's pretty sure that, if Cain finds out what he did for Princess DG, he'll be sent to the Deadly Desert.
Did I mention Leo's a victim of an older brother?
Fitz Munch
Fitzy is the Zone's equivalent of a nerd. He grew up in Milltown, before the humans were forced out. His father and his grandfather were Unit Techs - the units could fix everything but themselves - so he is very mechanically-minded. Fitz's behavior is dependent on who he's with - usually he's with Zek, therefore, causing trouble.
Fitz loves to learn and, soon, may find himself with shifts on the lab levels, where he won't be guarding, so much as assisting.
Zek Ertl
Zek thinks he's a superstar. No, really. All the girls love him and he loves all the girls. There's probably a few boys who love him, too, but he's focused on the girls. Oh, and there's the guarding. Zek is trying to break Leo from his fear by teasing him, mercilessly, but isn't having much luck. If he isn't on duty, he's probably talking to the girls in the laundry, or the kitchen... or the city.
Zek needs to work on his signals. Badly.
Averic Tigg
Av is Leo's older brother and a friend of Kory Hale. Av is your basic older brother, only kinda mean. He is set on catching Dena, even though he knows that Kory likes Dena. What he doesn't know is that Dena only has eyes for Kory. Av is still in the Eastern Guild, doing whatever it is that he does.
He's about to get his ass kicked by a princess.
Dena still doesn't have a last name...
Dena met Kory Hale the day her family moved to town. The Hales came over to help Dena's family unpack and she didn't want Kory's help - and he didn't want to be there. While carrying the table inside, it clipped the cabinet and took off the drawer pull. Her father is a doctor and she doesn't want to be a doctor, but helps him anyway.
Dena and DG are going to be very good friends. Oh yes...
Dena and Kory
Lona and Moran "Mo" Sim
Mo and Lona are in charge of the cafeteria on the guard level. They deal with all the guards and tend to treat them all as their own children - and they won't admit to having favorites, but they do - especially the ones who are farthest from home.
While it goes against "protocol", neither of them have said anything about the princess who pops up now and then and uses the kitchen to feed her own boredom. No one has asked where the brownies on the menu came from, and no one complained that they had an odd taste... Fun fact: Zone flour is NOT Other Side flour!
Also, Princess DG is not, apparently, the only member of the royal family to make unannounced visits to the cafeteria.
The boys (and crew) have their own tag, but for a quick overview, see The Cafeteria Boys.
They are feeling a bit unloved...