Locked Door.

[FreshRefreshments]

"You see it, yeah?" 

The Tajara slowly nodded her head, swirling the foamy black glass. 

"She pulled it out of a bag. You saw all of them do it, too. None of them are marked." 

She looks between each of the other Tajara in the bathroom, swallowing a hard lump in her throat. It was true- the black tablet that had been dropped in with no small amount of drama was the same, for each of them. Plucked free, without looking. It was the same, for each of them. 

Rain pittered and pattered on the roof of the Long Eclipse, a soothing sound that did little to sway her worries.

"You know what's going to happen?" 

 . . . 

"She drinks it. . .and has a good night, with all of her friends."

A quartet of four grins around her. 

"That's right." 

"They've been through a lot together, all of them."

"You should be proud. All of you should be."

The four other Tajara raised their glasses, to a toast. 

"To freedom! Of the PRA, of the DPRA, of the NKA! They hold citizenships- but they can't hold your lives!" 

"To freedom! Of the Suns! Of the damned Pantheon!" 

"To freedom! Raskara, grant us freedom!" 

She looked at the glass again, and then clinked it with the others, steeling herself and grinning. 

She was free, for maybe the first time ever in her life. A new home, with people who respected her. Who enjoyed her presence. Who wanted her to be happy. 

She tilted her head back, squeezing her eyes shut and downing the veritable sludge that was in her drink. 

And the world swayed into an invigorating mess of heightened senses. 

. . .

. . .

. . .

 

With a gasp, she sat up, eyes bolting open. She was in a shitty apartment of Little Adhomai, sweating up a storm. She was under some silk covers, clinging to her fur like wet clothes after being dunked in a pool, only nauseatingly warm. Her racing eyes fell upon another Tajaran next to her, back turned to the woman. She didn't even recognize the fur, rising up from the bed and prying herself from sheets, feeling her mind race- or was that blood rushing to her head, causing her to stumble some as she yanked a foot free from the uncomfortable bed. She felt herself hyperventilating, thought she couldn't guess if it was because she was overly warm, or- oh, god. Bile was practically forcing it's way up her throat, climbing like the fingers of deranged monsters. She stumbled towards a balcony's sliding door, catching herself as she fell again, and yanking it open to the smell of cigarette smoke. 

"Hey hey, she's awake-!" 

Words were silenced with a few snickers or sighs of pity as she pushed towards the guard rail and leaned over the edge, hurling profusely. Once finished, she sagged a bit, staring up at the sky. It was like- about 9 or 10 AM. They were in the nightclub at around 11 PM- but it was also raining, and there was absolutely no sign of any dampness in the air, or any puddles on the ground. Nothing except now her vomit in the alleyway. She felt a hand patting her on the back, soothingly. "Heeey, hey. You're alright. Long night, huh?", came one of her friends voices- apparently, three of them were already out there, having a little smoke party together. Wait- no. Two friends. . .and one she didn't recognize at all.

"How. . .long was she out. . .?"

One of them looks at a phone. "Ten hours? . . .wait- no- like. . .thirty three?" 

She boggles. "What about the-", nudging her head over to the bed. 

"Oh- probably scared the fuck out of you, didn't she- no, she just needed the bed. Vamasi and Shazza took up the couch, passed out- foot to face. She pushed you aside and passed out." 

At least one worry assuaged- with a pat down, her clothes were saturated with sweat, but still on her. 

"Hey." 

She glanced over, slowly. 

"Vamasi's downstairs now, making this shit he calls eggs in a nest." 

"They were about to go grab some, now. Come eat it out here. Hang out for a while. You wanna join, or you got business shit? Might wanna brush your teeth first, before doing that.", he snickered at her. 

". . .she feels like she hasn't eaten in days.", she murmurs, rising and wiping her mouth off. 

[Sputnik5927]

Good descriptive prose that allows the reader to immerse themselves in the scene. Nice work.