The Drunk Tank
Sanja opened her eyes, regretting it immediately. The noise that escaped her dry lips was somewhere between ‘wounded animal’ and ‘rusty door hinge’, a half mewled yelp of pain that was muffled only by the unyielding metal bench seat that one half of her face was smushed into. She sat up slowly, feeling at least a thousand years old as every fiber of muscle in her body protested, and there was a sudden, spastic blur of motion as she pressed both hands to her temples, squeezing like she could choke whatever tiny construction worker was using a jackhammer on the inside of her skull.
“What the…”
Trying that whole seeing thing again, even her eyelashes hurt as she peeled her eyes open, wider this time. Blinking, she tried —failing— to focus, tried to make sense of her surroundings. It was strangely dark, the single fluorescent bulb overhead that flickered like a dying strobe light was adding to her headache. The place was made of strange shapes and angles, hard lines where she expected none.
Bars" This was… jail"
Startled, she peered to her right, realizing only distantly that she wasn’t alone in this uncomfortable little cubicle of a room. She leaned closer to the slumped figure, trying to get a better look at her apparent cellmate, and only several seconds after it should have did it occur to her who it was.
“Aisling"!” Sanja nudged the unconscious figure, thankfully oblivious to to the bright red rectangle she still sported on one cheek from the angle at which she’d slept. “What…” she could even finish the sentence.
Sanja had woken groggy and confused. Slow. Aisling woke up with limbs flailing and the taste of death in her mouth, “Whatsitwhogoingon"”
The burst of energy didn’t last long. The room immediately spun from the sudden movement and she curled forward with a groan, bile rising to the back of her throat as she shut her eyes. She didn’t know where she was, but wherever it was" The floor was moving, sliding out from under her. Someone probably should fix that. “I’m gonna be sick.” That came out a lot clearer.
Instinct took over when the other girl flailed; Sanja waved one hand to dematerialize herself, dissolving into dreamstuff so as not to find herself in the path of one of those jerky limbs.
...Or, that’s what was supposed to happen, anyway. What actually happened was a whole lot of nothing followed by a “what the f—-” and then an “oof!” as Sanja found herself the proud new owner of an elbow to the solar plexus.
“Watch it, y’big ox!” She exclaimed irritably, despite the fact that Aisling looked well, nothing like an ox. Sanja winced at the sound of her own voice as it went shrill in defensive protest, wondering who’d turned up the volume on her ear drums.
After a few moments of heavy breathing through her shirt, which smelled like beer and vomit, Aisling cracked one eye and immediately closed it, regretting the action even though it yielded her cousin sitting next to her. “What happened"” Whatever had happened—which she couldn’t remember at the moment—was clearly Sanja’s fault. It was always Sanja’s fault. It was her fault she had gotten yelled at in training just before they left, that they had almost missed their flight, and that they had gotten lost on the way to the party last night because Sanja insisted she knew where she was going and Aisling had stupidly followed along.
Instead of the party, they had ended up at some bar where her high heels stuck to the floor every time she took a step. Aisling looked down to assess the state of her shoes now and found them gone. “What…” which quickly became where as she looked around. This was not their R-BnB. She forced herself upright and glared at her cousin, “What did you do"”
“What did I do"!” There it went again, rising like a siren despite the way it made her flinch, “what did I DO!" You’re the one who—-” her sentence dried up in her throat, brows inching together as she tried to piece it together. “Wait...what did you do' The last thing I remember is that… that um… what’s it called…”
“I didn’t do anything,” Aisling retorted before doubt crept into her voice, “right"” She ran her teeth across her lower lip, trying to capture memories that were elusive as the dreams they were learning to bend. “There were the jello shots… and the kraken bowl.” She didn’t remember finishing that drink—the size of a small garbage can—though.
She did remember her cousin pushing her, but only after she had done… what? Something. Something with her magic. Aisling looked down at her hands, her fingertips burnt. That wasn’t good. “I think you were showing off for some guy...”
“What' I would never—” Yes she would. “Well, yes I would.” Frowning, she could feel both of her pulses pounding, one on each side of her forehead, like both hearts had crawled up out of her chest into her skull and now they were trying to escape. With her knees drawn to her chest and her elbows propped on her knees, Sanja massaged her own temples, trying to coax the memories out of their crinkly crevices, like trying to shake all the loose change and receipts out of a pair of cargo pants. I know they’re in here somewhere…
“Okay, so, wait. Let’s figure this out.” When Aisling looked at her hands, Sanja pulled her own away from the sides of her face for a better look. Telltale streaks of blue, exactly what she was hoping not to see there. “We got to that bar, and the guy with the shark teeth said he knew where the party was but we had to have a drink first…” She peered curiously at the other girl. “Did you make out with him' I feel like you made out with him. What was even in that Kraken bowl thing… I mean, besides gummy worms…”
“No...no!” Aisling leapt up in her agitation. “I wanted to make out with him but you,” she jabbed her finger at her cousin, “squeezed your slimy little way in there first and then…”
“And then…” Sanja echoed Aisling, the expression of horror growing on both faces as they locked eyes.
Oh.
Oh ****.
Sanja opened her eyes, regretting it immediately. The noise that escaped her dry lips was somewhere between ‘wounded animal’ and ‘rusty door hinge’, a half mewled yelp of pain that was muffled only by the unyielding metal bench seat that one half of her face was smushed into. She sat up slowly, feeling at least a thousand years old as every fiber of muscle in her body protested, and there was a sudden, spastic blur of motion as she pressed both hands to her temples, squeezing like she could choke whatever tiny construction worker was using a jackhammer on the inside of her skull.
“What the…”
Trying that whole seeing thing again, even her eyelashes hurt as she peeled her eyes open, wider this time. Blinking, she tried —failing— to focus, tried to make sense of her surroundings. It was strangely dark, the single fluorescent bulb overhead that flickered like a dying strobe light was adding to her headache. The place was made of strange shapes and angles, hard lines where she expected none.
Bars" This was… jail"
Startled, she peered to her right, realizing only distantly that she wasn’t alone in this uncomfortable little cubicle of a room. She leaned closer to the slumped figure, trying to get a better look at her apparent cellmate, and only several seconds after it should have did it occur to her who it was.
“Aisling"!” Sanja nudged the unconscious figure, thankfully oblivious to to the bright red rectangle she still sported on one cheek from the angle at which she’d slept. “What…” she could even finish the sentence.
Sanja had woken groggy and confused. Slow. Aisling woke up with limbs flailing and the taste of death in her mouth, “Whatsitwhogoingon"”
The burst of energy didn’t last long. The room immediately spun from the sudden movement and she curled forward with a groan, bile rising to the back of her throat as she shut her eyes. She didn’t know where she was, but wherever it was" The floor was moving, sliding out from under her. Someone probably should fix that. “I’m gonna be sick.” That came out a lot clearer.
Instinct took over when the other girl flailed; Sanja waved one hand to dematerialize herself, dissolving into dreamstuff so as not to find herself in the path of one of those jerky limbs.
...Or, that’s what was supposed to happen, anyway. What actually happened was a whole lot of nothing followed by a “what the f—-” and then an “oof!” as Sanja found herself the proud new owner of an elbow to the solar plexus.
“Watch it, y’big ox!” She exclaimed irritably, despite the fact that Aisling looked well, nothing like an ox. Sanja winced at the sound of her own voice as it went shrill in defensive protest, wondering who’d turned up the volume on her ear drums.
After a few moments of heavy breathing through her shirt, which smelled like beer and vomit, Aisling cracked one eye and immediately closed it, regretting the action even though it yielded her cousin sitting next to her. “What happened"” Whatever had happened—which she couldn’t remember at the moment—was clearly Sanja’s fault. It was always Sanja’s fault. It was her fault she had gotten yelled at in training just before they left, that they had almost missed their flight, and that they had gotten lost on the way to the party last night because Sanja insisted she knew where she was going and Aisling had stupidly followed along.
Instead of the party, they had ended up at some bar where her high heels stuck to the floor every time she took a step. Aisling looked down to assess the state of her shoes now and found them gone. “What…” which quickly became where as she looked around. This was not their R-BnB. She forced herself upright and glared at her cousin, “What did you do"”
“What did I do"!” There it went again, rising like a siren despite the way it made her flinch, “what did I DO!" You’re the one who—-” her sentence dried up in her throat, brows inching together as she tried to piece it together. “Wait...what did you do' The last thing I remember is that… that um… what’s it called…”
“I didn’t do anything,” Aisling retorted before doubt crept into her voice, “right"” She ran her teeth across her lower lip, trying to capture memories that were elusive as the dreams they were learning to bend. “There were the jello shots… and the kraken bowl.” She didn’t remember finishing that drink—the size of a small garbage can—though.
She did remember her cousin pushing her, but only after she had done… what? Something. Something with her magic. Aisling looked down at her hands, her fingertips burnt. That wasn’t good. “I think you were showing off for some guy...”
“What' I would never—” Yes she would. “Well, yes I would.” Frowning, she could feel both of her pulses pounding, one on each side of her forehead, like both hearts had crawled up out of her chest into her skull and now they were trying to escape. With her knees drawn to her chest and her elbows propped on her knees, Sanja massaged her own temples, trying to coax the memories out of their crinkly crevices, like trying to shake all the loose change and receipts out of a pair of cargo pants. I know they’re in here somewhere…
“Okay, so, wait. Let’s figure this out.” When Aisling looked at her hands, Sanja pulled her own away from the sides of her face for a better look. Telltale streaks of blue, exactly what she was hoping not to see there. “We got to that bar, and the guy with the shark teeth said he knew where the party was but we had to have a drink first…” She peered curiously at the other girl. “Did you make out with him' I feel like you made out with him. What was even in that Kraken bowl thing… I mean, besides gummy worms…”
“No...no!” Aisling leapt up in her agitation. “I wanted to make out with him but you,” she jabbed her finger at her cousin, “squeezed your slimy little way in there first and then…”
“And then…” Sanja echoed Aisling, the expression of horror growing on both faces as they locked eyes.
Oh.
Oh ****.