Chapter 17

The sounds of Naraka faded into the back of Jason’s mind as he felt himself get pulled into a memory of the last time he’d smoked with others, getting lost in thought.

It had been a few weeks before the championships; some guys from Jason’s class asked him out drinking. Initially, he had rejected the offer. But, due to some pushing and bribery from his teammates, he eventually relented.

After practice, the team brought him downtown; their place of choice was a tacky, neon bar, a place Jason had walked past tons of times but never gone into.

The inside smelled like liquor and cheap perfume as he walked through the aisles, his hands in his pockets.

Eventually, he found himself in a booth with a bunch of rowdy college guys talking about sports betting and girls at the college they liked. Jason just sat on his phone, not really talking. It was less of an off-putting thing and more of a lack of interest; he wasn't even sure he knew the names of some of the guys around him.

Suddenly though, he felt a hand on his arm, causing him to look up from his phone screen.

“Excuse me, are you Jason Raja?”

Jason looked up and was greeted by two young women; they were around his age, dressed in pretty normal clubbing/bar crawl clothes.

Throwing on his fake smile, Jason stood up, winking at the young woman.

“That’s me. Can I help you, ladies?”

The table behind him erupted into male cheers, one of the other young men even slapping him on the back from the booth.

The young women quickly turned bashful.

Sighing, Jason looked down at the girls, who had quickly begun to stutter and shake.

“Um… sorry to bother you; clearly you’re busy, and I know we’re nobodies, but can we get a photo?” one of them asked, shakily handing him an analog camera.

“Of course, it’d be my pleasure!” he said, honestly happy to be doing anything but being in the moment.

Jason took a photo on the camera. The first one came out blurry.

The second one was alright, but he was making an awkward face.

In the final one, he blinked. It didn't matter though, as the girls grinned to themselves and jumped around on the bar floor regardless.

“Thank you! It's awesome to get to meet a real-life celebrity like you! We’ll be sure to watch your next game.”

The girl took back her camera, standing awkwardly in front of him for a moment, before running away sheepishly with her friend.

Jason slumped back in the booth. One of his teammates handed him a drink, which he downed in a few seconds. “Wow, bro, for a guy who pulls girls like that on the regular, you really don't seem into it. Something up? You got a girl or something?”

“Nah, I just didn't catch their names.”

One of the other young men handed him a cigarette, which he finished off himself. As he got to the end of it, the ash falling onto the table, a thought crossed his mind for the first time since he had arrived.

‘Why don't I remember any of their names right now?’’

…

Coming back to the present, his vision returned to Loba staring at him intently.

“Man, whatever just happened, this guy’s messed up!”

“Maybe it's because it's the first time he’s tried it.” Panka said, lifting Jason from the couch as his body went slack like a loose-hanging cat. “Before coming here, he had never taken Brahman into his body. His body probably isn't used to it. Are you okay, Jason?”

“Ugh, yeah… I’m fine. I was just thinking about some crap from… home, I guess.”

“I understand how it feels. When I first tried the Brahman flower, it reminded me of home as well.” Panka said, placing Jason back down before joining him on the couch.

“Really?” Jason asked, his curiosity piqued, “What about home?”

“The day I left, my father told me if I ever came back without being sent by the gods themselves, he’d personally fight me to the death. I was just remembering the smell of the incense he burned that day, as I was sent here.”

“...Brutal.” Jason said sadly, patting Panka on the shoulder.

“Indeed. The king of the Asurans refuses to show mercy, even to his own daughter.”

Loba scoffed, “You’re a princess?”

“Is there something funny about that?” she asked him dryly.

“... No.”

Biji chuckled to herself, “What was your life like ending up down here anyway, Loba? You’re the only one who I haven't asked, and despite how much you talk, you’ve never mentioned it.”

Jason, eyes starting to go glassy with exhaustion, threw his hand onto Loba’s shoulder. “You give me the vibe of someone who used to plunge toilets for a living. How close am I?” He chuckled as Loba shrugged him off.

“I’ll have you know, kid, I was one of two retainers to the great Chen-zig, overseer of all of Preta. I served him loyally for years!”

“Then what are you doing here?” Jason wheezed, throwing his head back on the couch.

Loba’s nostrils flared.

“... it was a group decision. When the Scorched event happened, a team of important members of each realm was sent down here.”

Jason proceeded to laugh even more, gripping his leg to steady himself as the others stared at Loba with a range of emotions. Jason then steadied himself before turning to Uddi.

“If that's the case, what are you doing here? I can't see you as a military general or something.”

“Nope, I was a chef,” he said, whistling as he picked the flower bits from his fingers.

“Well, a princess, a chef, and a politician,” Jason coughed. “No wonder Loba looks down on the two of us; we’re just a couple of street rats.” He pulled Biji towards him, briefly stunning her. When she regained her composure, though, she pulled her eyelid down towards Loba.

Twitching, he put his hands on their heads.

“You guys really know how to guilt trip a guy, huh? Fine, if you really need it, I'm really, really, really sorry, alright? ” He turned his head away, but Panka reached over, turning his face back with one of her back arms.

The two began to wrestle good-naturedly, as Jason, Biji, and Uddi goaded them on.

Jason’s heart, for the first time in a long while, felt light. ‘I’d much rather drink with these guys than the team.’

…

Much later in the night, Biji moved to pull herself off the couch in order to go to her room to rest. Everyone had fallen asleep on the couch, as the five had partied far more than initially intended to.

The dining room was lit dimly by nothing but candlelight. As she began to walk to the table to blow them out, she felt a hand gently grab hers. “Wait.”

Jason, in a half-awake, hazy state, wrapped his hand around hers gently.

“W-where are you going…?” She turned to look at him; his face had become flushed as he looked at her with sleepy eyes; they reflected the light of the candles.

The world felt quiet except for the soft sound of inhales and exhales. Biji’s breath caught in her throat, feeling her clawed nails lightly scratch into Jason’s palm as he continued to hold her hand.

“I was going to blow out the candles…?” She whispered with a timid humor, trying not to wake the others, who had all fallen asleep on the couch.

Jason slowly lifted himself from the seat. Placing his other hand on her shoulder. Softly, he pushed Biji back down to the couch before releasing her hand.

“Wait, what are you doing…?” She spoke only sparingly in an attempt to stay quiet, but Jason didn't answer. Slowly walking to the table, he then leaned down and, one by one, began to blow the candles out softly.

The light of the room went dark, leaving only a soft blue glow from outside coming from the window as snow drifted down to the ground. A soft breeze was just barely audible over the silence of the night.

Jason’s breath changed from calm to slightly ragged as he looked back over to the couch, dragging himself back softly.

Jason sat down in front of her, kneeling on the floor, raising his head to meet her eyes.

In the light of the stars, in an odd way it felt as if the world were a glass window; his gaze became fixed, watching as the starlight faded in and out of her eyes as the snow fell.

“You know, if Naraka doesn't have a sun, why do you have stars? How does that work…?” he asked, a lucid sense of wonder creeping into his voice.

“I—uh,” Biji sputtered, struggling to answer as Jason gazed at her intently.

“Biji… Thanks for being good to me since I got here. I’m glad I met you guys.”

Swallowing hard in a flushed discomfort, she met his eyes. “…No problem, Jae, what's up? You’re acting serious, all of a sudden.”

Trying to regain her composure, Biji took a shallow breath before mocking Jason’s cheesy fake smirk from when they had met, bearing her fangs slightly as they touched the corners of her lips.

Noticing the intention, Jason’s eyes widened as he averted his gaze, moving his arm to shield his face as he talked into his sleeve.

“Are… Uh, are you cold?”

‘... Am I seriously this sleep deprived? What am I doing?? I need to salvage this right now" he thought to himself, pulling his brain from its drowsy state back to consciousness.

Knitting her eyebrows briefly in confusion, Biji’s smile quickly turned genuine as her shoulders relaxed. “Why? You got something for me?”

Jason winced as he pulled his hand from her shoulder before pointing to her jacket, which had been left on her chair at the table.

“You’re not wearing your jacket; I thought you might—.”

“Jae,” She laughed slightly as she placed a hand on Jason’s bare shoulder. “Are you cold?”

Jason's face had gone from a hazy flush to an authentic redness. He hadn't noticed that he'd taken off his jacket.

Biji relaxed into the couch, falling backwards into Jason’s discarded letterman as he pulled himself back up.

“Thanks, though. The offer is nice enough.”

“Don’t mention it.”

‘No, seriously, don't. I don't think I can live even this much down in the morning.’ He thought to himself, sitting back down beside Biji as she chuckled as the two went back to their previous spots.

The peaceful sound of the snowfall outside was punctuated by the sound of Loba snoring quietly as he lay in Panka’s lap, covering himself with one of Uddi’s wings.

As Jason closed his eyes, he felt his body grow heavy with foreign weight.

The chain around his neck felt lighter, a soft touch fiddling with the pendant as he dozed off.