The Great Galactic Score!

20

20

The smell reached her senses first. Followed by more of that smell. Other smells fought with the first smell to assail her nostrils while far more disgusting smells waited in the wings while the first smells exhausted themselves and then things would really begin to stink. The second thing to reach her senses, trying its very best to elbow the smells aside and gain some well-deserved attention from Demi, was the curious itching that made Demi want to tear the skin off her own face. Every other sense didn't get a look in, but they could bide their time.

"Ah, your awake? Great?" The high-pitched, squeaky voice barged its way through all the other senses and made a name for itself, but the smells prepared a counterattack. "Best get some of these anti-inflammatories in you before you turn into a firecracker?"

Something furry pressed something small into something that Demi felt sure was her mouth. The furry thing rubbed her throat until the small something slipped down into her gullet and she felt largely thankful for that as, one of the other senses, that had waited patiently to make itself known, felt something that threatened to burn her up from the inside. As she returned to wakefulness, every sense started to think it had a crack at taking precedence and the headache she now felt made her want to vomit.

She did and the vomit splashed into water that slopped upwards, hitting her face, exacerbating the horrible smells but easing the itchy feeling on her face. If only for a short while. The itching moved, in order to continue annoying her. She tried opening her eyes, but, when that revealed only blackness, she decided to close them again. No point wasting the energy. Energy. She needed that. Food. Lots of it. Yet she knew if she ate something, the foul smells would only cause her to vomit once more.

"What, in the name of everything holy, happened?" She sat up. Regretted it and fell back into the water that felt a little too thick and miasmic for her liking. "I was on the ship. I was going to read and then ..."

Visions of Friss looking at her with big, sad eyes and offering her a shot glass flashed before her closed eyes. She had agreed to one. Only one drink. From the second the drink touched her lips, everything became hazy. Or black. Or psychedelic. Possibly all of those options and probably a few more for good measure.

"Yeah? Hell of a rager, so I heard?" Furry hands helped her to sit up and Demi chanced opening her eyes again. It was still a waste of time. "The names Briyun, by the way?"

"'Brian'?"

"Nah, mate? Briyun? Bri-yun? There's a difference? Listen? Brian? Briyun? Brian? Bri-yun?" The furry person, Briyun, splashed as they sat beside her, elbow and shoulder snuggled against her. "You can call me 'Bri'? All my mates call me Bri? Apart from Jackeee, but he's a sarky bugger?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Demi wished she could say she was starting to get used to the smells. She was not.

"Telling you?" That statement from Bri only confused matters for Demi as they made a scratching sound. Through her eyelids, she saw a flare of light. "You're in a sewer, by the way? I thought you should know?"

Demi opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust. When they did, it only confirmed Bri's words and her own suspicions. She needed a shower. Preferably right now but, failing that, right now would be fine. The sewer looked pretty much like she expected a sewer to look. Dank, stagnant, filthy water, filled with ... things. Slimy, nondescript walls. Rat-like things. Like the figure sat next to her. Bri. They looked vaguely rat-like in the light from their flip-lighter. Rat-like, human sized, with a cute button nose, whiskers, little beady eyes and fluffy ears. No. Not a rat. A stoat, more like. A human sized stoat person that talked in questions.