DISCORDIA

[ 24 ] last hope

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   JINNY WOKE UP WITH A GROAN, cradling her aching head in a hand as the lamp light flickered nearby. She blinked groggily as she tried to recall exactly where she was and what had happened. All she could draw up was an absolute blank. Her brain felt like mush as she forced herself up into a sitting position. From what she could gather through heavily squinted eyes was that it was night time and people were still celebrating outside.

   "Well, look who decided to rejoin the world of the living." Raven grinned in amusement from the table in front, stacks of ammunition piled on the sides.

   "Are you sure we aren't in hell?" Jinny asked drily as she massaged her temples with both middle and index fingers. "Ugh. Just kill me; death is easier than this."

   Raven sighed before moving around the table to hand her a flask. "Here. Monty made it for you—he called it Jinny's Tonic. Get it? Like gin and tonic?"

   "I get it, Raven." She grabbed it with greedy hands, unscrewing the cover hastily and chugging the concoction down. It had a bitter aftertaste which she had dreaded, making a face when she forced herself to swallow it. "Why am I in your tent anyway?"

   Raven glanced at her. "Do you remember anything?"

   "No..."

   "You were so drunk, you created a wrestling ring in the middle of camp," Raven told her. "You're still the undefeated champion, by the way."

   "Sounds like me." Jinny nodded.

   "Then you started a bet on who could stuff the most nuts into their mouth—Jasper won that one."

   "Of course he did."

   "After that, you reenacted the Unity Day pageant from the top of the dropship and ziplined down to the ground using the handle of an emergency axe."

   "I think I've heard enough." Jinny buried her face in her hand.

   "You said you were looking for the door to Wonderland before passing out in my tent."

   "I'm never drinking again."

   Raven laughed at her, causing Jinny to wince as another stab of pain pierced through her temples. She drank some more hangover cure, watching Raven pick apart their bullets and dump gunpowder in a pile.

   "What are you—" Jinny was interrupted by Jasper walking into the tent holding a cup of moonshine in each hand.

   "Hey," he greeted when he saw her. "How're you feeling?" She responded by downing the rest of her remedy.

   Jasper turned his attention to Raven. "So—listen," he told her. "We're playing drunk ball. I bet Monroe my team's gonna win the Unity Day title. That's for you." He handed her one of his cups. "I know you Zero-G mechs have crazy hand-eye skills, so, huh? What do you think? Must be better than... whatever you're doing."

   Raven smiled as she took his offering but set it aside on the table and returned to her work. "I'm checking the gunpowder in these rounds so that if the Grounders try to kill us all maybe we can get a few shots off beforehand."

   Jasper hummed in thought. "That's intense. Sure you know what you're doing?"

   "Why does everyone keep asking me—" Everyone in the tent cried out when a small explosion ignited between Raven's fingers. But luckily, the girl still had fully functioning extremities.

   "You need a hand?" Jasper asked. "Now that you almost blew one off?"

   Raven scoffed mildly. "I got this!"