Rika

You close the glass screen door behind you, and the sound from inside grows muffled and vague. You can still feel the pumping beat of the music, and the low murmur of laughter and conversation, but otherwise it's blessedly quiet. You step out onto the patio, and into the fresh summer night. The gentle breeze feeling like a heavenly caress against your sweat-damp skin, and the sweet air rushing into your lungs is the most delicious thing you've tasted in hours. You allow yourself to take a few deep breaths, enjoying the moment of serenity, away from the bustle inside the house.

You're at your sister Christa's 25th birthday, which she decided to celebrate with 'the kind of party that only comes every quarter of a century'. The house is filled with her friends and acquaintances, music is blasting, alcohol and conversation are flowing in equal amounts, and you decided you could use a little time out, out here on the patio overlooking the garden. Lanterns dye the scene a soft gold, and with the muffled, distant sounds of the party, the star-strewn night sky overhead, and the soft hum of the big cooler filled with drinks for the party nearby, a strange feeling of blissful isolation washes over you. Only you're not alone, as a polite cough from the side informs you. "Hey. Needed a time out?" You turn your head and see a woman in her mid-20's lounging on one of the deck chairs. She looks kind of goth-ish in that barista or bartender way, where they grew out of full goth regalia and had to get a job, but the spirit never quite died. She has short, black hair styled into a messy bob, the pale skin, black lipstick, eyeshadow, and nail polish combo you'd expect from her type, and - you can't really help but notice - a very nice and curvy figure evidently kept in shape with exercise. She eyes you about as curiously as you do her. "Sooo... are you actually going to say anything anytime soon, or do you just want to stand there and ogle me creepily?" Her words sound harsh, but the wink in her eyes and the slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth tell you it was meant in good fun.