The concert had been fine. Tumbler Renegade had been better than he'd expected and honestly, though it was open in front of him, he really hadn't paid attention to the book he'd borrowed from the ship's library. Nothing from his personal collection seemed suitable. When midnight hit, everyone was cheering and for a brief moment, he wondered if this year would be any better than the previous one.
Thankfully, no crazed women had grabbed him for the midnight kiss. He didn't deal in that sort of thing. 12:01 or thereabouts, his small hopes for the new year were dashed against the rocks and shattered into a million pieces - just like the bottles of alcohol from the bar. He was up on his feet by instinct alone - fight what he could, run from what he couldn't.
It was pretty damned cool how he jumped up onto the dance floor as he came sliding in his direction. It was not as cool when his momentum and landing knocked him on his back and sent the air right out of his lungs. He was dizzy and gasping for breath but not getting any. Then there was the water. The first wave sucked him off the glass floor and into the rest of it. It never crossed his mind to try and kick off his shoes or his jacket - anything that might make it easier to swim.
Nikolai was struggling to find a safe spot but it seemed every time he surfaced and gasped for air he either got a mouthful of water or something was over him, keeping him under. Fighting was not helping him stay alive but he had to get out of here, fighting for the hallway behind the stage. It seemed like he was going for hours and hours, his body was tired and aching...
Eventually, he gave up. He really and truly gave up. That was when he finally smacked hard enough into a wall to be knocked unconscious. Hopefully, he wouldn’t drown in the process... Or get sliced up too bad by all the wild glass shards.