[Fiction] Babylon Reborn: The Lounge

[Velvet]

Beyond the "gentleman's club" on the lower level of Club Babylon, a small sanctuary exists for those with the desire for a more subdued atmosphere. In the lounge, invitingly furnished and floored with thick, plush carpeting, these more private-minded souls can drink, converse, and relax in comfort. Fragrant cigar smoke lingers in the warm air, mixing with the pleasant aroma of the leather furnishings. The walls are panelled in rich, dark woods subtly stained a deep red, and the ambient lighting is at precisely the right level to inspire a laid-back sensibility not present just outside the lounge doors. Even the music here is an echo of a more stylish, comforting age, with Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and all the other great vocalists filling the space with their velvety and heartfelt lyrics. In fact, the entire room might have been spirited out of a mid-twentieth century black and white film.

Though not as large as the other areas of the club, the personal attention to detail lavished on this room and the intimate, private atmosphere it creates mark it as likely being one of the owner's favorite places to relax. The outside world fades away once the doors are closed, intruding once more only when the reality of patrons going to and fro manages to temporarily disturb the illusion the lounge creates.