11 | they should worry

[alephbet]

Characters: Aleph and you!
Setting: Floor 1, Floor 62, Floor 86
Format: Actionspam
Summary: Aleph shares a little wine that will knock the unsuspecting out. He heads up to the beach, and from there to the fairy ring floor where he has a "little" problem.
Warnings: Drinking, by minors if you.. count Aleph as a minor. Will update to include other things if they occur.

[Floor 1]
[There was a rather large bottle of wine on the table.

On close inspection, it would be labeled with simply 'Dionysus' on one side of the label. Anyone paying any attention to it would get Aleph to smile and say:]

If you promise to drink responsibly, I'll let you have some.

[Warning: alcohol made by the god of wine is delicious, but severely intoxicating.]

[Floor 62]
[It's good to be on the beach when it's warm...

Don't mind Aleph's deposited top half of his armor. It was 70 degrees and it felt great to just stretch out on the beach there.]

[Floor 86]
[Maybe he'd drank too much of the wine. There was certainly a sway in his step when he was proceeding up the stairs, enough that he stepped off onto this floor in particular.

Right into a ring of mushrooms. Should they even be allowed to grow that close to the stairs? Either way, it was too late to think of that now, as a small group of fairies appeared and surrounded him.]

What a silly man!

Coming into our ring, how mean!

[Right, he could handle this, he negotiated with spirits for a living... He started to speak.] It was an accident-

Did he bring iron into our ring?

Scary, scary, we'll have to make sure he doesn't use it!

[Well crap.

The next thing Aleph saw was a swirl of lights, and then... everything suddenly looked a whole lot bigger.

Those who enter this floor after Aleph will notice that he's about the size of somebody's hand - that is, if they look before they step onto it.]

Comments

[alephbet]

I miss Hiroko. [He doesn't like dwelling on it, but...] I wish she could have come to my wedding. I'm sure she would have wanted to be there.

[oathshackledbird]

Hiroko?

[It takes Diarmuid a moment to think about why that name sounds familiar and then it hits him.]

Would this be the same one as in the story about the love potion that Lilim told me at your wedding?

[alephbet]

Oh, she told you about that incident? [Aleph chuckles a little - it's funny every time, even if only a little.]

That's right. Hiroko is my birth mother.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid nods.]

She did. I hope that was okay. She was trying to calm me down since I was rather nervous about being at a wedding after how the last one I was at went.

[Running off with the bride is usually frowned upon for some reason, even if Diarmuid hadn't had a choice in the matter.]

Would you mind tell me more about her?

[alephbet]

It's fine with me.

[Aleph thinks for a moment.]

Hiroko was amazingly strong. Not just in combat, though she was that too. She went through so many things... To find her child, she left the Center without permission, and was punished for it by imprisonment and brainwashing. I was able to free her from that, but her parents were also brainwashed - I don't know what could be sadder than parents not recognizing their daughter when she's right in front of them.

She was able to push through that, to deal with the cause of that misery. She helped me so much throughout my journey... I owe so much to her.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid frowns. While he is happy to hear how strong she is, hearing why she is that way is heartbreaking.]

I don't understand why they would do such a thing. Why is your government so obsessed with controlling people?

[He shakes his head.]

Were you ever able to help her parents remember?

[alephbet]

No.

[Aleph is silent for a few moments before continuing.]

It all stems from God, really. If God is cruel and demands subservience to cruel orders, then people will use faith as a reason to harm others rather than to give them help. I'd never known there was kindness in religion before coming here.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head. The whole thing is hard for him to understand. While the gods of his homeland were often cruel and harsh, they were just as often kind and giving.]

It is a shame there is no way for you to meet my father. He is a god, but he is none of those things. He is one of the most loving and giving men you could ever meet.

[Just don't mess with his adopted son and all is good.]

[alephbet]

I would certainly like to meet him, if the opportunity ever comes.

[oathshackledbird]

I think he would like meet you as well.

[Diarmuid stops for a moment, pondering something.]

This is one of those hard things. I would love to see him again, but seeing him again means he is here, and I don't know that I want him in a place like this.

[alephbet]

Then see him when you return home.

[It's when Aleph hopes to meet Hiroko and Lucifer again.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid looks at his glass in silence for a moment before downing the whole thing in one drink.]

I...can't do that. Even if I could go home, the gods of my homeland have been asleep for a very long time. I don't know that I could reach him even if I tried...

[alephbet]

I'm sorry.

[He didn't mean to say something that brought up that pain, but he couldn't really have known the situation.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head, pushing his glass away, before crossing his arms on the table and resting his head on them.]

It's all right. You didn't know. Besides, as much as I miss my father, my memories of him are good ones. I don't mind thinking of them.

[alephbet]

I'm glad you have them. Treasure those good memories as long as you can.

[Aleph clings to his memories of his world like a lifeline.]

[oathshackledbird]

I do. In some ways, they are all we have. Those memories.

[Diarmuid reaches out with one hand and plays with his glass for a moment before looking up to give Aleph an apologetic smile.]

I seem to be a sad drunk. I wasn't always that way...

sorry not sorry

[alephbet]

Obviously we need to fix what we do when we're drunk.

I've heard there are women who come out of giant cakes and dance? Can we get one of those?

Never be sorry! :-D

[oathshackledbird]

Women who come out of giant cakes and dance?

[Diarmuid gives Aleph a look that makes it clear he thinks he obviously misheard the other man.]

What in the...

[alephbet]

That's what I've heard. Maybe it's something at parties.

[Aleph shrugs.] I'm not really sure what it is either.

[oathshackledbird]

I've never heard of it before.

[Diarmuid shrugs.]

Perhaps my brother would know? What about the person who first mentioned it to you? They didn't explain?

[alephbet]

He said my wife might not like it. That's all I really got out of him.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid frowns.]

That your wife might not like it? Have you thought of looking it up somewhere or perhaps asking about it on the Network?

[He has to admit, he's more curious about this than he probably should be. Maybe it's the alcohol talking...]

[alephbet]

I think I'll look more into it. It's kind of bugging me... So I should probably ask around.

[oathshackledbird]

Let me know what you find out? I have to admit I wish to know more as well...

[He looks at his empty glass and then laughs.]

I blame this and my own innately curious nature.

[alephbet]

I'll have to ask on the network soon. Probably while more sober than this.