Admitting You Have a Problem

[pirateangelbaby]

He'd been doing so well before all this. Or at least he thought he had. He'd stopped stashing ale and mead in his living room by the barrel, spent less time drinking and more time going outside and actually trying to tackle the mountain of paperwork that's been building up in the administrative center, even if he hadn't gotten very far. Sure, he'd still drank, but more out of habit than the need to do something, anything with himself. He'd started to get his life back, little by little, struggling to find a new normal and establishing a new routine.

But then Loki left, and there's been no word since.

The children are a delight to have around, and there are times when he feels it's easier to rally himself for their sake, to make sure they're fed and bathed and cared for. As have the ravens, who are growing like mischievous little weeds, both reliant on him and yet also soothing him at times when he is feeling low, hopping into his lap and insisting on being stroked and pampered.

But he is making it up as he goes along. He doesn't know what he's doing, or how much longer he'll need to pretend that he does. And now that he's paying attention, he can tell that there is something still wrong with him, because he's going through his reserves much faster now than he was a few months ago. And he doesn't want to know what will happen if he runs out.

The children are safely under Solvi's watchful eye, under the pretense of helping her around the house while she cares for her baby. Huggan and Miskunn are napping atop a bookshelf, and Thor carefully closes the door behind him as quietly as he can when he leaves. If he's fortunate, maybe he'll be back before they awaken, and they won't scold him for venturing out without them.

By now, he knows his way to the Viper's Pit well. One of the only Nexus establishments to serve drinks strong enough for gods, it's been his primary companion on his descent into his illness, and the steps he's taken to struggle back up. Thor hopes that the other Loki hasn't noticed how many of those barrels have been being shipped to Asvera; he's tried to avoid being there at the same time as the young trickster. Not because he does not want to see him, but because he knows something is not right, and Loki is far too perceptive not to realize that Thor is trying to hide how little he knows what he's doing.

He shouldn't be there now, Thor hopes. He isn't usually, this time of day. The thunderer opens the door to the tavern, and heads inside to pick up the order he'd called ahead.

Comments

[pirateangelbaby]

"Not that soda," Thor answers, waving vaguely at the abandoned glass. Agitated though he is, he still won't stand to be misunderstood. "The kind they sell in the shops here. Tastes like fruit, supposedly."

It's not ale or mead, but it's not as bland as water, either. Better to have something with flavor than trying to jump straight to a tall glass of nothing, surely.

[rogueinladysclothing]

It's a better answer and it gets them somewhere. Slowly, and a bit painfully, but it's still movement.

"You've never tried it and you still want to invest in it?" A bold move, to be sure. She arches an eyebrow at him. "We should get you a set of them to find a flavor you like before you buy too much. Perhaps once your stomach is settled enough for a short walk into town?"

The only way out of this is forward, and dreams be damned, she will keep him moving until she's certain he can stand without help.

[pirateangelbaby]

"Oh, I've tried it. Just doesn't taste like any fruit I've ever had." He shrugs, and manages to look her in the eye for the first time in several minutes. "I... suppose so."

He glances over his shoulder, towards the keg that still occupies his house, and grudgingly adds, "And we could take that to the store too."

[rogueinladysclothing]

She huffs a small laugh. "They are strange flavors for 'fruit'," she agrees. Humans have strange tastes if they think orange soda actually tastes like oranges. Whoever created all these sodas must not have had enough people taste test for them before the market took off.

Amelia had been expecting Thor to fight her when she insisted they go outside, and the shock shows on her face. She blinks a few times and shakes her head to clear it. "That seems a wise choice," she says softly. This is such an unexpected thing that it takes her a moment longer to recover from that. When she finally manages to get a hold of herself, she nods. "Whenever you're ready, then. We'll head into town together to take care of all this."

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor is still wary, on edge, but he relaxes a little when it seems that she understands. That she does not believe he's merely saying what she wants to hear. Just because he holds a grudge against her gingered ale does not mean the idea is without merit, no matter if it fails in the end or not. "Exactly," he agrees, a little bolder. "But it's a local thing, and I'm sure our human neighbors will appreciate us, er, exchanging culture."

Amelia's surprise at his agreement bothers him a little, uncertain if it's because she expected him to fight a losing battle or simply because she did not think him so weak that he would give in. Contradictory, of course, but rational thought has little say in how he feels about it. He sighs and pushes crumbs around on his plate, unable to decide if he's eaten enough to make her happy, and looks down at himself. "I... should shower."

[rogueinladysclothing]

He does look and smell a mess, and Amelia doesn't intend to lie to him about it. She nods slowly, her expression softening. "I'll take the time to package and store all the food." Which she will be leaving here for him when she goes, of course. There's plenty more where it came from and if she finds an appetite later, she'll get herself something else. "Take your time. The soda is unlikely to sell out before we get there," she jokes with a soft laugh.

It might be too early for jokes like that, but she'd prefer to break the tension of the last while now that the opportunity has presented itself. Getting outside into the sun will likely also help, but she hopes bringing a little levity into the current conversation can move them in the right direction before they head into town.

[pirateangelbaby]

"Great. Thanks." His response is a little flat, rote response out of ingrained politeness, his mind elsewhere. More signs that it'll be good for him to have food in the house that's ready to eat at a whim, not that Thor is thinking of such things.

He pushes back from the table and leaves her to it, vanishing into the bathroom, which really needs cleaning... ugh. It can wait. Right now he just wants to get clean, to take a moment where he's not under Amelia's gaze and try to get his head in order, and steel himself for the day ahead.