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

[magpiemythos]

Unfortunately for Thor, Loki had indeed noticed his prodigious consumption habits. And despite his own hopes, it wasn't temporary, and in fact seemed to only grow worse over time.

He wasn't entirely sure what to do. He was well aware that Thor was buying in a type and amount that would definitely effect him. Too much. And any vague hope that he was just helping stock everyone in the little Asgardian village was rather spoiled by how determined it seemed that Thor was to avoid him when he picked up his orders.

It was the same bartender who answered the phone when Thor called, surely that meant that Loki was away either on some business or assisting Cricket with his own endeavors.

And unfortunately for Thor, the bartender rather looked like Loki from behind, so there was nothing to warn the thunderer that anything was off. At least until he got to the bar and the one behind it turned on his heel in a slow, almost lazy manner.

That certainly wasn't Alex.

"Thor!" Loki's brows lifted as he played at surprise, hands still busy drying a glass. "What a pleasant happenstance!"

Busted.

[rogueinladysclothing]

It's unusual for Amelia to receive a phone call from someone she doesn't interact with regularly, but the request from Loki - any Loki - to help Thor out of the hole he's drunk himself into is one she's glad to get. Her friend needs her help and if she can offer him aid to get him off the destructive path he's on, she'll do so without hesitation. Thor has given her so much that's helped her through some of her darkest hours; Now it's her turn to give him the same.

She decides to start the conversation over text. From her own experience, she knows how horrible it can be to have someone show up at your door and ask you why you're doing something to yourself. Even help that's offered on someone else's terms can be hard to accept. So she'll begin small, and build up to asking him the truth in person.

Are you free this afternoon? I can't stay focused on any of my reading today and was wondering if I could visit for a while.

There's a possibility of Loki's charges being underfoot, but that's manageable. She's handled all four of them and Thor at the same time in the past, and she's certain she can make it work again now if necessary. They'll need time without the children to really talk about the issue at hand, but there's no need to worry about that until it's actually a reality.