"Hey, ain't it a little early to be drowning in booze?" Luca said as he watched me guzzle down another shot.
"No...no. Hic! Early is before...sunrise."
"Sounds like you're already wasted, hiccups and all. Look, Gou, I'm sure Gwendolyn will come around."
"No she won't! She hates me, hates me!" I put my head down on the counter and hid my face, my nose was running and I was a mess. The bartender in front of Luca and I placed a hand on my shoulder while Luca rubbed my back. The bar was empty. It was still morning time, so that's fair, but I at least expected a couple of people here for some breakfast.
"She doesn't hate you. If she did, I doubt little Tsuki would be here right now. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"Yeah? It sounded like she meant it. No remorse in her words at all...I hate when people just disregard my feelings like that."
"You and I both know that she ended up feeling bad about it as soon as you walked out of the house. She's your wife, after all."
"I know. I just find it hard to understand why she would say something like that..."
"Just like you are, Gwen's under a lot of stress. Tsuki is her son too, so it's only natural for her to get upset and agitated when he's in a situation like this. People say harsh things to people they love all the time, it's what they do afterward which determines if they truly care if they hurt you or not."
Luca stopped rubbing my back and put his arm on the counter as he spoke to me. I heard the sincerity in his voice as my mind stopped racing about Gwendolyn's words. Luca is my best friend, so he wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't for my own good. I was still upset about what transpired earlier, so I still wanted to be angry about it. However, I found myself agreeing with him.
"Yeah. I know. God, Luca. Stop being so reasonable. Hic!"
"Using `God` here is ironic since your son was cursed by one."
"Don't remind me...hic! We have to visit Matthias to see if he knows anything about it...he's close with Gan Karah too."
"Maybe after you sober up some. Don't wanna go visit a king while drunk in the morning."
"Ah, what'll he think of me? Going to see him in the morning while intoxicated..."
"He'll probably wanna know why you're drunk, and then you'll tell him, and then probably request more booze."
"Sounds about right." I shook my head and stood up. I reached for my pocket and put about six silver Karay coins on the table. "Is that enough?"
"Erm...I think you're overpaying, One-Eyed Light King. Normally, two drinks are only one silver Karay coin, remember?" The bartender asked cautiously while pulling at his collar. His eyes widened once he saw the amount of silver on the table.
"The other five are your tip for putting up with me this early."
"Oh! In that case, I think ten more should do."
"You're pushing it."
"Understood. Have a nice day."
Luca got up from his seat and looked like a mountain compared to the bartender. He wore his Leviticus Armor just because of King Matthias, I guess to appear more formal? Whatever works I guess.
As I walked towards the entrance (or, exit in this sense) to the bar, I stumbled.
Wow, I really am wasted...
And then, I fell.
Wow, I'm super mega wasted.
I heard Luca laugh hysterically behind me, and I think I heard the bartender snicker as well. I groaned in disappointment. Thankfully my kids aren't old enough to enter bars (at least without parental consent) so they couldn't see the kind of man their father is.
As I tried to get up, I couldn't find the strength to get back on my feet and just laid on the hard wooden floor. I heard Luca trying to catch his breath, but then he stopped and apologized.
"Hah. Sorry man."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just glad my family isn't seeing me in this state."
"Oh, you're not gonna believe this."
Upon hearing Luca's statement, I picked my head up at a speed that made me feel dizzy. As my vision adjusted, I was able to make out the image of a foot in a sandal in front of me. As I followed the leg upward, I saw a slender figure in a white dress with fair skin and long, flowing blonde hair with long ears. Of course, a rather big nose was upon the figures face. It was Gwendolyn.
"Darling, are you drunk?"
"Not really. I was just checking out the floor boards..." I sobered up immediately and stood up with an upright posture. "Why're you here, anyway?"
"Altris said I should come talk to you."
"How'd you know I'd be here?"
Gwendolyn pointed to her ears.
"As I was walking, I heard you talking about me hating you from a mile away."
"Oh. Don't worry about that, I was blabbering."
"I think it's something to worry about this time. Here, come sit."
Gwendolyn grabbed my hand and walked me back over to the bar counter and sat with me. I rested my right arm on the table with my head resting on my hand. My left hand lay on my left knee, while Gwendolyn sat elegantly. Luca sat down at a table near the door while the bartender went into a room behind the counter. Gwendolyn and I sat in silence. I looked at the many alcoholic beverages on the shelf where the bartender would make his drinks. Then, I looked at the floor and tapped my foot. I looked up and saw my wife looking back at me. Like a shy little boy, I looked away.
"Gou?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I'm sorry for saying that you don't care about Tsuki. It was immature and rude. I know you care, and I don't hate you. I could never. I was just upset and angry, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. For that, I'm sorry. I'll be better, I swear."
Gwendolyn placed her right hand on my left and look at me with her soft, golden eyes. Her soft voice made my heart melt, and I couldn't keep this front up anymore.
"Well, I'm sorry too."
"Really? But why?"
"I told you that I gave up...and I keep making you worry about me. I wanna stop making you feel so bad. You, Altris, the kids."
"No, no. I promise you it's okay. This is a stressful situation. You're only one man, but together, we're more. You're not alone, you can count on us too."
"Is that so? Do you mean really?"
"Of course, dear. We're always going to be with you, so don't go thinking you have to do these things by yourself."
Her words always meant a lot to me, but something about them this time specifically reached deep into my soul. It warmed me to my very core. A grin took place on my face as I took both of Gwendolyn's hands in mine. I gave her a kiss on her lips to her surprise.
"Thank you, my love! Hic! You mean the world to me! Hic! Hic!"
"Uhm...Gou? How much did you drink?"
"Oh, not that much...maybe enough to make my stomach hurt."
It was more than enough to make my stomach hurt. I felt nauseous. Like my guts were having a temper tantrum and my head was spinning.
"You look really pale...almost as pale as Adeline."
"No, no. I'm fiiiineee." I gagged while tried to finish my sentence.
"Oh my goodness, Gou..." Gwendolyn said as she watched me. "Looks like you drank too much.
I covered my mouth with my hands and ran for the door. I knew this feeling all too well. I was about to throw up, but I wasn't going to vomit in a bar. That's indecent. I ran as fast as I possibly could. However, I slipped and landed on my face. Luca laughed wildly upon witnessing me fall in the same place, in the same way. I lifted my head and then almost immediately after, vomited near the entrance to the bar. Mostly booze came up, but Luca soon stopped laughing once he saw what came out of me.
"What the!?" I heard him yelp as my ears began to ring. My vision became blurry as I felt something trickling down my nose. I used my remaining strength to pick my right arm up and wipe my nose with my index finger. To my horror, I saw the familiar red liquid spread across my finger. I looked toward my vomit and saw blood also within what I consumed mere moments earlier. I heard Luca and Gwendolyn's voices calling to me as my consciousness faded, passing out.