Bottom of the Bottle

The day is gray and dreary with early Autumn rain showers. Off in the far distance there are lightning strikes and rumblers of thunder but here in the city it is just a constant rain. Water collects and runs down the various temples and the steps that lead up to some. It washes away the dirt and grime of what is normally near-constant foot traffic. With the rain as it is that traffic is very light and only one man is sitting in the sodden open.

Wu is very obviously drunk. Not one but two empty bottles rest next to him on the steps leading up to Deus's holy building. A fresh bottle is in his unsteady hand and guided to his lips. To say he is wet from the rain is an understatement. From the look of his hair and clothing he's been in it for hours. Only his weapons have been wrapped in an oilcloth cloak to protect them from the elements.

From the temple of Daeus comes a large figure in white vestments. A hood is drawn up against the rain, but it does little to hide the blue-scaled sith's features from sight. Certainly the dripping rain splatters more than once against the end of his snout where it pokes out, but he doesn't seem to mind the fall of droplets as they land on him. Indeed he glances skyward briefly and seems if anything a bit amused before he begins his careful decent of the stairs.

Though, upon spying the man drinking at the base of the steps Zeke's steps slow more, and rather than continue on to whatever destination that drew him out into the rain, he glances skyward yet again before turning himself toward the man trying to find oblivion in a bottle. He stops a small distance from the man, taking in his soaking form and the empty bottles before offering greetings. "Peassce on your nessst. What bringsss you to the temple of the Dragonfather, sssir?"

The old human's head rolls back and to the side, eyes more straight forward then looking up at the Sith priest. Still, the way the old man's eyes move, one can tell he's looking at the white garbed one all the same. "Zat where I am?" Wu asks in a drink slurred voice. "Thought it lookeded..ed familiar. Peas in your nest, good Sith. The nice bright green ones..peas." He pauses to take another sip from his bottle. From the smell of him and it it's rum. The bottle is lifted up and offered to Zeke. "Wanna sip? Keep ya worm.. wor.. warm and stuff."

Zeke looks at the drink and shakes his head. "No thank-you. Thisss one would like to invite you in. Into the temple of the Dragonfather for sssome tea perhapsss?" He sounds hopeful.

Wu glances over his shoulder at the temple with it's mana lamps and golden light. His face falls into sad lines and wistfulness. "I.. I ain't sure I can go in ta dere.. anymur..anymore. I'd like ta, ya see. But I was .. I as at the cookoff.." His face starts to loose it's color as memories of yesterday's vile meal come to mind. He sets the rum bottle down and clutches at his stomach witch gurgles loudly and angrily.

Zeke blinks. "Why would thisss..." He stops. The temple of Vardama had been in an uproar yesterday because of something that had happened at a chili cookoff yesterday. He hadn't heard the details however. "Come, you can walk the halls of the Dragonfather, thisss one isss scertain. Thisss one will help you, and perhapsss tend to your ssstomach." It was clearly ailing the poor man.

The older man looks as if he might be sick for a few moments but then nods and gets to his feet. There he wobbles back and forth in his drunkenness and shows his general tiredness. The start of circles under his half blind eyes.

He turns about to face the temple and rocks far to one side, windmilling and going to one foot to balance. The foot that raises into the air knocking over his empty and full bottles. "Whoo..pps. Sorry. Sssorrry. Aww... waste." He shakes his head and almost falls over again before starting up towards the temple. "Y-ya sure I can..go in dere?I don't wanna be struckts dead. Not before I kin atone. Gotta be able to ..*burp* be able to go where my wife has gone, ya know."

Carefully, Zeke holds his claw out, trying to help the man find his balance. He was worried that the gentleman would fall over, and he nearly did, so Zeke moved closer. Offering his body as support, but mostly his left, crystalline claw. "Thisss one isss certain. You will not be ssstruck dead." He had so many questions, but now was not the time to ask them. First, to get the man into the temple... "Thisss one can help you, if you need to atone. Thisss one isss a ssservant of the Dragonfather."

Wu bumps into Zeke's side and then reaches out to take the offered hand.. er.. claw. He blinks as the claw after placing his hand in it, suddenly distracted by the shiney. "Dats an right intersting hand ya got there, Sith.. er.. priest. Tryin' to be ore... more like your god? All sparkelilly?" After he takes the assistance Wu seems fine, if slow, to head into the temple.

The blue-scaled sith chuffs in amusement, not minding the slow pace at all. He himself moves even on a regular basis at a fairly slow rate. "Thisss limb isss a gift of the Dragonfather. Ssso... perhapsss after a fassshion, it makess thisss one more like him." He shifts his tail behind him in amusement, carefully ascending the stairs. It's not until they are inside however that he relaxes somewhat, leading the man toward the patient rooms. "Sssee? You are fine."

Wu gets quiet and somber as they approach and then enter the temple, almost wincing as they cross the threshhold. Once inside the somber turns to sadness and he pays little attention to where Zeke takes him, letting the priest lead him where ever he desires to.

He begins to mumble to himself and eventually loud enough to be heard. "Didn'.. didn't wanna be right ..about it. No.. but I had ta tell folk didn't I? I mean it's sinful.. right? Eatin' that.. that ..evil. But if ..if they didn't know would it? I dunno.."

Zeke listens to Wu's quiet commentary as they make their way through the temple to the patient rooms. It doesn't take long, since Zeke knows the way so well. The others here know him and they're not stopped or questioned. Which Zeke considers just as well. "Would you sshare wordsss with thisss one asss to what happened?" His words are gentle, but not pressing, he wouldn't make the man tell him.

Wu takes off his pack and weapons, letting them slip out of his fingers to the floor wetly. He turns his head towards Zeke, glassy-eyed, and gives him an astonished look. "You don' know?" He then shakes his head as if to clear it and mutters, "Of cours' not.. they don't want folk ta know.. make sense right?" He stumbles over to a chair and lands in it roughly with a grunt. "They was cookin' people up. For the chili.." His face looses color again thought he fights against the nausea. His eyes grow damp though and he swallows. "Had a kitchen set up and everythin' just.. choppin away.. fillin pots.."

This answer stimies Zeke. The thought stilling his mind and reason flying from his claw-tips. He looks like a statue for a moment before he finally breathes again. He understands now, why this man might think that the gods would strike him dead. Why he was so horrified. It... cuts a little close to home for Zeke. "That... You have good reassson to be horrified." He murmurs, moving to get a sick-bin for the man and moving it to the side of the bed that will be Wu's. "Here, in cassse you are sssick. You ssshould..."

No, the man was not sith, the eating of flesh would not make him Forgotten, but Zeke's first thought was that he should make himself sick to get the flesh /out/ of his body. "Thisss one did not know. Thisss one undersstandss your concernsss better now."

Wu wobbles as he watches the sick-bin move closer. "Thanks..I.. I don't think I have any..things left in my stomach. I threw up on the spot..when I found it..it." He sucks in a breath and then slowly lets it out. "And after the guards came..questioned me.. I threw up again. And then I figured I should get drink. Drunk.. so I could throw up more. Yeah.. yeah... I did." He falls silent again.

Zeke nods, understanding. "You did not know that you were eating sssuch." He says this quietly, and sits down on a stool nearby the bedside. "You did not do ssso purposssefully. If you wisssh, thisss one will pray for you. Grant you a ssspell that will allow you to atone for what happened. Thisss one will be able to cassst it with the dawnsss light for you; if you will sstay here for that time."

The older man begins to weep with face still etched into sad lines. "Thank you." He manages to get out. "I hope dat will be enough."

He wipes at an eye, the lazy one, with the heel of a calloused hand. "If.. if I hadn't found out an' told everyone. Would we all be..I dunno..without sin? If I hadn't said anything would everyone else be without sin but me?"

"Without ssssin perhapsss, but not with-out consequence. If you had not raisssed the alarm... The People are forbidden to take in the flesssh of ssentient beingsss. We change. Become monssterous aberationsss and are lossst. Forgotten." Zeke shakes his head and gently clasps the man's shoulder. "If you had not warned the People, then there isss no knowing who might have been changed in thisss way. If you had sssaid no-thing... It isss an unthinkable thing. Thisss one iss grateful that you ssspoke up."

Wu's stomach lets out a loud and painful growl. The sound continues for more then a few seconds time and the man clutches at his stomach and grimices. "Thank you. Think I needed to hear that. Didn't know about that with the Sith. Good thing ta be knowing." He rubs his stomach into quiet submission. "I been afraid to eat, ya know? Fraid not everything is out..and.. and that I might.." He falls quiet again looking uncomfortable completing the words. "How do I know?"

"Thisss one can give you a tea, that will... flusssh sssuch out of your body. It will make you very ill, but if thisss one doess, you musst promissse thisss one that you will drink and eat every-thing that thiss one givess to you. Thisss one will provide fruitsss, and vegetablesss, thingsss that you can be sssure have no flessh in them. Thisss one will do sssuch, and casst the ssspell." Zeke gently pats the man's shoulder. "Thisss one undersstandsss. More than you know, that thisss isss important. Thiss one would take care of you."

Wu takes in the words that are offered and they seep in past the drunkeness that he self induced. The worry starts to fade and he nods, again wiping at his eyes. "I would be greatful fer your help, Si.." He shakes his head again and wipes his hands off on his sodden clothing before offering one up to shake. "Names Wu. Folks tend to call me Blind Wu but Wu works just fine." The hand is off to one side a little. A cross between drink and bad sight. "Thank you."

Zeke takes the hand and shakes it gently. "Thisss one isss called Zeke. Now, allow thisss one to care for you. Lay back, and thisss one will return sshortly with the mediscine and other thingsss which you will require. All you need do isss wait here." He shifts his tail behind himself and thrums low in his throat a comforting noise for the other man before turning for the door.

-End