"Mm. I don't remember much of my mother." Scipio hummed thoughtfully as he followed Xellis and examined the picture. He didn't seem to be too upset about this, only eyeing the picture with a curious expression. "I ran away when I was eight and stowed away on a plane to America. It was very exciting. My parents weren't around very much anyways."
“That does sound exciting,” Xellis cooed, still holding Arci like a small child. “I’d do it if I could, but I could never get very far. Zayanzar’s too clever for that.”
He shot a glance over to Scipio, offering a sly smirk.
“If you can even believe another person matches my wits,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Mm. You don't seem that bright to me. At least not in the common sense department." Scipio said casually, still examining the picture. He didn't seem to be able to pick up sarcasm particularly well. "I've been in America ever since. Joined the army when I was sixteen by making a fake ID that said I was eighteen, and I was in there until now. I'm eighteen now by the way, if I've neglected to mention it before."
“I like you,” Xellis murmured casually, his words nothing but the truth. “You’re both rebellious and independent. It’s admirable, really.”
He looked down to his hands, preening one on the collar of his shirt, flicking his eyes briefly to Scipio before back down to Arci. The mimic had cradled deeper into his arms.
"Pretty sure it's against the law after doing more research, actually, but they can't arrest a dead guy." Scipio sighed softly and glanced over to Xellis. "I liked the army quite a bit, actually, even if it's the only thing that's made me experience fear since I was a young child… I try not to talk about my childhood much, though. It was not a great time of my life."
“Seems my circumstances are flipped. Keeps getting worse as I get older.”
Xellis took a step forward, gently brushing his fingers over the painting. He looked so gleeful as a child, unlike the unreadable expression now plastered on his face.
“But, besides that,” he murmured, looking back over his shoulder to Scipio. “You’re supposed to enjoy the afterlife. That’s… basically the whole point. Leave the burdens of life behind. You served your sentence.”
Xellis turned back around fully, one of Arci’s hands poking out and trying to grab the god’s fingers. Xellis let the mimic do what it wanted, letting his hand fall limp as Arci shook it slightly.
“So, what can I do for you?” he asked. “Anything you enjoy? After I show you your room we could go have fun. Based on your whole… get-up… I assume you haven’t actually had fun in a while.”
Scipio hummed thoughtfully, turning his eyes back to the painting. "Am I allowed to drink alcohol here? I've never had it before because I was underage in America. I'm of age in Italy, though, and that's where I was born…" He sighed softly. "Since I've never had it, I've obviously never gotten drunk, and I have heard that it is fun." He was quiet for a few seconds. "From what I have heard, I may be more relaxed and open when intoxicated, so if that's what you want, it is probably a viable option."
“Yes, you’re absolutely allowed to drink here,” Xellis said, letting out a laugh. “Come on, follow me.”
The god slung Arci around to his back, although the mimic kept hold of Xellis’s hand. It wasn’t abnormal, so the god let it slide.
Xellis pushed his way out the front door to the courtyard, motioning for Scipio to follow.
Scipio trailed after him, looking around curiously as he walked. He hadn't seen this part of the manor yet, and he was clearly interested in knowing his way around better. "Where do you keep the alcohol?" He asked, looking up to Xellis curiously. "Does it need to be cold?"
The second the god stepped out the door, he turned, grabbing hold of the uneven brick wall and hoisting himself up from the terrace. He lifted himself onto the roof, laying down on his stomach and offering Scipio a hand.
“Yeah, I keep it cold. Tastes much better,” he said. “Arci has a cooler filled with some of my favorites. I keep it stocked often, even though gods can’t really get drunk.”
He glanced down at Scipio with a smile, then up to the scenery around. It looked like it was spring everywhere— a forest off in the distance but rolling green hills near wherever they were. The courtyard had giant beautiful flowers in beds, accompanied by an alabaster cobblestone path. The weather was warm like a perfect summer morning, and the sky was as blue as ever.
“You comin’?” he asked, waving his hand slightly.
Scipio hesitated before allowing Xellis to help him up, although he largely did it by himself. He dusted himself off once he was up and glanced around to take in the scenery. "How much do you think it would take for me to get drunk?" He asked, wandering around the roof to see everything better. "Since I haven't had it before and all…"
“Absolutely no clue,” Xellis said, sitting up and putting Arci by his side. He opened the flap, digging into the pack, his entire arm disappearing and reappearing with a cooler much bigger than Arci himself. By any human standards, it wouldn’t have been possible, but this was a god’s toy. So… really anything was possible.
He flipped off the lid of the cooler, watching as the lid slid off the roof and onto the floor below. He dug his hand in the icy contents, drawing out two fancy bottles reading Passionfruit Black Sour Ale.
“These ones are really good,” the god said, grabbing a bottle opener and popping off both the caps. “But I have no idea the percentage, or how many it takes for a human to get drunk. Like I said, us gods can’t get drunk, so I wouldn’t know anyway.”
"Mm. Alright." Scipio watched Xellis pull out the cooler curiously, but didn't question it. The guy was a god, after all. It wasn't unreasonable in his mind. He reached out for one of the bottles and took it from Xellis. After a few seconds of examining it, he pressed it to his lips and tossed his head back to take a swig. He winced at the taste of the alcohol, trying to hold back his coughing. "It's… ah… interesting…" He said quietly after he swallowed.
“Yeah, that’s a word for it,” Xellis said, taking a sip of his own. He held it between his fingers, twirling it around.
Xellis didn’t drink on a daily basis, but it’s not like he drank just for occasion either. Sure, he couldn’t get drunk, but he tried his hardest. Maybe it was because he was so stubborn and he thought he could, or he just really, really wanted to forget about being a god. There was something so mortal about alcohol, and Xellis wished he could enjoy it.
"Is the burning like, a normal thing?" He asked, taking another swig of the alcohol. "Or am I allergic or something? Should I stop?" He seemed pretty confused, but he continued drinking anyway. After the burning came a warmth that settled in his chest, which was far more pleasant and enjoyable.
“Nah, the burning’s normal. Even magnified, considering you haven’t eaten today,” Xellis said. “And it’s… the morning. In case you didn’t know, people don’t normally drink this early.”
He paused for a moment, taking another swig and setting the bottle down on the shingles of the roof.
“But hey, I could care less if you’re swazzed for the day,” he continued, giving a shrug.
"Swazzed?" Scipio asked, confused as he kept drinking. By the time he finished the bottle, he seemed to be a tad tipsy. Thankfully, at least in his mind, he'd gotten used to the taste and the burning by now. "What's that mean…?" He asked with a slight slur in his voice.
“Swazzed? It means wasted. Slumped. Trashed,” Xellis explained. “I’ve heard some humans use those words as just other terms for ‘drunk.’”
He glanced over, an eyebrow raised with a smile on his face.
“And, wow, you’re already loose after one bottle?” he said, stifling a laugh. “You’re… kinda a lightweight. But, then again, I don’t have a concept of what it takes to get tipsy.”
"Don't make fun of me! I've never had alcohol before… can I have more?" He asked, reaching out one hand so that Xellis could give him another bottle. "It doesn't taste as bad anymore and it makes me feel waaaarm…" He hummed a bit, still mostly present, but definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol.
“Yeah, man, you can have as much as you want,” Xellis said happily, pulling out two more beers. He held up a can with an elaborate art design across the tin, and another bottle that looked the same as before.
“You wanna try a new one, or stick with the last?” he asked, waving them slightly. “It’s black cherry, if you’re interested.”
"Ooh, sure." Scipio accepted the new bottle and examined it for several seconds with a confused expression. "How the hell do I open this thing? I want the alcohol…" He tried to pry it open with his teeth, which left him with an achy jaw more than anything. After a bit of struggling, he held it back out to Xellis. "Open."
Xellis watched with a half-amused gaze as he attempted to open the bottle.
“Buddy, you might need to slow down a bit. Sure, alcohol is good, but it can…,” he trailed off, narrowing his eyes. “You know what, never mind. You deserve to let go for a bit. And… it’s not really like you can die.”
With that, he popped open the bottle, setting back down the metal trinket and taking another sip of his own.
Scipio sipped at the new drink and winced a bit. "Tastes kinda like cough syrup." He hummed, drinking more of it anyway. He definitely liked the buzz he was getting, and he felt far more relaxed with a bit of alcohol in his system. "I think this is fun? I'm not super familiar with fun, but I believe I'm enjoying myself."
Xellis’s smile grew wider, his eyes lighting up in just the slightest.
“Oh really?” he purred, resting his head on one of his hands and leaning forward.
“Told you I’d show you how to have a good time,” he said lightly, still sipping off of his first drink. He let his eyes wander back to the surroundings, noting the sun’s ascent higher into the sky. It would probably be at least noon by now, if even that early.
"I don' wanna have sex, if that's what you're insinuating…" Scipio mumbled, his voice more slurred now. "I've never had sex and I don' wanna." He finished the second bottle he'd been given and ran his fingers through his hair. "Mmmm… you're supposed to drink to forget, but I still remember. I want more."