Rise of Ruin

Avis grimaced as she saw Iridian leave. Now that wasn't fair...the only one he had ever really wronged was her. That should've have made him leave. She felt terrible for the poor man.

"Well, I can see that tensions have run a little high as of late," stated Gayle as she floated in the room through the wall.

"Are you going to eat or not, Avis?" Farei called, slicing her meat into smaller pieces so she could eat it better. She glanced at Mardian and gave a faint nod. "I guess that's good, then. We can leave sooner now that your arm's better. So much for a stupid vacation or whatever you Hylians call it. Between the fiasco with getting the Master Sword and your idiot brother making things so much worse, I'd prefer going back out and fighting whoever we're supposed to be fighting." she muttered.

She shot Gayle a dangerous look when she made her appearance. "Well it's nice to know you aren't blind." she snapped, taking a bite of her potato.

Avis hurried quickly to her seat, digging into her own bowl once it was served. She could see that Farei was rather unhappy right now, and she didn't want to do more to upset her.

Gayle smiled dimly behind her mask, raising one hand and running it along the wall to her right. "You know...I apologize that your vacation hasn't exactly been up to snuff...after all that you've had to deal with, I think you three deserve a little something special," she said as the wall cracked, the cracks branching off in the shape of a door.

"This is my special storage," she said, revealing to them an entire store of various alcoholic beverages, from the frothiest of beers to the finest of wines. "Take what you'd like: I have no use for it myself. I'm sure you could use something better to drink than water."

Mardian was still working on his food, and he didn't normally drink alcohol....but given the week he'd had...well, he could use something to take his mind off of it all. Everyone was so tense, and Farei definitely not the least of them. He hadn't seen her this angry since their first day her and she had gotten aggravated at him for his attitude toward Gayle.

Farei had never touched a drop of alcohol in her life and she frowned when Gayle offered them access to her store. She had lived off of water and tea in the desert but alcohol was always so expensive when the traders came through the desert. She wasn't sure about this but if it could help with her stress, she'd try a little.

"Well...okay. Thanks, Gayle." she said, not sure what to make of the offer.

Gayle smiled kindly not that they could see anything aside of a mirthful blue glow beneath her mask. "It's no trouble. Enjoy yourselves," she said. "You've all earned it."

Avis hadn't drank anything like this in her life either. She could see that all of it had been aging for some time, and had been doing it so well, too. Cautiously she took one of the thicker bottles of wine, a bottle of rosé, the color of the liquid inside much like that of a blush. She smiled softly. Perhaps this would be good to taste. She took a pair of wine glasses, heading out the room. Gayle smirked, seeing that Avis had grabbed them just so that it seemed as if she had but one. The young woman had done a pretty slick sleight-of-hand...and it was a good thing that she had grabbed them out of eye-shot as well, and saw that Avis was going to go looking for Iridian, seeing as he'd left the room.

Mardian got up after finishing his plate. "I'll take care of cleanup." he said, taking up the plates and going to the sink. He wasn't one to get 'drunk' even when he did drink once in a while, but the way he was feeling today he thought it best that the chores were taken care of before he touched a bottle, or they'd be terrible by tomorrow and nobody would feel like dealing with them.

Farei had noticed Avis was wandering out of the kitchen but was distracted when Mardian offered to clean up. That was fine. Curious, she got to her feet and walked over to Gayle's wine cache to look around. It was all foreign to her and the labels didn't really explain much. It was all so pretty, the colors of the bottles and glasses, but she wasn't sure what would taste good. She had heard that wine was usually a woman's drink so she decided she'd try one. After selecting a glass she browsed the pretty bottles until she settled on one labeled as Moscato.

It would have to do. She set the bottle on the table and set about uncorking it after pulling the foil from around the stopper. The smell that came from the bottle once it was opened made her wrinkle her nose. "...Is it supposed to smell like that?" The scent of the alcohol was quite pungent, and it overpowered the sweet, fruity smell that accompanied it.

"Some do. The more alcohol that's in it, the stronger it is-scent, taste, AND how quickly it will get you drunk," replied Gayle. She almost seemed a little melancholy about being unable to share in a glass herself.


~

Avis snuck on outside the cave once she realized that Iridian was nowhere to be found. It was sad, really...she didn't think he had to leave. Certainly, he had done some...unsavory things, but she still liked him. What was worse was that his brother didn't even try to encourage him to stay. That was simply unacceptable. Well, she wouldn't allow Iridian to suffer all alone. She brought a picnic basket and had it stuffed with some goodies for the two to share, along with the wine and glasses.

The young woman made her way to the cave where he first taught her the wonders of intercourse, grinning as she found him. "I thought you might be here," she said, stepping inside.

Mardian washed the dishes, his mind occupied with his brother, the absolute shamelessness he had, and more than a little bit about Farei's reaction to it all. He was furious at his brother as well, he'd promised to behave more honorably, Mardian now knew how good his word was. He'd just wanted them off of his back. Now he'd lied to and violated Avis, which was positively unforgivable, but he could already tell that whatever he'd said to Avis when he went to see her had been sufficient apology for her.

Perhaps it was just as much his fault, what had happened. He hadn't kept a tight enough leash on Iridian. Avis was a lonely and vulnerable young woman, and she needed protected from being used. He'd failed in that. None of them really needed all of this. There was already so much pressure being put on them, so much grief and stress that being saddled with dealing with such a careless man was near unbearable. Even more so to him, to have to swallow that he shared blood with the scoundrel. That his shame, in some ways, was also his.

He worried also about Farei. She'd already had to waste a great deal of her life locked away like a dangerous animal when she had done nothing wrong. Forced to guard a place with the very powers that the sages wanted to kill her for. Thinking of it made him feel sick. Between all of their wandering and stress and Iridian's shameful displays, she seemed to be welcoming the time she would return and await for them to murder her.

He somehow had managed to finish the cleanup as all of these things ran through his head. He was nearly surprised when he reached for the next dish to dry and found none there. He drained the sink and towel dried his hands, wiping off the counters so that there was no standing water and decided that he may as well try to drown his sorrows as well.

~

Iridian looked up and smiled faintly. "Hey Rag doll." he said. "I hope Farei and Mardian didn't give you too much grief over dinner. I know I was the last thing they wanted to see tonight. Reckon it's best that I just stay out of their sight for a while."

"Nah," Avis replied, shaking her head softly. "They really were upset...but I'm not mad at you," she said, taking a seat by him and setting the picnic basket before them. "I thought you could use a little company," she smiled. "I brought wine! Though...I haven't had any before myself. I wasn't sure which brand you might like, though."

Farei had wandered from the dining area and into the large sitting room. She poured herself a glass of wine and set the bottle down on the table. She tried a sip, the smell a bit strong, and she grimaced some at the taste. Still, there was a hint of peaches and melon that would make it bearable. She sipped daintily and conservatively to start, wondering how long it took for this stuff to work. She reclined back in the chair and closed her eyes, holding her glass, and wishing all of this would just go away.

Mardian checked the cabinet and found A blueberry wine of some sort. He supposed that was as good a thing as any and he grabbed the bottle and a glass before heading in to the sitting area as well, sighing as he took a seat across from Farei and opened his own bottle. Though he didn't drink alcohol often, the taste wasn't completely foreign to him and he didn't flinch at the alcoholic taste to the wine. He took his first glass slowly, not really saying anything to Farei at the precise moment. He knew she was in a foul mood and the last thing he wanted was to have someone down his throat right now.

~

Iridian smiled faintly. "You truly are a little angel of mercy, aren't you, little Rag Doll?" he smiled, patting the ground beside him. "Let's have a look at what you brought.

The flaxen-locked young woman smiled brightly, seating herself beside Iridian. She had changed from her swimming clothes, now garbed in a simple, flowing spring dress, her feet bare as she slipped off her shoes, setting the basket before them and removing the cloth covering it. The glasses and bottle she removed first, gingerly setting aside the rosé before pulling out a few loafs of bread and some meat, setting them out on plates before them. She even managed to steal away with a few strawberries and other fruits.

Farei took Mardian's silence as a sign he didn't want to talk to her either. This only made her more grumpy and she kept her own silence, even as the alcohol started to make her head feel fuzzy and heavy. This really wasn't helping, so after a couple of glasses of wine and having enough of this staunch silence, she fumbled to close the wine, set down her empty glass and got to her feet. Without a word Farei found her way back to her room, unable to care about anyone else at the moment, and passed out in her bed after locking the door behind her.

Mardian looked up when Farei suddenly got up and left shortly after he sat down across from her. He watched her go and took another long drink. So much for any welcome company. He couldn't even stand to look at his brother at this point, and Avis he had noticed had taken off after him like a stray puppy. There wasn't really anything he could do about that now. Avis knew and understood what he was and what he had done, so if she still decided to associate herself with him...well, she was a grown woman. Farei obviously didn't want much to do with him either. Judging by her rather swift exit after he had come in to sit with her speaking to her probably would have been a mistake he would have regretted. He'd had enough tongue lashings from that woman to last him a while. That left Gayle, and Mardian didn't want to deal with her either. He wasn't fond of her overmuch and he didn't trust her judgment. The last misery he wanted was to deal with her right now. Maybe Farei had the right idea and he should just go to his room as well for some peace....if there was any such thing anymore.

~

"Well well, you did pull together a nice little picnic didn't you?" he asked, smiling faintly. He sat across from her and started to eat. She was a sweet girl, really. He was sorry that her feelings had gotten hurt earlier.

Avis smiled, taking one of the strawberries from the basket and taking a bite out of it, her scarred, rosy lips stained red with its juices. Once she had finished the morsel she remembered the drink she'd brought, grabbing the bottle as she tried to remove the cork that stopped it up, though she had difficulty in doing so.

Iridian smiled at the pretty, though scarred young woman softly. He grasped the bottle and took it in his hand, removing the cork himself. "Have you ever had wine, Avis?" he smiled.

~

Mardian sighed softly, getting to his feet and stretching his back. He was tired anyway, he supposed, and now pretty much alone out here. He corked the bottle he'd been drinking from and placed it back in Gayle's store. He didn't know why it should bother him that he didn't have any company, he spent most of his time alone out in Hyrule field and the Gerudo desert collecting his wares. He'd not grown to be any sort of social butterfly. After he'd been separated from his mother and father all those years ago, he'd grown to distrust adults in general, having had some bad experience with some that acted as if they cared about his welfare. That aversion to adults developed into an aversion to people in general outside of business transactions. It wasn't that he was cold toward people when he met them, more that he was more used to dealing with them on business terms than social. He headed to his room and collapsed face down onto the bed. He was beginning to see why he didn't care for being social. Between Iridian and some of the issues he'd had to deal with between his other companions it felt a small wonder why he'd decided to be more of a hermit. Dealing with people was frustrating.

A shake of her blonde-haired head revealed that she hadn't. "No one ever gave me any, and whenever I had any rupees, I'd never had enough for my own bottle..." She had been curious of its taste after seeing a few connoisseurs talking about their favorites a few times.

Farei didn't stay passed out long. She woke up, her head feeling heavy and she felt so disoriented and confused. Despite all that, she didn't feel the weight of her depression or their situation. Immediately coming to the conclusion that the alcohol had worked its magic, she stumbled out of her room to find that bottle she had corked. She noticed Mardian was no longer in the room she had left him in and she wondered where he had wandered off to. The bad mood she had earlier had completely dissipated. After finding another glass and the bottle she had earlier, she poured herself another glass of wine and sunk into the couch. It emptied pretty quick and was quickly refilled. Three more glasses later and Farei found herself feeling absolutely wonderful - happy. Someone else around here had been feeling pretty down too, she remembered, and this particular bottle of wine seemed to be a magical cure.

With the lack of her usual grace, Farei walked down the hall to Mardian's room. She supposed she would try him first, sure Avis and Iridian were still up to their shenanigans. Lucky them. She knocked on the door with her free hand and leaned against the wall some. "H-hey...I..I wanna talk to...I wanna talk to you. You awake?"

Mardian opened his eyes, hearing Farei's voice at the other side of the door, somewhat slurred and stuttery and came to the conclusion that she had decided that she wanted to drink after all. She definitely sounded drunk. Then again. It wasn't often that she was ever in a mood to talk to anyone, and he was willing to listen. He sat up and stretched. "I'm awake, Farei. I'm coming." He got to his feet and walked over to the door, opening it to find Farei standing there with a wine bottle in her hand leaned against the wall and looking very, very drunk. "I see that you decided to take advantage of Gayle's hospitality after all." he said, gently taking her arm across his shoulders. "Come on in. Let's get you sat down." he said, helping her inside. There wasn't really any chairs in the room, so he sat her down on his recently vacated bed, the warmth from his body and his scent lingering in the sheets and blankets and he sat down beside her. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Farei?" he asked.

~

Iridian smiled faintly and poured them both a glass. "Well, no time like the present to sample it." he said, handing her one of the glasses.

"Thank you," Avis replied with a smile, holding the glass gingerly in both hands. She wasn't used to how to hold the glasses that she had taken from Gayle, so to keep from dropping them, she cupped it carefully in her small, dainty hands. She drew the glass close to her lips, the scent of the alcoholic beverage wafting towards her nostrils, to which Avis smiled softly at the fruity scent. "It does smell pretty good," the young woman grinned.

Putting the glass to her lips, she tasted it gingerly, sipping a few drops of it first, her lips pursing at how strong the taste was, feeling a flush of warmth in her cheeks. "Hooh...this stuff's pretty strong-tasting," she murmured, but, not wanting to let something good go to waste, continued to drink, taking a little more of a gulp this time.

It was all Farei could do to remain sitting up. Her sense of balance was all but gone and she was having a little bit of difficulty focusing. She looked at him for a long moment before she shook her head and held the bottle of wine up to him. "Y-you...you are too uptight. I think...I think you need some...some of this. I feel w-wonderfuuul." she giggled, attempting to hand him the bottle of wine she had already consumed half of. She noticed he had taken her to his bed and she could feel his lingering body heat on the sheets and she could smell him. He smelled pretty nice. Earthy and manly, if that was a scent at all. All of this was stirring feelings she had never really experienced before, but she could identify them pretty easily.

"Y-you know...it's not fair. Everyone else gets to have...have all sorts of fun. But me and you...me and you are all sad and miserable. Well screw that. I don't want to be left out anymore. I want...I want to have some fun too. But...but you gotta drink. You gotta."

Mardian felt as if ice had just been poured directly into his stomach. He knew exactly what Farei wanted him to do and more than one emotion mixed in him at the realization. She was a beautiful woman, and he had to admit that he was attracted to her, in more than one way. His feelings for her were much stronger than physical attraction, though in her inebriated state barely able to focus her eyes or sit up she wasn't exactly looking her most alluring. It had been so fast and blunt he found himself reeling for a way to handle the situation without upsetting her or insulting her. She made it sound like she just wanted something casual, and in that case wondered why she had a problem with his brother in the first place. Didn't she realize how he felt about it with as angry as he had been with Iridian? Of course, she was drunk and he had to factor that in.

This wasn't exactly the romantic and sincere situation he had imagined his first time with a woman would be like, and he didn't think either of them should have to settle with something so empty. If he gave into this now, he'd be no better than his brother in his own eyes, and ultimately, it was himself that he would have to live with. When and if he saw his parents again, he wanted to be able to look them both in the eye and tell them he had grown into a man they could be proud of...but if he slept with her now, he couldn't do that.

Gently, he took the bottle from her hand and set it aside and gently touched her soft cheek, leaning forward and kissing her tenderly on her soft, full lips. "I don't want to upset you, Farei...though I'm afraid I'm probably doomed to failure at the moment..." he said, gently stroking her hair from her drunken gaze. "The truth is...I think far too highly of both of us to let it happen like this...I do want to be with you, Farei...but not like this. Not with you in this condition. I have to be sure it's me you want and not what we can do for each other to make the pain disappear for the night. If you wait until you're better...and you can think clearly of what you really want from me, then I can give you so much more than a night of meaninglessness." he said quietly, meeting her eyes sadly. "Please understand...but you can stay here tonight..and I'll hold you for as long as you like, because I love you."

~

Iridian smiled and drank from his own glass, sort of showing her how it was done. "So babe, what do you think?"

"It's...sharp," Avis replied. "A very sharp taste." She then gave a hiccup, giggling after taking another big gulp. "Tastes great, though! Hee!" Avis smiled, trying to drink as Iridian was showing her, only managing to spill some of the drink down her throat and a bit on her pale skin. It was clear that the woman, in spite of the tremendous power within her, was as much a lightweight as an infant, clearly already tipsy from the first few gulps.