Open: And they're gonna bend their branches down to lay their fruit upon the ground

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is in a kitchen, apron tied over a purple dress with vine details, singing to himself as he uses a melon baller to scoop out a watermelon. The large bowl next to him is already full of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, and he's got a few other ingredients nearby ready to add in once he's done with the watermelon. Mint leaves, some honey, some lemon juice, and some lime juice.

It has been quite an eventful time lately, but overall his life is pretty great right now.

Comments

[lanselos_du_lac]

He laughs again, "I could hardly be anything else."

[vineleaves]

"Any fun plans for the rest of the day?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot shrugs, "Only the usual sort of plans, I suppose."

[vineleaves]

"Same for me." Which is to say, he has zero plan for today. His only plan so far was to cut up this fruit, which he has now done.

[lanselos_du_lac]

With great interest, he asks, "Oh? Dost thou have a routine, as well?"

[vineleaves]

Dionysus laughs. "Not in the slightest."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"No?" He laughs as well, shaking his head. "Well. I suppose not everyone does."

[vineleaves]

"I spend a little time in my garden every day, to make sure it's doing alright, and I tend to bring Mercutio food a few times a day so that he doesn't end up living off of just doritos and soda, but other than that I don't know how any day is going to end up."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot shakes his head a little, "I understand. I cannot do that, myself, is all."

[vineleaves]

"If I have too many plans I get very ... exhausted by it, I suppose. I'm much more suited to just... going with the flow, as they say. Granted, I've normally not had many responsibilities I've had to deal with, which helps in that regard."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Things go very poorly indeed, if I do not keep my regular schedule. That was a hard thing to learn, here."

[vineleaves]

"Yeah, it's not uncommon for people's mental health to be effected, if they're used to a schedule and suddenly find themselves without. Sorry that you had to deal with that, dear."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot's brows draw together as he works through some of that. After a long moment he says, "Forgive me if this is a terribly obvious question, but-- what dost thou mean by 'mental health'? I think I understand, but I want to be certain."

[vineleaves]

He just barely manages to not say, 'it's how healthy your mental state is', because that's definitely what first pops into his mind, and it's also definitely not helpful. "It's the health of your... emotional state, I suppose, is a way to describe it. Your emotions are controlled by your brain, right?" Well, more or less. "And your brain's part of your body, so like any part of the body, it can be varying levels of 'healthy'. So, when people are suffering from depression, or anxiety, or what have you, that's all part of the mental health umbrella. I'm -- ah, well, I'm actually sort of the god of it, to be completely honest. Because of -- ah, struggles I had growing up. Ended up becoming the god of it."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I see," he says -- which is a good indicator that he doesn't quite get it. He frowns a little, considering this.

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is getting the idea that Lancelot maybe didn't really understand him. "Sorry, that wasn't -- the best explanation. What d'you have questions about?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Dost mean... is it about one's feelings? Emotions?"

[vineleaves]

"Yeah!"

[lanselos_du_lac]

He makes a little sound like hrmmm as he thinks this over.

[vineleaves]

"You've still got questions, I can tell. What's on your mind?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Well," carefully, still thinking, "I think I understand some of that, though most of those terms are new to me. Susan and I have spoken of such things. I-- now and again, if things are not quite right, I... Susan has said it is called 'traumatic neurosis.'"

[vineleaves]

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry to hear that," he says, reaching to place a hand on Lancelot's shoulder and squeezing slightly. Language, and how things are defined and classified changes so often, but that doesn't change the fact of what Lancelot is going through. "What sort of things tend to trigger it? --Ah, not that you have to tell me, if it's -- uncomfortable, I get it."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot makes a little face that is more thoughtful than anything else. "It is uncomfortable, but-- it is nothing terribly secret, I suppose. It also has not happened in some while. Usually, though, it is when I am reminded of why I left court-- and how I felt around that time. With what took place at Corbenic."

[vineleaves]

"Ah, yes, that... that would do it, I suppose..." He realizes that must sound either incredibly cryptic or incredibly rude to Lancelot, so he clarifies, "I mean, what I mean is that -- well, when people have been through similar things as that, it's common for them to -- ah, to be affected in the same sorts of ways."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Is it?" He looks both thoughtful and sincerely curious. "I suppose it isn't only Corbenic, though."