Open: Takes a lot of medicine to make it through the wintertime

[vineleaves]

The first day of Dark was difficult enough to get through. When the situation didn't improve after a few days, however, Dionysus really began to worry. That the house would stop cooperating when it comes to creating food at the same time his own powers of generation have become so severely diminished... it doesn't sit easy with him.

He is grateful that he still has some powers, but he's been finding it difficult to produce grapes or wine (or any related products) of any quality, whereas before it came to him like breathing. But he considers it his duty to do what he can to offset the dwindling supplies, so every day he spends a few hours creating what he can: grapes, raisins, cartons of grape juice, and of course, bottles of wine, before diligently distributing it to the various kitchens and eating-places in the house. Wherever he thinks people may go to look for something to eat. Should anyone need him, he shouldn't be too difficult to locate.

Comments

[vineleaves]

"Ooh, were you helping people with poor circulation and the like? Clots and whatever?" He's not a doctor but this sounds medically useful to him.

[ravkanwitch]

"No," Nina says slowly, "that would be a Healer. As a Heartrender, I was training to be in the Second Army... But that was before I was kidnapped."

[vineleaves]

“There’s a lot to unpack here, hold on. You were kidnapped? Who kidnapped you?”

[ravkanwitch]

Nina sighs. "It's a long story. I was a little too rash and I ended up getting kidnapped by a group of drüskelle... they're holy soldiers from Fjerda, a neighboring country. They were going to put me on trial for being a Grisha-- almost like a witchhunt. But long story short, the ship that I was on sank, I survived, and now I'm here!" Long story real short.

[vineleaves]

"Oh, Nina, I'm so sorry my dear." He goes over and gives her another hug. "That all sounds so horrible. I'm glad you got away."

[ravkanwitch]

"I found friends," she tells him, to cheer him up. "Both later on in Ketterdam and also here. I'm okay now."

[vineleaves]

"Good! I'm glad. You must have been awfully young when all of that happened. That's terrible."

[ravkanwitch]

"I was sixteen or seventeen when a lot of it happened," she admits.

[vineleaves]

"And I thought my teenage years were rough." They were, they decidedly were, but at least that was mostly just because of one particular person being cruel, and not the mountain of experiences Nina just went over.

[ravkanwitch]

"Were they rough?"

[vineleaves]

"I mean, they could've been better, but you don't want to hear an old man go on about back when he was a kid."

[ravkanwitch]

"Try me," Nina says. "You're hearing all about my past. What's one big thing that happened to you?"

[vineleaves]

He sighs. "Okay, if we're sharing backstories, sure. When I was a teenager my stepmother, Hera, goddess of Marriage, found out where my father, Zeus, chief of the gods, had hidden me after I had been born -- I was being raised as a girl by some kind wood nymphs -- and cursed me with insanity as a way to get back at him for having cheated on her. Oh, don't worry, I was able to break the curse after a few years."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina blinks. "That sounds as terrible as some of the tales of the Saints. I'm so sorry that happened to you."

[vineleaves]

"Eh, it was a long time ago." He shrugs.

[ravkanwitch]

"I don't really remember my parents... but I still have nightmares about them sometimes. Well, before I came here." Before Luo Binghe helped her out. "Trauma has a way of staying with us."

[vineleaves]

"Persistent like that, isn't it? At least physical trauma usually heals up nicely. Might get a cool scar that makes you look rugged and interesting out of it. The mental kind just results in nightmares and anxiety."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina remembers the struggle as the jurda parem left her system; the sweating, the hunger, the pain. She doesn't say that she's been through both, as Dionysus seems startled enough by her past. Instead, she smiles. "If you do ever get nightmares, let me know. Luo Binghe can help with that. I'm not sure if you've met him?"

[vineleaves]

"I haven't had the pleasure yet, no! When you say he can help with nightmares, is this in a sort of magical sense, or more like a licensed therapist sort of way? I had to explain what therapy is to someone here once; needless to say we could probably use someone with that skillset in addition to someone with dream related magic."

[ravkanwitch]

"Demonic magic, I think," Nina says, tone unbothered. "When I was turned into a kid and told him I had bad dreams, I also told him I wanted to dream about puppies all the time."

[vineleaves]

"Did the puppies thing happen?" It's an important question; that sounds quite nice, actually.

[ravkanwitch]

Nina nods solemnly. "So many puppies. The most adorable puppies."

[vineleaves]

"Well that's wonderful! Very nice of him to give you puppy dreams! I can't wait to meet him."

[ravkanwitch]

"Hopefully you can, soon." She glances around. They're still in the bone room. "Do you want to go to the cafe and get some hot chocolate?"

[vineleaves]

"I never touch the stuff," he says, feigning the tone of a much-offended 1950s housewife. "But I do desperately want out of here, and I could go for some glühwein."