Closed: We got some gods in the house tonight

[vineleaves]

You'd think, given they have such a limited amount of space to walk exist in, Dionysus would run into Xie Lian more than he does. Heck, back when Xie Lian first arrived and Dionysus was actively trying to find him to deliver an apology basket it was a struggle enough. So when he's out in his garden one day and manages to see Xie Lian walk by he waves to him.

"Hi honey!" he calls. "How're you today?"

Comments

[scrap_collector]

"Oh, yes, the visions," says Xie Lian. "No—it was clear you didn't intend those." Xie Lian smooths his hands over the knees of his robes. He will have to wash them again, later; there is some kind of stain working its way through his left thigh. "I suspected you of a larger plot."

[vineleaves]

"A larger plot?"

[scrap_collector]

"This place defies explanation," says Xie Lian. "It is both prison and paradise, offering endless free choice without true freedom, abundance without exploitation, honor and bravery and brotherhood without war. It's a contradiction in terms." He raises a shoulder in an apologetic shrug. "Some might call it mad."

[vineleaves]

Realization dawns on him. "Oh -- you thought I was the one keeping everyone here. I wish I was -- then everyone who wants to go home could, and everyone who wants to stay would have a promise they won't be sent back randomly." He sighs. "No, I'm just as trapped as anyone. First time in my life that's been a thing, you know, whoever the mansion spirits are, they've got to be incredibly powerful gods if they can keep me here."

[scrap_collector]

Xie Lian nods. "I have been thinking the same thing," he says. "It is rare I find myself in a trap I cannot break when I try." The only times it has truly happened skim too close to the raw, exposed nerve he was when they last spoke; he fiddles with his sleeve.

[vineleaves]

"Between me, you, and Apollo, it should be impossible for us to not have found a way to escape yet." Not that Dionysus has necessarily even been looking for many months now. Even if he did have a way out, he doesn't know what would happen if he tried to take Grantaire out of this universe. For all that he likes to dream about taking Étienne on trips to everywhere, if it were possible he would need some kind of proof that he'd be alright before Dionysus would even attempt anything.

"So -- can I ask a question?"

[scrap_collector]

Xie Lian braces himself, though he's not sure what for. "Alright."

[vineleaves]

What Dionysus really wants to ask is 'what happened to you that made it so I couldn't even tell you were a god at first' but that seems... like there's probably a story associated with it that Xie Lian may or may not feel up to answering, so instead he asks, "Why didn't you tell me you're a god too?"

[scrap_collector]

Xie Lian cocks his head. "Should I have?"

[vineleaves]

"Well -- I dunno -- I mean, I guess you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, of course, but -- it -- it's something we have in common..."

[scrap_collector]

Privately, Xie Lian doesn't think Dionysus way of being a god and his are much alike at all, but that feels discourteous to say. "The only person I told here directly was Magnus," he says instead. "He was... persistent, and guessed it, so I confirmed. His first question was about what I am the god of. I'm afraid I don't quite have the answer to that anymore."

[vineleaves]

"You said you weren't going to be the god of Misfortune anymore, after you got revenge on -- a king, is that right? Did that end up happening, then?"

[scrap_collector]

Xie Lian shakes his head. "I was diverted, thankfully." He scratches his cheek a little, ruefully. "I suppose I could still be a god of misfortune, simply vastly reduced in power, but... lately, before I came here..." he trails off. "I suppose I have been feeling luckier."

[vineleaves]

"I don't know if this holds true or not in your universe, but in my pantheon at least, sometimes a god ends up being the god of ... both sides of the same coin, if you follow. So -- I'm the god of Madness, but that means I'm also the god of Mental Health, to an extent, and helping people overcome their -- ah, emotional struggles. Apollo's the god of Healing, but he's also the god of Plagues. Maybe you're finally getting to experience the nicer side of things?"

[scrap_collector]

"A god's aspect can change, in my world, but generally in response to the way he is worshipped." Xie Lian shakes his head. "No one is worshipping me for luck." He reaches out a bit awkwardly to pat Dionysus' hand. "It is a nice thought, though."

[vineleaves]

"Ah, yeah, that's different from how things work in my universe. Though -- well, I suppose you could say that me becoming the god of Drama was a similar situation, actually. Some of my followers invented theatre to worship me, and that's -- ah, that's where that comes from." He shrugs. "If we get people to start worshipping you for luck would you become more lucky?"

[scrap_collector]

Xie Lian looks puzzled and a little amused at this idea. "Perhaps? I fear it would take more worshippers than this place contains, though. The misfortune I have taken on is... vast."

[vineleaves]

"Well, what if I just do it a lot over a long period of time? Would that have a similar result, or does it need sheer numbers and nothing else really matters?"

[scrap_collector]

"It is not about numbers, exactly, but strength of belief, either cumulative or held within a single heart." Xie Lian allows himself a moment of remembering thousands of lanterns, bright against an autumn sky. "I do not doubt your persuasive powers, I experienced them myself about peanut butter sandwiches, but I was given to understand that many of the residents here have gods of their own."

[vineleaves]

Dionysus shrugs. “Well — I already pray to my brother sometimes, if there’s something urgent I need to tell him and he’s not around, I don’t see what harm there is in me occasionally praying to you if I need a little extra luck with something. Best case scenario it works, worst case scenario you’re no worse off than you are now, right?”

[scrap_collector]

"I... suppose?" Xie Lian is more interested in the idea of gods praying to one another, though. "You and your brother don't have private heavenly communications arrays?"

[vineleaves]

“…What?”

[scrap_collector]

"Ah. I had noticed there was not connection to array here, but I thought it a specific feature of this place." Xie Lian tucks his head behind his ear. "The gods of my world can speak through a sort of... spiritual messaging system. There is the general heavenly communications array, where everyone speaks publicly amongst the gods of the Upper Court, and then you can also give individual gods—and those with high spiritual power who have not ascended—your personal password, which allows you to communicate one one one."

[vineleaves]

"...Damn, you've got your own built in phones?" He's a little jealous. "Ah, so, if someone prays to you, do you hear it through that? Or is it different? Or you don't hear it at all?"

[scrap_collector]

"Prayers arrive in other ways. Missives, usually—scrolls that manifest with the requests on them, that are delivered to our palaces. Sometimes dreams—though dreams can be dangerous, as they go both ways."