Boredom At Longnight

JEREMY I picked up a bar tab and drank myself stupid; I flirted with strangers just to feel attractive There was only so long a man could stare into the bottom of a drink and think of his wife. The way she moved, the way she spoke; he realised with a sort of dull horror that he was beginning to forget her voice only a week after their separation. He could hear the edges of it, pick out the inflections on certain words, but...carving whole sentences for his imaginary Diana to say was becoming difficult. These kind of thoughts were difficult for whiskey to take away, couldn't be washed down with wine or beer. No, they were the kind of thoughts you had to sit with until you worked through them. He knew that. He'd had enough life to know that. But Lord, Jeremy didn't want to face them. Instead he went for a walk. Up to the temple, where he assumed it was still safe. There was the shrine there, which he had been meaning to check out. Philosopher as he was the idea of an actual working shrine was fascinating. He was sceptical, of course, but...there had been proven magic and monsters. At this point, why not? Ignoring some...odd sounds in one of the alcoves he went to the shrine and stood before it with his hands in his pockets, looking it up and down. "...There any Godly people up and about for me to talk to? I'm pretty goddamn curious about you lot." It felt stupid to talk to Gods after years of Agnosticism and this was all he could summon without feeling like an idiot.

What would be a fitting reply for the non-believer. For the philosopher, for he who came from another world thinking that what mattered was grading papers and getting home in time for a glass of something strong and sweet before bed. Ah! I know. nothing. And so nothing it was. The temple was silent, the candles flickering as they should have been, and absolutely nothing else magical or spiritual occurred.

JEREMY I picked up a bar tab and drank myself stupid; I flirted with strangers just to feel attractive He waited a few moments. Nothing happened, just as expected. Jeremy even found himself a little disappointed. But it was hardly a surprise that real life Gods were just a fairy story, so he shrugged his shoulders and headed back down to the bar, thinking at least he could start a conversation with someone about this experience now.