Sanguine Affliction - 99 bottles of wine on the wall....

99 bottles of wine on the wall....

Artemis walked morosely along the beach. Well to be honest, it was more shuffling than walking. Normally being to lazy to pick up one's own feet was not a trait that Artemis would have, but two, no three bottles of wine later he was not quite himself. He had been in a fine mood earlier. He had a good time with the others and with Pak. With Pak, that was the problem.

Artemis stood looking out over the water, letting the cool wave soak his bare feet.The cool winter air only served to make him even more moody. the winter solstice had just past not long ago, which meant it was around his wedding anniversary. He flipped the bottle in his hand before throwing it as hard as he could out to sea. Turning, he seated himself just out of reach of the waves. Every now and again one would come just close enough to brush his toes, not that he noticed.

He had been prepared for the normal melancholy that usually hit him in the winter. This time was different, he had not expected to meet Pak. Delightful distraction. Artemis shook his head, somewhere between telling himself no and trying to clear it. It wasn't Pak's fault. If he hadn't accomplished his goal in over 1500 years, then he really couldn't blame her as the distraction. But he still felt a touch of guilt when he left her. She made him happy and he felt guilty for it. Cyrene deserved better than the slackard of a husband that he was. Pak did too for that matter. Resting his chin on his knees, he continued to watch the water.

" Hmph. You're no help."

Kem nodded. He hadn't expected to be able to help much, and in fact, having been forced to think about the past had soured his mood as much as it seemed to have improved Artemis'. Whatever conclusions the man had reached must be his own; Kem was loathe to give advice one way or the other, and particularly not where women were involved.

" Well Kem, as much as I have not enjoyed this conversation I must say you are not pretty enough to solve my problems."

"Thank goodness for that," Kem said fervently. "Fortunately, it seems you know someone who is."

He took the offered hand and stood, brushing the sand off. Then with a glance at Artemis, he chuckled. "Looks like your shorts are the least of your problems."

True enough, Artemis' hair was going to be quite the hassle. Hopefully the sand would fall out as it dried, but even so he had his work cut out for him. Shaking his head in sympathy, Kem led the way up the beach back onto the road.

"It's not far. Just a few minutes that way. I doubt my 'toys' are going to be anywhere near as much fun as yours, if the rumors are true, but that only means you'll have suggestions for improvement."

((ooc: Kem out; tbc later)