If you wanna read ahead of my stories, you can check out the advanced chapters on my subcribestar, at the same username - 0Jordinio0
__________
That finally did it.
Of course it did, Lili wasn't surprised that Soma only paid attention at all, even after his familia was attacked, and an intruder made it all the way to his chambers, because his precious wine was threatened.
Soma turned his head ever so slightly, his stirring arms slowing to a stop, but not letting go of the stirring rod, "Can I help you?" Soma asked, his voice would have been pleasant, if it weren't for the flat monotone drone that rasped from his cracked lips.
"I kicked the shit out of your entire familia, I made your familia captain my bitch," Caelan bared his teeth in a mocking smile, sharp canines glinting even in the dark room, "I made most of your familia get on their knees and pray to Hestia."
Usually, such a thing was as close to sacrilege as it could get. To be part of a familia, fell under many things. Family, gang, peerage. At the end of the day though, it was allegiance to a god.
And to make the followers of a god worship another? There could be no greater insult.
"Okay?" Soma tilted his head and asked blankly, "Is that all?"
"You don't care at all huh?" Caelan snorted.
"Because nothing important happened," Soma replied blankly, "This batch of wine remains unfinished." he said simply, as if that was an answer and all that mattered.
And Lili knew to him, that was true.
"Alright then," Caelan simply nodded back, before pointing at her, "Then I'll be quick and get out of your hair, you just need to release Lili from your familia, she's joining my familia now." he all but ordered a god to comply with his demands.
Soma cast a disinterested glance her way, "…Her?" his brows furrowed ever so slightly as he asked that, the first tiny tiny semblance of emotion shown by him in who knows how long, "Why?"
"Why what?" Caelan jutted his chin out at the god, mean mugging at him as he leaned closer, as if a delinquent threatening to beat up their victim. In fact, he outright flared his nostrils like a bull with a heavy exhale.
"I remember her." Soma said blankly.
"I'd be questioning your intelligence even more if you didn't, she's a part of your familia you absolute tard," Caelan rolled his eyes, and smirked, "Useless tard god." he insulted tauntingly.
It was complete disrespect. It wasn't like the way some gods playfully got insulted and played over the top in the streets with mortals, that was all fun and games. No, Lili couldn't help but stare slack jawed as Caelan spoke down to a god like a common street thug taunting their bully victim.
But it may as well have been a stream of water splashing against the side of a mountain for all Soma reacted to it, "She was a failure like the rest," Soma continued, "She fell to the wine and could not handle it, just like all the rest. Forgetting everything in her desire for it."
Lili flinched.
"Ah right, the so called Soma wine that can get you drunk to your soul or whatever bullshit people like to say," Caelan snorted, casting a glance at her, before back to Soma, "How old was she?"
Soma tilted his head, "Why does that matter?"
"Just answer the question before I dunk your head in a toilet bowl." Caelan growled.
The god shrugged, "I don't know."
...Of course he didn't.
"Lili…was seven." she answered instead, doing her level best to keep a tight rein on her emotions. She knew her god hadn't cared at all for her, had known a long time. But, his indifference still hurt.
"…Seven, and she's a prum, are you fucking kidding me?" Caelan snapped, grabbing the god by his collar and outright hoisting him off the ground and getting in his face, "How are you a fucking god of alcohol and not know basic shit? Don't you know that a person's body isn't fully developed and able to handle alcohol at that age? Or that, the smaller someone is the easier it is for them to get drunk? Of course she'd fucking get addicted to your shitty fucking wine! At that point it wasn't even about will power, will power only goes so far. Or do you expect someone who's lost their legs to regrow them from sheer will too you fucking absolute retard!?"
Her jaw dropped, and she wasn't able to process his words for a few moments, but when she did. A tension she didn't know she was holding released from her, an exhale escaping her mouth, and she felt light.
…So…
'So it wasn't because Lili was weak?' she thought, a vicious joy of relief bubbling in her breast.
Soma again said nothing for a moment, but he did tilt his head, his shaggy bangs parting just a bit to reveal his dark eyes, widened ever so minutely.
"I…did not." Soma replied simply.
Caelan let go of the god, "She could handle your dumbass wine easily now," he boasted in contempt, walking straight past the god, to the shelves behind him, lined with golden containers, "This is your finished product right, not the crappy one on sale, but your true Soma wine, aye?"
Soma looked over his shoulder, "Yes," he replied, "You are quite arrogant. Foul mouthed too, and boastful. Do you think you can handle it after all your big talk? If you can, then I'll do as you ask, and see to it my familia don't seek retribution through the guild."
"As if I care if they went to the guild, they won't do shit anyway," Caelan scoffed, but he grabbed one of the containers and Lili's heart leapt into her throat for a brief moment, "But fine, I'll show you why I wasn't just talking shit."
Without preamble, he twisted the metallic cork off the top of it with a loud ding, and before Lili could even do or say anything, brought the container to his mouth and began to…not drink it normally, or sip it-
But outright chug it.
Not only was she stunned into silence, so was Soma, and the only sound reverberating through the large room was the sound of Caelan gulping down great big mouthfuls of divine wine.
For a near full ten seconds he chugged it, to the very last drop. Well over a litre over it.
Before he lowered the container and tossed it aside, the metallic bang as it collided with the wall echoing loudly. Caelan wiped his lips, and she saw a flush appear on his cheeks, his eyes unfocused and begin to sway-
Before he shook his head and spat to the side, "Fucking piss water," the boy insulted, "It doesn't even taste good. I've had a better experience with a cheap fucking bottle of buckfast. And it doesn't even sit well in my stomach, what kind of bullshit is this? Divine wine my fucking big fat cock. If it's just for getting drunk whiskey is better, and liquors are better for a casual tasteful drink, like a nice bottle of baileys."
Lili's jaw dropped in awe, and she wasn't the only one. Soma stared at him in disbelief, "You….how?"
"Fuck you that's how," Caelan bared his teeth and turned, walking over to Lili, and she squeaked as the slightly younger boy, tossed a large muscular arm over her shoulder and palmed her ass, fingers sinking deeply into her ass like it belonged there and pulled her flushed against his chest, "Lili is mine, now get your shitty ass falna claim the fuck off of her back."
She leaned into him instinctively. It was so hard to re-arrange her thoughts, she had serious whiplash with everything going on.
…But she loved it, she knew that much, and found herself smirking at Soma as well, Caelan's bold energy infecting her, making her feel light, warm and strong.
"Okay." Soma gave in.
__________
Later, as Caelan and Lili left the conquered Soma familia manor behind, Caelan's arm on her ass all the way, and the small prum girl giddily leaning into him.
They never noticed the god watching them from the balcony of his chambers. And they never noticed the impassive frown on his face, lift into a small smile.
_____________
Souma nodded to himself, "I see, I see. So wine was useless after all? The true path of enlightenment, is Whiskey?" he realised, and completely ignoring the girlish sobbing coming from Zanis' bedroom as he walked by.