hypocrisy is digging in (open)

[whele]

Who: William Whele + anyone.
Where: Bar, Stairwell, hallways.
When: Month of February.
Rating: pg- 13 warning for alcohol consumption to forget problems.
Summary: William decides that drinking is going to be the cure to all his depressing thoughts.
The Story:

[It starts almost innocently enough in a way. Wonderland is no longer being kind to the principate of Vega, or ex-principate as the young man now labels himself in his head. He hasn't been principate of anything for almost half a year and he's pretty sure the title doesn't count by this point. Things had been as okay as they could get for a while, but now it's all upside down. The love of William's life has been brought to Wonderland and everything has become awkward and, for him, upsetting. Back home they'd been the best of friends and betrothed through necessity. William loves Claire and knows full well that she doesn't love him, and that was okay. They'd even managed to get married, and when he'd found out she was pregnant with the Chosen One's child he had struggled to get past that and offer to bring said child up as his own.

It just so happened in the same exact moment, Claire found out that William was the lead black acolyte, and needless to say their marriage and friendship had ended in that instant. And now Claire was in Wonderland with the Chosen One, and from a point where she knew what William was. If there was such a thing as torture, this was it. Suddenly the young man is fed up with Wonderland and everything it supposedly has to offer, finding it tedious and wanting nothing more than to go home. He may be exiled to roam outside of Vega, but he'll take it. William not only misses home but his father too in some weird way. William will take that jerk over most people in Wonderland any day.

And so William finds himself in the bar more often than not, sitting there in a silent and drunken daze as he waits to go home. Gabriel could talk the talk, had managed to talk William into accepting Claire wouldn't give him the time of day enough to take his wedding ring off, but it didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt. The alcohol had originally been intended to help sleep at night, lying down to settle merely meant his brain kicked into overdrive to remind William on how differently he could have handled things. And as such it's started to spiral out of control, William finding it easier to be drunk and not have to dwell on things than actually get over them. He knows that drinking to soothe problems is wrong, but at the end of the day the young man has spent a lifetime watching his own father drink and David Whele has done well for himself regardless. The alcohol dulls his ability to thought and William is just fine with that, able to ignore the hurt and sinking feeling in his stomach that seems to haunt him.

Anyone who approaches William at the bar will find him idly turning an empty glass in his hands, or staggering out in a drunken quest to find his room on the tenth floor. Considering the amount of stairs he could be bumped into in the stairwell where he's sat down to rest his eyes for a second on some steps. Or perhaps he's wandered onto the wrong floor and is in the hallway wondering which way his room is.

[ooc: feel free to bump into william in the bar or in the hallways/stairs. he'll be drinking in the bar every day for a good while so this log is open for the month.]

Comments

in the bar;

[what_he_needs]

William.

[Seeing the young man, glass in hand, and that eerily familiar expression on his face, has the archangel stopping from leaving. He'd walked in and was going to walk back out, but he finds that he can't. Michael didn't know what they were, not friends, not enemies, but he almost felt guilty, responsible.]

What are you doing.

[He knows what he's doing, but is lacking in the appropriate question to ask. Especially after the last time they spoke.]

[whele]

[William knows that voice and whom it belongs to. He also knows the tone of voice, shoulders hunching ever so slightly as the young man cringes inwardly. It's almost like he's been busted for something, but then William realizes that he's not doing anything wrong and has nothing to be scolded for.

So when he turns to peer at Michael it's with a politely interested expression, William pointedly taking another drink from his glass as if defiantly denying the archangel's unspoken impression.]

Having a drink?

[what_he_needs]

[Sighing, loudly, and it's an atypically noisy sound for the archangel, he takes a few steps closer to William. He puts his hands on his hips, and frowns, expression stern.]

Yes, William. I see that. Why?

[Now that some time has passed, and Michael is seeing William face to face for the first time, he realizes he wants to speak with him again. He wants to know him better, try to understand. And, if after that, they cannot come to a peaceful arrangement, then at least he tried.]

[whele]

[It's so tempted to just reply with "because I can" for once. As the only child left to inherit a position of power within Vega for the Whele family, William wasn't even allowed a rebellious phase and he has to literally bite the reply back. It'd be satisfying though just to see Michael's reaction.

Instead the principate goes back to his drink, swirling the liquid around for a moment as he tries to think of some kind of reason. Coherent and logical thinking has already abandoned him, and so the young man merely shrugs. Why indeed? Besides, he can think of better things to be asking.]

Why are you talking to me? [It's not even asked in a childish, bratty manner, but more that of dazed confusion which is evident in William's expression. They had not parted on good terms after all.]

Stairs by the 8th floor!

[breakthecurse]

[The diner's now closed for the evening, and Tohru is shutting the door behind her when she hears a sound coming from the stairwell nearby. Against her better judgement (seeing as she was already attacked after closing once before) she slowly moves to investigate. Whatever that sound was, it didn't seem very threatening or scary. And sure enough, there's William, sitting on the stairs, looking...well, she's not sure, but he doesn't seem well.]

Excuse me? ...Are you okay?

[He doesn't seem like he is, but she can't in good conscience just leave him alone.]

he made it halfway! score!

[whele]

[If William had known that Tohru was previously attacked after closing once, he would have appreciated her coming to see what all the racket was. Unfortunately he didn't know and wasn't in any kind of fit state to even comment. The young man is already sitting down on the stairs, leaning to the side to rest against the bannister, eyelids already drooping as he starts to doze off. The stairs had felt like forever to the inebriated principate and he jerks away at the sound of Tohru's voice.

Who was that? Grey eyes squint as William obviously tries to puzzle it out, memory working at the speed of a snail on treacle. Something about candies and Valentines and oh! William gives a small smile, not at all bothering to pull away from the bannister and sit up properly yet.]

Oh it's Ms. Honda. I think I'm okay, there's just a lot of stairs. [William then drops his voice to a loud stage whisper.] I might have had a few too many drinks.

[Or in this case, a few too many bottles.]

Hooraaay! Good job!

[breakthecurse]

Oh, I...see. I suppose you might have.

[She's gentle about it, but she isn't completely blind. In many respects, Tohru has lived a sheltered life, but she had a part-time job in the middle of a busy city. Often she would get out late at night, so the sight of drunk people isn't totally foreign to her.

However, she's never had to try and help one of them before...but, she can try her best. He isn't a complete stranger after all, and she doesn't feel quite right just leaving him there.]

Ah...would you like some help?

5th floor hallway;

[freewill]

[Castiel's only reason for dropping by the bar is to check in and see if Jo is there. He's been meaning to discuss his recent argument with Dean with her, though he expects that for the most part he'll simply be preaching to the choir. He's fairly certain he "won" that argument, given that Dean was the one who'd given up and stopped texting back.

The point is, he's not entirely prepared for someone to stumble out of the bar and into the hallway right as he's walking up. Not just anyone, either -- it's the man he'd spoken to a few months back, the one who came from the same world as the alternate versions of Gabriel and Michael. Castiel had been putting him through an interrogation of sorts when he'd stopped responding, and he hasn't had the chance to speak to him since.

Now would be a good opportunity, except there's a sway and stumble to William's body language that betrays just how inebriated he is. Castiel stops in his tracks and looks him over with a slight frown.]

Do you need assistance?

[whele]

[It was getting to that point in the evening where even William knows how drunk he is. Getting back to his room and blacking out on his bed is now the number one priority in the principate's life, no thoughts of his ex or back home to ruffle his feathers for the time being. A small part of William knows that drinking to forget is always going to end in tears one day, but when it works so well how can he remember that? Wonderland has him at his wits end and when Whele's hit rock bottom they obviously hit the nearest bottle.

He's just about congratulating himself on managing to get to the door without falling over when William stumbles over the threshold, catching himself at the very last second with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. Castiel gets a shrewd look when the young man realizes he's not on his own, grey eyes narrowing slightly as he tries to put a name to the face.

Nope. It's not coming to him. Remembering the last few days was an issue, let alone network conversations some time ago. William tries to straighten up, doing his utmost to not sway on his feet and failing ever so slightly.]

I don't think so. [There's a pause as William draws a deep breath as if steeling himself for something, looking around before directing his gaze back to Castiel.] Which way's the tenth?

[freewill]

[At this point, Castiel can't say that he's surprised to see a professed man of God steeped in sin like this. He hasn't had much consideration for sin in some time, ever since he divested himself from Heaven. If someone who worships his absent Father also wants to drink copiously in their spare time, then who is he to judge?

If William believes that he's going to make it all the way up to the tenth floor in this state, though, then he truly is delusional. Castiel raises an eyebrow and then shifts his stance to point down the hallway.] The stairs are that way. But...

[He glances back. He might need to ask a favor of this man one day, if Dean's fears of leaving and coming back here a demon ever come true. It would be advisable to get on his good side.]

I could save you the trip. [Which really isn't much of an explanation, but it's not like he has visible wings that he can move around to make his point. Besides, it might be best to skip over the whole angel aspect of this for the moment.] I can warp -- and take someone with me.

The Bar

[onlyhomemade]

[Gabriel is a regular at the 5th floor bar, so it's really only a matter of time till they start crossing paths. Gabriel had been, for the most part, drinking alone whenever he comes into the bar for the night. He's content to sit back and watch the room and strike up conversation when he feels the need, but mostly he keeps to himself. It's refreshing to have William there with him, even if he understands why the Principate was there to begin with. He knows this is just a coping mechanism, but it's worked for him. And perhaps he should feel somewhat guilty for starting this whole bad habit, but he's not.

He sits down next to William and orders a tall glass of something fruity that will pack a punch. Something with at least seven shots in it. He then turns to the young man, wondering how long he's been holding up the bar by now and noting his empty glass. He'll go ahead and get him a shot of something at least.]

You do know that you are welcome to come drink with me at my personal bar whenever you wish.

[It's closer. And really, the only reason Gabriel comes to the bar these days is because there are other people there to watch.]

[whele]

[William sees Gabriel at the bar quite a few times, and each time he doesn't seem to approach the archangel. No, he wants for the archangel to approach him, not wanting to interrupt whatever it is the other is up to. He doesn't know Gabriel's routine, but what William does know with all the logic of a drunk is that he doesn't want to interrupt said routine.

This evening William is already well on his way to being completely blitzed, having spent most of the day in the bar as well as the evening, and he peers at the shot with an almost resigned look. Yeah sure, he'll drink that in one go, not even flinching at the taste as he puts the glass down. At least William has somehow figured out how not to slide off his bar stool, though on the odd occasion he's woken up in the stairwell, so getting back to his room is still a balancing act. Waking up, having a drink for the hangover and then taking Zadkiel for a walk is the only routine he has now, and William knows the rest is going to be up in the air for some time until he finds something else to do.

The fact that Valentines is coming up hasn't gone unnoticed by the principate either.]

Is that an invite?

[onlyhomemade]

[A small smile touches his expression as William knocks back that shot like a pro. Or rather, like a drunk. His drink arrives and he takes long, slow gulps off of it, mostly to hide his dry expression. Yes, perhaps the Principate is drunk enough already if he didn't catch that that was a blatant invitation to his place.]

Yes, William, I am inviting you back to my room.

[A touch on the snarky side but he means it, and clears his throat.]

More that if you ever don't feel like going down five flights of stairs you only need knock on the next door over. But I would not be opposed if you wish to head up stairs.

After her visit with Gabriel, tenth floor hallway

[eventheirvoice]

[ Mystique's not really expecting to see anyone after she slips out of Gabriel's room, but surprise, surprise! Her mouth turns down at the sight of someone stumbling around. He looks vaguely familiar, though she's not really bothered enough to figure out why. She closes the door behind her and crosses her arms, watching his sad, stuttered progress with no real intentions of helping him win his battle with gravity.

Taunting takes far less effort, anyway. ]

Need a designated driver?

[whele]

[After five flights of the stairs from Hell, William is pretty sure that if he reaches his room now it'll be a small miracle. He's drunk, tired and overall fed up. And so he starts to count the rooms out of habit, briefly peering at the numbers on each one as he nears his own.

William knows he's next to his room when he spots Michael's number, glancing forwards to see his own door and Gabriel's right next to that. And...someone was coming out of Gabriel's room? William pauses next to his own door, pressing a hand flat to it so he can keep his balance as he studies the new person he's currently seeing. His mind takes a good moment to figure out where he knows her from, that one who swore she would be escaping very soon.]

A bit late. I'm where I need to be. Why're you coming out of Gabriel's room?

[eventheirvoice]

[ She snorts. Apparently the alcohol has already dulled the logical parts of his brain. Fine by her, though. She doesn't want anyone sticking their nose into her business. ]

We played a few lovely games of pinochle.

[ Mystique steps closer so that she can lean against the wall near his door and smirk. It's all for his sake, of course. He's probably seeing double. ]

I could hold your hair back for you instead. You'll probably need the help soon.

Bottom of the tenth floor stairs

[onsilksheets]

[The tenth floor had become more familiar to Bela in recent weeks and tonight was no exception when she decided that she would see if Michael was in and surprise him with a visit. If he wasn't, Bela could always give him a call.

Thankfully for her, she only had to go up two flights of stairs from her room on the eighth floor and after getting ready Bela set out without hesitation, easily climbing the stairs up to the ninth floor and going down the hall until she reached the bottom of the tenth floor staircase.

Just as Bela was about to go up the the stairs, a sound caught her attention. Pausing, she turns around to see William in a very drunken state and basically looking worse for wear. Concerned, Bela takes a step towards him.]

William. Are you okay?

[whele]

[William and the stairs were never on good terms, not since he'd arrived in Wonderland and wound up on floor ten. The fact that he could move floors wasn't lost on the principate, but at the end of the day being between both archangels had some kind of Wonderland meaning he hadn't figured out yet. Which meant ten flights of stairs down and then ten up just to walk the lion cub in the gardens every day.

God he hates the stairs. Right now though? He's throwing the towel in and admitting defeat. Oh they got him good. William's opinion of them has soured enough that if he goes up one more step he may be sick. That or it was the copious amount of alcohol he's gone through. And so the young man is merely sat on landing of the last flight of stairs, head leaning against the wall. Maybe if he got comfortable he could just nap there for a few minutes. Not that he's going to find out when Bela comes across him, and William doesn't even open his eyes as he answers. He'll just sit there, knees up and arms folded with his back to the wall.]

Perfect. And you?

[onsilksheets]

[Sometimes, the amount of stairs could be irritating but Bela did her best not to think about them too much. She didn't go out into the gardens much and whenever she was hungry, she just asked for food from the closets, either in her room or in one of the several team rooms close to her floor. Obviously, William needed to venture outside for a reason, but she didn't know that he took his lion cub out for a daily walk.]

You don't look too perfect.

[She drops into the spot beside him, resting her arms on her knees. William may not have his eyes open but Bela looks over in his direction anyway.]

I'm fine, yeah. Can't really complain.

[Which was the truth.]

Can I help you in anyway? It wouldn't be any trouble.

at the bar:

[nascensibility]

Staring at that any harder won't force it to refill itself,

[Evelyn points out helpfully, having strolled into the bar for a tipple after a particularly rigorous re-organising of the Greek history section in the library. The Mansion has been passive-aggressively inserting stories from The Iliad between the non-fiction books on Greek and Turkish relations.

Without asking permission she seats herself next to the disconsolate party, raising an inquiring eyebrow.]

...are you all right?

[Other people's problems may, in fact, distract her from her own.]

[whele]

[William is so busy staring morosely at the empty glass that he barely registers what Evelyn says at first. Of course it doesn't fill itself, otherwise bartenders would be obsolete and out of jobs before they knew it. The young man frowns at that alien thought, brows drawing together slightly as he wonders where it came from.

Oh.

Someone was talking to him? Grey eyes glance up from the bar to Evelyn, William wondering if she was actually talking to him or some mysterious person behind him. He'll even drunkenly glance over his shoulder before noticing there's no-one there. Well then.]

When I finish the next bottle of... [William pauses to squint at his empty glass briefly, wondering just what it was he was even drinking.] ...whatever that was, I might answer that.

[nascensibility]

[Bad day. Or bad week, more likely, and she can empathise with that.]

Care to talk about it?

[Evelyn offers, balancing her elbows on the bar and reaching for a glass of her own. It's club soda, but she's not certain she wants to get sloshed in such a public space. Her brother doesn't call her a cheap drunk for no reason.]

bar, after William's post

[markedbyfate]

[ Alex had been pulled out of his memory by feelings of jealousy and loneliness. What the hell, he thinks, because those feelings definitely don't belong to him. He steps out of his room into the hallway, and checks the Network, seeing William's post. For some reason that just makes sense.

He heads to the bar.

William might feel the confusion (and building anger) heading his way. ]

[whele]

[After making his post William had gone straight for the bar, as promised. Though at some point in the hallway he does hesitate, assaulted by the feelings of family, of happiness and generally being accepted by a father figure.

That's just way too much, William just shaking his head again as he goes for the bar, walking as quickly as he can without breaking into a run. This whole event was shit, and if he was honest with himself, William knows he'd rather have a jabberwocky prowling around than the memories and intrusive, foreign feelings.

He's only just starting his first drink when the feelings twist into something else, William frowning slightly as he puzzles that one out, peering over his shoulder at the doorway to see what was going on.]

[markedbyfate]

[ And in comes Alex, looking around the bar and quickly spotting William. He orders a beer from the bartender and sits next to William at the bar. ]

Wonderland gave you a memory, too?