for @sinlaced / eden
His cadence is gentle as he sidesteps hushed patrons whose gazes linger, whose sighs drift after him, a shade wistful. His delicate gaze falls upon Lilith: the proprietor with a sense of irony. He remembers when she rebelled all those eons ago, the murmur she sent rippling through Heaven at the news of her abandonment of Eden. At the time, he’d been dismayed, perplexed, of course, but quietly sympathetic. He had thought there must be a choice before total abandonment; after all, no one should be beholden to another’s command in paradise — none but His.
Now, he imagines her sympathies lie more with her fellow subversives, though her establishment opens its arms to all. With this in mind, he approaches her, cautious, composed, yet expecting reproach, his head swimming with fleeting hallucinations. She deals in secrets and unanswered questions, and he has many.
“Lilith,” he murmurs, voice soft as gossamer. “How gracious of you to open your doors to us all.” His gaze drops to the glass in his hand, first in acknowledgment, then in wary curiosity. “I don’t suppose you know who is responsible for the punch? Unless I have you to thank for the apparitions. I would have preferred to agree to them first, but if this is how mortals imbibe…”