Gift of Bacchus[Luxord/Axel]

[Axel]

Oh, it is ON!

Axel barely had time to be satisfied that Luxord recognized his superior card-playing abilities before the Gambler had moved on to another challenge. There was a competitive gleam in the Flame's eyes. "I won't be defeated by someone with a goatee!" He had no idea what having a goatee had to do with this contest, but he just knew that no one with facial hair was going to beat him at anything!

Grabbing his pitcher with gusto, Axel tilted his head back and started downing beer at an incredibly fast rate. He didn't seem to notice that, as he drank, the more he slipped out of his chair and back onto the floor. Soon, he was sitting against the legs of his chair, still chugging alcohol like there was no tomorrow.

"Done!" He pulled the pitcher away from his face with a wide, triumphant grin. But then wooziness took over suddenly, and he swayed. "Woooaaah... I'm seeing... lots of black spots..."

[Nothingness]

Why's Everything All Blurry?

Despite Luxord's head start, he found himself struggling to keep up with the Flame. As the Flame was bringing himself slowly to the floor, Luxord slowly lowered his own pitcher, unable to consume anymore alcohol. Clearly, his goatee did not give him any awe-inspiring powers of alcohol consumption, but he was a gracious loser. Gracious, not graceful.

Slowly stepping out of his own chair, he soon fell onto the other side of Axel's chair, unable to properly stand. "Congratulations! You win...I don't know what you win, but you win!" As Axel began going on about black-spots, Luxord said completely absentmindedly, "I think, you're about to pass out, my dear Flame. Speaking of which, since when did this room spin so much?" His head was bobbing and revolving, and he kept shutting his eyes really tight before opening them. And yet, there was that little mischievous glint in his eyes...

[Axel]

Is it Night-Night Time Now?

The black spots were getting larger, and now they were spinning around the room. Actually, the whole room was kinda spinning. Axel wished it would stop that. It made his brain very uncomfortable.

"Woo-hoo... I win... I knew I could..." He was starting to sound increasingly exhausted, like all the wind had been taken out of his sails. Luxord was sitting beside him now, also in the same state it seemed. The rest of the activity in the bar faded away.

"Hey... Gambler? How about you tell me a story before I--?"

Too late. Everything went black.

[Nothingness]

The Last Man Conscious is the Winner

Luxord was barely holding onto his own consciousness while Axel faded from his. The poor, young man. He hadn't been friends with Bacchus nearly long enough to withstand his potency. Luxord, on the other hand, had had more than enough experience as both a Somebody, and as a Nobody. Still, he had to admit, that he definitely hit the sauce much harder than he intended. Regardless, the rewards had been reaped from the sowed plan--time to present the results.

Turning his head to see the back of Axel's slumped, unconscious form, Luxord muttered weakly to himself, "Thank you, my dear Flame. You played the game quite well, but," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few blue hairs, "One must always know that the house is ever vigilant." Coughing a little, he returned the evidence to his pocket, and then laughed a little at how well it all worked. When he was demonstrating his card trick, he not only pulled the card out of Axel's hair, but also a few strands of blue hair; an accident decreed by Fate. Two and two needn't have been added. When he later grabbed Axel's shoulder, he slipped his hand off and found one more hair.

Laughing quietly to himself again, he pressed his head up against the chair back. "It would be so easy to eliminate you, but, a wild card is always nice to have. After all, you cheated the last time you faded. I'd rather like to learn how you did that sleight..." His eyelids grew heavy as his voice trailed off. The only thought on his mind as his consciousness faded was how interesting future events would be, now.