Chapter 26 - Theta Gamma Iota and Double-Sided Dinars
"OK, now� drink it s-l-o-w-l-y. It packs a kick like a beestung mule."
Joxer didn't doubt that for a second. The brew in the tiny stoneware cup was black as squid ink and thickly fragrant. He was snapping to attention on the fumes alone. Gingerly, he lifted the steaming drink to his lips and took a tentative sip.
YOWZA!!!
He could feel every hair on his body stand on end as he swallowed. To call that drink a little strong would be like calling Mount Olympus a little tall. "Wow," he rasped, coughing a little. "No kidding."
"And now you know why the little cup," the barrista chuckled, leaning on the counter between them with his forearms. Joxer nodded - he'd given Falafel a skeptical look at the minuscule portion, but now he got it but good. A regular tankard could fuel a city for a month. "I'm thinking of trying flavors out. There's a guy in the marketplace that gets spice shipments."
"Maybe� it might depend on the flavor," Joxer cleared his throat and eyed the cup in his hand. Inexplicably, he took another sip. This time, it wasn't so bad. Still strong, but it didn't catch him off-guard. His voice was a half-octave higher when he spoke again, though. "You might need to cut it with something, though. This stuff is� wow."
"Hmm.. you may be right." Falafel cast an eye to his pot. "One of my regulars heads over to the dairy vendor with his. Maybe he's got the right idea."
Joxer nodded again, blinking hard as he drank some more. Well, you were looking to be alert, right? He cast a look next to him to see Bliss happily "um-mum-mum-mum"-ing his way through one of those 'hot-dog' things on the menu. He supposed it couldn't be TOO bad if the God of Joy and Pleasure was into them. Still, the 'dog' thing was a little off-putting, though no more so than the alternate 'wiener' tag their host had suggested. The little cherub's wings flapped happily as he ate, making a nice little breeze in the open-air eatery.
"So, Jox, tell me. You been a god long or is this a new thing?"
A swallow of that hot, thick concoction got caught halfway down his throat and decided to head in both directions at once, making Joxer sputter and cough loudly enough to make the other man scurry around to slap his back and lift his arms, trying to clear the way. Panic rose up with the coffee and tried to squeeze out a few words to explain, but Falafel wasn't having any of it, working to calm his friend down quickly before the other patrons of his inn got too involved in what was going on there. Mostly they'd kept to themselves, but Falafel was sure that Joxer didn't want a whole lot of attention drawn to himself or the little winged boy sitting next to him. Fortunately, his customers were a savvy bunch since he'd moved to Athens. The appearance of gods, even ones they didn't regularly recognize, may have raised an eyebrow or two, but didn't cause a scene the way it would elsewhere. "Easy, my friend, easy�" he quickly ducked back behind the counter, his multi-colored tunic and pants fluttering around him as he moved.
"Joxie, you OK?" Bliss asked, eyes wide and mouth full of food.
"Just� went down the wrong way," Joxer croaked as quietly as possible as the proprietor produced a cup of water for him. He managed to not cough and blow it all over the other man. "How�?"
"I'm a bartender, Jox. I pick these things up," Falafel gave a half a smile, watching Joxer's color return to pale from mottled red. "You don't look like yourself� I mean, you do and you don't. Obviously it's you. You have that look in your eyes that your brothers don't have. And I don't think either of them do the baby-sitting thing." He nodded to the young godling slurping up a cup of mixed fruit juice. "And besides, he's obviously a god. I don't know if he'd be left in the care of a plain old mortal unsupervised."
