However long he was out, he wondered about that woman. Who was she? Where did she go? Was she even real? Her beauty and phantomlike traits were probably his own mind rebelling against his drunken body in an attempt to save it. But where in his subconscious could such a person been pulled from. She didn't look like anyone he'd ever seen and said things he'd never heard said. He didn't have the imagination to think up someone like her. His defense arts teacher was an old man who babbled about spirituality and he never talked like that.
Real or fake, one word she said stuck with him; redemption. Was it really possible for him to receive it? Did he deserve it? Only one way to find out.
He pushed himself off the ground and worked his way up to his knees. His head felt like someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. At least he was still alive...or in his mind, unfortunately he was still alive. Then he forced his way to his feet. He was standing.
"Meh, this is too much work," he said, before crashing back down to the ground. He couldn't do it. He needed a beer. But that meant having to stand up and walk to the bar. "Damn it..."
He fought up to his feet again, pissing himself as he stood tall. "Damn..." It was his only pair of pants. Now he had to walk around smelling like vomit AND piss. Of course, that didn't matter to a dying man. Was this a sign that he perhaps didn't want to die? Or did he just really want a beer that badly and didn't want to walk into the bar with wet pants and smelling of piss.
He stumbled and bumbled his way out of the alley, tripping over his own feet and falling into a pile of horse excrement as he emerged. Laughter, headshaking, and whispers of pity from those who saw it followed. Now he smelled of vomit, piss, and excrement. But he wanted beer, so he got up and waddled his way to the bar.
After what felt like an eternity, he found himself in front of the bar. He pushed the door open and all eyes were on him. But there was one pair that caught his own eyes. It was the woman. She was sitting there, staring right at him. He wasn't sure of much, but he was sure he was wide awake. She was real...right?
He pointed at her and looked around. "Is there a woman sitting there?"
"Have ya drank yerself stupid?" the bartender asked. "Yeah, she's there. By the way, ya look like shit and ya smell like it, too."
Well, he did just fall in a pile of horse droppings. It was to be expected. "Hit me with a beer. Keep 'em coming."
The woman stood. "You must leave this place."
But he wanted beer. "I'll get to you after I've had a few drinks."
"You will have no drinks," she said. "You have chosen the path of redemption. You must avoid the things that will drag you back down the path to death."
"She cute, but kinda nuts, huh?" a patron said.
"What a waste, right?" another said.
The bartender looked confused. "Who's makin' the call, you or the lady?"
"I am," Tsu and the woman said at the same time.
"I'm having a drink," he said in a stern tone.
"You will not," she said in her usual, monotone voice. "You cannot receive redemption by doing the same things you did before you were chosen."
"By who?"
"...I-"
"Let me guess, you can't say," he shot, saying the second half in a monotone manner.
She sighed. "You don't want redemption, do you? Perhaps a mistake was made when you were chosen. Farewell. We won't meet again."
As she walked past, he grabbed her hand. "I just want one lousy drink. Is that really asking too much?"
She looked at her hand. "You must choose. You will join me, walk out of this place, and never return or you can drink yourself into an early grave. The choice is yours. Only you can make it."
He looked at her, then the bartender. Then he grumbled, growled, and snarked. "Urgh...cancel the drinks. I'm going with her."
The bartender waved dismissively with a smile. "Heh, not like I can blame ya. Take good care of her. Now get lost."
"Take care of her?" he asked as she led him out of the bar. He looked at her. "Is he..."
She yanked her hand away from him. "He is not. I do not know him. He has a misunderstanding of our relationship."
Once they exited, he realized he really wanted a drink. "Alright, I've given up liquor, so it's time to cut the mysterious crap. Who or what are you and who or what sent you?"
"I can only answer two of those questions," the woman said. "My name is Mei Quai and I am your guide on your path the redemption."
Redemption. "Can I really be redeemed?"
"Technically, anyone can be redeemed. As for whether or not you WILL be redeemed, only you can answer that."
He briefly thought about Xiang. Her smiling face. Her eagerness to learn. Her joy when she did something right. How he betrayed her. A tear ran down his cheek. "But I'm a maggot."
"Perhaps, but even a maggot can have value," she said. "Now then, we can begin your path to redemption...but first, you must bath. You smell like horse droppings."
That made sense. He pissed himself and fell in horse excrement earlier. He had one heck of a day and had only just awaken not long ago. Now it was time to wash off the stench of failure.
