Drinking in the dark had long since become a pastime of Vincent Cain. The dreary darkness of his office had long stopped being an ominous presence, and had become more of a dear friend. Living in a complex underground structure had a habit of doing that to you. It also had a habit of making the days blend by. Without a sun or moon, time had no real meaning, an abstract concept that seemed so far removed from the House of Cards it was almost comical. Yet it was fitting for a group that seemed to just jump from era to era, taking long hibernations for centuries only to pop up when it was needed.

But we’re digressing from the point.

Alcohol had never been Vincent’s thing back on Earth. He was a sweet drink type of boy, drowning himself in sodas and energy drinks. Turning to the bottle had never been a conscious choice for him to make, but more of a necessity of his current reality. It seemed so long ago for only a matter of years, but it might as well had been a lifetime ago. Leona had found a much different young man back in Skara Brae, a green boy barely out of his teenage years who had barely seen the truth of his own much gentler world.

Althanas was a different beast.

Before he only had rent and his asshole stepfather to worry about. Sure he had never even so much of had been kissed before, nor did he have much of a social life, but those weren’t important in the grand scheme of things. In the larger picture he had it rather well, living a comfortable life with nary a car ein the world. Now things were different, he had purpose for once. He had traded that comfort to drive, something to do, but at great cost.

Once lost, innocence never returns.

As he took another sip of the ale before him, not really tasting the drink, he mused about his station. He’d found a family beneath the cursed Red Forest’s roots, purpose, and perhaps even happiness. He stopped for a moment and chewed over the thought. Not perhaps, he had found happiness down with the Tarot. He’d seen untold horrors, but had also viewed the beauty of the world. He’d felt soul crushing sadness, and uplifting joy.

He’d felt blood curdling fear, and heart pounding exhilaration. He chewed his lips and took another swig, draining his glass. Swirling the amber liquid before him, the Emperor decided that perhaps it was time to take a bit of a walk down memory lane…