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Dionysus · (08-12-2023)

I sat across from the table, slack jawed.

Elli sat next to me, a soured look on her face.

We were both watching as Wide Dio sat back down with a tray filled with a half-dozen double cheeseburgers, three large orders of fries, one order of onion rings, and a large soda. "Gonna get me some Diet Coke," he happily said, whistling as he walked over to the FreeStyle machine to get his beverage. Of course he'd try to get a diet drink. Maybe he was subconsciously thinking about what he eats, a topic I've been meaning to broach with him for some time now.

Elli leaned next to me, whispering in my ear, "Look, I don't mind covering you guys for lunch, but-"

"Its fine," I whispered back. "I don't want to make excuses, but when he thinks he's getting a freebie Wade tends to go a bit...overboard." I kept using the name that we had come up with on the fly. I wasn't ready to discuss how I managed to clone myself with Elli, a woman who I was not nearly close enough to yet. This required trust, and revealing too much would simply make me look like a loon. "I'll make sure he pays you back for his portion."

"Aww, and who said you didn't have a heart?" Elli teased, though I could tell by her expression that she was appreciative.

All I could do was shrug. I didn't feel a need to eat, but decided instead to get a chocolate milkshake. While Elli felt bad, I insisted; it didn't help me any to eat when I wasn't feeling hungry. I would only regret it later. "Do you think he'll be alright if we talk about his eating habits?"

"Maybe not at first," Elii replied thoughtfully, "But at least in a public place, he's less likely to cause a scene." She paused, turning to look at me. "He...won't actually cause a scene here, will he?"

It was a valid question; not having gone out with Wide Dio before, I really didn't know how he would react to being told he eats too much. Then again, since he was a part of me at one point, I know I wouldn't cause any trouble. "I think he could be upset, but he can keep it to himself too," I answered honestly. "Though I haven't really seen him in public much."

Elli pulled away as we heard Wide Dio whistling back to the table, his large cup filled to the brim. "No ice, that's how they get ya," he proudly proclaimed, like he had just figured out the oldest trick in the book. He quickly unwrapped one of the cheeseburgers and began to scarf it down. As we sat there, Elli and I began to talk about other things...or at least, we tried to, but Wide Dio's excited eating noises were causing a bit of a distraction at the table.

"Wait a minute; you were just in Paris?!" Elli said excitedly, then muttered as other patrons started looking at us.

"Just for a few days, yes," I replied matter-of-factly. "It was for a business trip."

"Which one? The vineyard, or-"

A loud belch was uttered across the table from us, as Wide Dio balled up his second cheeseburger wrapper, setting it on the table next to the first one. There was a light murmur and a few noises of disgust from the other patrons. I sheepishly looked over, giving my best expression of embarrassment and apology as I could, then turned back to Wide Dio. "Hey pal, do you mind if you...you know...not be so loud when you're eating?"

He swallowed another bite. "Oh sure, sorry D," Wide Dio replied sheepishly. "Sometimes I can't help myself, y'know? When the food is good, I just-"

"Lose it, I know," I finished, interrupting him. "Maybe we should...talk about that."

Wide Dio was about to take a bite of his burger, then looked at me as I said it. His smile turned into a muted grimace as he gingerly set his burger down. "Is there something wrong about the way I eat?" Wide Dio asked.

"It isn't that," Elli started to say, "Its just that he-"

Wide Dio turned his gaze on Elli. "Oh, so its you that has the problem," Wide Dio accused. "That was the whole point, wasn't it? Get poor ol' Wade out in the open and start shaming him for his-"

"Look Wade," I nearly stumbled as I was now becoming frustrated and annoyed by what Wide Dio was trying to pull. "I'm just worried that you've been eating too much lately, that's all." Wide Dio stopped looking menacing for a moment, looking back over to me and sliding down into his seat. Giving enough of a pause to calm myself down, I continued. "I'm not trying to shame you; I just think there might be a reason behind all this...excess, y'know?"

Wide Dio looked down at his tray. I could tell, in that instant, he had a realization of what was happening; he really did seem to have an obsession with food. Having made that realization, Wide Dio's eyes began to water. "I...I didn't really know, guys, I'm-" he stopped for a second to wipe his face with a napkin. "Aw hell, I'm really sorry for snapping like that. I guess I just am eating because I'm nervous to be here. Its all unfamiliar and I just eat to feel something familiar. Its like I don't even exist sometimes," he sobbed out in the end, slumping down on the table and burying his head into his arms.

Panic began to well up in me as I looked at Elli. She simply smiled and put a hand on Wide Dio's arm to comfort him, saying, "I know how you feel, Wade. Being in a new place can be scary, and you're a guy who...uhh...well, stands out a bit," she said, turning to give me a sheepish look. Shrugging in reply, she continued on. "I left my home to live here too, and for a while I didn't really have anyone, except for my uncle who helped me get on my feet. But it does get better, and you have your cousin right here to help you when you need it, right?"

"Yeah buddy," I answered. I also placed a hand on Wide Dio's arm to comfort him. "I think you're a good person. I also just think you need to get this habit under control."

Wide Dio looked up, dry-eyed and smiling. "I really had y'all goin', didn't I?" he laughed out. Both Elli and I sighed and shook our heads, also chuckling. "Yeah, I know I've been eating a lot more than I really should, and maybe its time I cut back on just how much goes in. Maybe I'll even start making salads." Wide Dio sat up straighter, nodding in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I think I'm a changed man!" He exclaimed, as he pulled out of his seat.

"Hey wait, uhh, Wade?" I asked, pointing to his half-full tray. "What about the rest of your lunch?"

"What, you want me to eat all that?" Wide Dio replied. "Nah, that's way too much for me." He patted himself on the stomach, and waddled out the door. In the distance, I thought I could hear a chorus of laughter...or maybe that was just one of the other patrons.

Elli and I slowly looked at one another. There really was nothing we could say aside from laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "I'll just see if I can get a bag for the rest," I offered, pulling Wide Dio's tray toward me.

"You know," Elli said, "I think that went pretty well."

"Yeah, and the jog he'll take to go home will really help too," I joked. While Elli didn't laugh, I did hear laughter from somewhere... "It could just be me, but I think I could have handled that better. Maybe I just need to trust myself more when it comes to talking to family."

"You should give yourself more credit," Elli argued playfully. "You had a concern for someone you cared about, brought it up in a mature way, and it didn't end with getting into a fight. Sometimes that's enough."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I conceded. I stood up, grabbing Wide Dio's leftover tray.

"Maybe?" Elli protested, raising an eyebrow.

I chuckled. "Fine, fine; you're absolutely right," I replied.

"Forever and always?" She teased.

It was an innocently playful moment, I will admit. But in that one instance, I really took in what kind of person Elli was. Free-spirited, kind, not afraid to speak their mind but does so in a way that makes you want to listen. I really did have a good friend in Elli. I turned my head to look back at here, nodding in approval, then repeated what she had told me.

"Forever and always."

The Many Faces of Dionysus was filmed live in front of a studio audience.

Many people make the same mistake at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

They see every option available. The salad bar you know isn't nearly as good as ordering fresh. The pasta that sits under the heat lamp for at least an hour, developing a weird crust on top of it all. The disinterested meat

dreading asking just how thick people want their meat. The endless deserts...and I mean endless. When you have the entire menu at your fingertips, what can you do but try everything possible? And that is when the trouble begins.

Their eyes become bigger than their stomachs.

They forget that they can't just eat an entire plate of ham with mashed potatoes and greens, then follow that up with a plate split evenly between caesar salad and an overbaked lasagna, only to immediately shovel two slices of cake or pie. They gorge themselves to bursting on that last plate, leaving every scrap of food behind. They overestimate their own ability to be able to consume what is before them, and it bites them in the ass in the end.

And I believe this is an area where you and I have some common ground, Angelica. As a brief aside, I do appreciate your acknowledgement of...lets call them my brothers for the time being. Though this match really isn't about them, the nod is kind. But lets get back to the core of the matter.

The reason why people overestimate themselves around us is because they only want to see our struggles, weaknesses and failures, and leverage that against us, all while forgetting how formidable we are capable of being. Noah Jackson had all the culinary grace of a toddler making Playdoh "sketti," as the kids would say. Alex Richards spent most of his time patting himself on the back at how good he used to be. Bob made the Batman defense of "if I had prep time," and even with all that time to get ready, he still failed. This is where I differ from your previous opponents; I offered you the challenge to step up, and you took it in stride.

So when I see your creation of the Wine Cellar Brawl, I can acknowledge that it was designed to make me feel comfortable in an environment I know well. I, however, see the game you are attempting to play, and I will not be fooled so easily. Because I know what you are capable of doing in the ring, even if your other contenders refused to acknowledge it. If I am a champion and I lose, it is on me to improve and take on the challenge anew. And this is what the opportunity before me is going to be.

We could have had this match anywhere. In the ring. In the concession stands. In the boiler room. In the Denny's just down the road. Even in the good Denny's on the other side of town, since their Grand Slams just hit that much better. But a wine cellar was chosen to lure me into a false sense of security. It will still be a hardcore match where the two of us will not need to worry about the other's physical differences. Even if your opponents want to underestimate you, I refuse to do so.

Because why underestimate the champion you intend to defeat?

It is a means to turn my record around in XWF. And you are quite knowledgeable about that tenure. It is true; since losing that belt, I have not had the best run I could have. And yet, there is still interest. My goal was never to be an undefeatable monstrosity, for if that would have turned true, I would have left right away. I'm not here to prove I am invincible; I am here to beat the best and build more to become the best. And since we are on the topic of streaks, permit me to make some of my own observations. In the span of the year-and-a-half since signing, you have secured two tag titles with different partners, along with the Television title. But even so, these are near the current bookend of that tenure. This tells me one of two things; either your skills have only just improved, which I doubt given your previous track record in other companies, or you are deliberately holding yourself back, claiming to give one hundred and ten percent, but perhaps not being as honest as you would like others to believe.

I drive people to push their limits. I leave them gassed in the ring. You should already know, given our previous encounter. I can take that loss on the chin, since we are approaching this from a level of respect. I can take any loss thrown at me, since the goal is still the same in my mind. Conquest does not interest me if there are none that can stand before me. Where is the fun in that? It ruins my appetite. Success should not be like a frozen dinner; easy to prepare but lacking any flavor or substance. Success is something that you should be hungry for, and only the finest courses can satisfy that hunger.

It is one thing to be able to taste success. It is another thing entirely to hunger for it.

And I am not here looking for a nice pairing with my Merlot.

I am here to feast.

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