IN WINE , THERE IS TRUTH .

“    neither.    ”    calmly answered,    with mirthful glints of pride running through the circular shapes of her eyes.    astute as ever,    an imperceptible difference is noticed in these potted florets,    with him being the second of their pair which spectate them.    “    they look happy to see you,    ”    even yukako knows not if she’s entirely serious with her words,    only that the petals of each flower look to have been gravitating to him,    one way or another.

hands raise higher,    wrapped around plain terracotta.    an offering.    “    will you hold them?    ”

he  perhaps  knows  more  than  he  lets  on   ;   after  all,     a  god  did  not  live  thousands  of  years  without  falling  in  love  and  having  children  with  mortals  a  few  dozen  times.     both  yukako  and  the  floral  arrangements  turn  to  him  with  the  same  familiarity   ------   both  yukako  and  the  flowers  are  his  kin,     after  all.     it’s  me,     child.     he  wants  to  say.     do  you  not  recognize  your  own  father?     he  cannot  fault  her   ------   if  nothing  else,     dionysus  is  glad  she’s  grown  well.