[A darker sort of tale not even his Epic ever told.
Gilgamesh turns the page and so begins the story proper:]
He who saw the deep, the country's foundation; who knew and was wise in all matters. He who was everywhere, and learnt the sum of all wisdom. He found what was secret, discovered what was hidden. He brought back a great tale, before the Deluge...
[He's half-tempted to ask her if this all shouldn't be a little more awkward and a little less enthusiastic, present and previous circumstances considered, but... maybe he should just see it as the boon it clearly is and indulge her curiosity. It isn't as if he can avoid the answers forever, and maybe it will keep her distracted from just how far he's fallen down the ladder.
Besides, he'd freely admit she's cute when she's on a roll.]
Humbaba was a local menace and a figure of renown, whose beastliness was known to all; Ishtar had garnered a reputation for spiting her lovers before she sought me. I cannot proclaim anything but hatred for her and her ilk, who were detestable relics of their era that I, Gilgamesh, cut down.
[As for Enkidu...]
My brother is... I believe I tell it best in the story. Then you might better understand.
[She has given him nothing that Elizabeth wouldn't have had offered to her. She's trying her best to be civil, and it helps to have something to focus on other than him. ...well, sort of. He may star in the story, but he's not what she's going to focus on just yet. She's working on building her tolerance up again, without letting it snap back to what feels natural.
Thinking of Masamune helps.]
...detestable relics of a bygone era, hm?
[She doesn't say those words cruelly. But she does make the choice to say them, all the same.]
[Gilgamesh resumes the story in earnest, following the words along with his finger.
He speaks of himself, of course, defiler of women and harasser of men; of his accomplishments, his peerless reputation. He speaks of the gods, who wrung their hands over his wild behavior, and their decision to create an equal, Enkidu. He speaks of the harlot, who laid with Enkidu, who inspired his form. He speaks of their battle, in which neither held upper hand, and the declaration was made after both were left heaving and winded:]
And so they kissed each other and formed a friendship. Gilgamesh opened his mouth, saying to Enkidu: "The ferocious Humbaba lurks in the Forest of Cedar. Let us slay him together, so his power is no more!"
[Gilgamesh smiles at this part, with earnest feeling.]
...I was bolder, then. The years did me great unkindness, summoning me to useless wars and frivolous conflicts. Even I've fallen prey to indolence.
The Gilgamesh recorded by the Moon Cell slept for thousands of years.
[There's disconnected fondness somewhere in her voice, but it's a faint, thoughtless thing. Subconsciously, she's separating the king in her inherited memories from the king she has shared experiences with in Tel'Adre. It's a sad sort of coping mechanism, because in the ways that count, Gilgamesh will always be Gilgamesh.]
But, legends and godly challenges are much less common, these days. It stands to reason you wouldn't just quietly retire.
Archimedes mentioned something about starting schools at some point... granted, he turned out to be completely full of shit regarding almost everything else, but I wonder if he might have wanted to do something like that before Velber entered the picture...
Well, Velber is dealt with, and... we're fighting demons here, and I found the time to open up a shockingly popular shop. Once things are taken care of and I go home, I'll have a lot of spare time. Altera is a child again, so maybe I could find some other children among the NPCs and refugees for her to play with.
[It would be nice. She liked the fake memories of school from the Preliminaries, after all.]
Well, in another timeline I'm sure that Hakuno Kishinami is having a grand adventure across the cosmos.
I remember a little, in that portal world. Before...
[He killed himself so she wouldn't die alone.]
Well, I imagine that ship is probably in your treasury, right? So, you definitely have the capacity to try it out, if the fancy takes you. Maybe as a celebration for when you kick this curse, or something.
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[She nods along, humming thoughtfully.]
Things don't ever go that smoothly though, do they? Life gets in the way.
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[A darker sort of tale not even his Epic ever told.
Gilgamesh turns the page and so begins the story proper:]
He who saw the deep, the country's foundation; who knew and was wise in all matters.
He who was everywhere, and learnt the sum of all wisdom.
He found what was secret, discovered what was hidden.
He brought back a great tale, before the Deluge...
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[The truth...
It isn't always kind, or what you want to hear. Whether it's about yourself, your friends, your home...]
You still loved it though, right? Your... country. Your home.
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[The truth...
In fact, that's exactly what got in the way. Far too much of it.]
At times I wonder if I ever loved anything at all.
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[They both know there is proof he loved something once. Loved someone. Loved them so dearly losing them left him gutted forever after.]
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[He's smiling, but...]
What good was it to me if it only became misery in the end?
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[She lifts her brows.]
Can you say that you'd have been happier if that person never existed? That your life would have been better or more fulfilling?
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[He pokes an accusing finger towards her.]
Are you not eager to hear of the time I brought down the great ogre of the forest? Or sent that wench Ishtar back from whence she came?
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[Eager to know, like a child with a new toy. Or, more aptly, a new story book.]
Like, who told you about the ogre? And, did you hate Ishtar from the start, or was it a gradual thing?
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Besides, he'd freely admit she's cute when she's on a roll.]
Humbaba was a local menace and a figure of renown, whose beastliness was known to all; Ishtar had garnered a reputation for spiting her lovers before she sought me. I cannot proclaim anything but hatred for her and her ilk, who were detestable relics of their era that I, Gilgamesh, cut down.
[As for Enkidu...]
My brother is... I believe I tell it best in the story. Then you might better understand.
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Thinking of Masamune helps.]
...detestable relics of a bygone era, hm?
[She doesn't say those words cruelly. But she does make the choice to say them, all the same.]
...go on.
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[He can already see where she's going with this.]
Anyway...
[Gilgamesh resumes the story in earnest, following the words along with his finger.
He speaks of himself, of course, defiler of women and harasser of men; of his accomplishments, his peerless reputation. He speaks of the gods, who wrung their hands over his wild behavior, and their decision to create an equal, Enkidu. He speaks of the harlot, who laid with Enkidu, who inspired his form. He speaks of their battle, in which neither held upper hand, and the declaration was made after both were left heaving and winded:]
And so they kissed each other and formed a friendship.
Gilgamesh opened his mouth, saying to Enkidu:
"The ferocious Humbaba lurks in the Forest of Cedar.
Let us slay him together, so his power is no more!"
[Gilgamesh smiles at this part, with earnest feeling.]
...I was bolder, then. The years did me great unkindness, summoning me to useless wars and frivolous conflicts. Even I've fallen prey to indolence.
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[There's disconnected fondness somewhere in her voice, but it's a faint, thoughtless thing. Subconsciously, she's separating the king in her inherited memories from the king she has shared experiences with in Tel'Adre. It's a sad sort of coping mechanism, because in the ways that count, Gilgamesh will always be Gilgamesh.]
But, legends and godly challenges are much less common, these days. It stands to reason you wouldn't just quietly retire.
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[He'd been summoned by Tokiomi, but before then, he can't remember much at all. Alarming for someone who has near eidetic memory.]
The Throne is... indifferent that way. It's a holding cell more than a home.
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[It's a home, now, not a battlefield. ...mostly. It's a place of sanctuary for some, of new beginnings and discoveries everyday.]
I bet it gets upsetting sometimes, doesn't it? Being tucked away in some omnipotent existence's treasury, like one of your own trophies.
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[A fact he states with pride, but his worn expression hints at a very deep kind of hurt—the kind he'd never express outside vague implications.]
But it does age, as with all things.
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[She traces a finger over one corner of the binding.]
But, true gold is also malleable. It can be melted down and recast to fit modern tastes or trends.
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[It's playfully self-depreciating. For once.]
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[...damn, Hakuno.]
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Mm. I suppose the guise of a sassy schoolmarm suits you well enough.
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[Her brows knit together.]
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[Understatement of the century, really.]
It would've been a grand adventure, if I had truly been yours. If our times aligned. Fragments of another reality aren't quite the same.
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[It would be nice. She liked the fake memories of school from the Preliminaries, after all.]
Well, in another timeline I'm sure that Hakuno Kishinami is having a grand adventure across the cosmos.
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I've never been to space. Maybe we could...
[...go together.]
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[He killed himself so she wouldn't die alone.]
Well, I imagine that ship is probably in your treasury, right? So, you definitely have the capacity to try it out, if the fancy takes you. Maybe as a celebration for when you kick this curse, or something.
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