[The excitable griffon brings a gentle smile to her face, and a small, warm ripple of happiness to her mana. Even as wring-out as she feels, somethings just can't be denied, and cuteness is one of them.]
No. ...at least, I wouldn't call it an illness. You remember that lingering effect I mentioned, from the Moon Cell? I just... haven't been able to calm down enough to sleep very well. The fight tipped it off, and then I forced myself to relive some... unpleasant memories, not long after.
[Punish Start had always accompanied a battle to the death, after all.]
[Gilgamesh just sighs, as if he expected as much.]
You are the most high maintenance Master I've handled to date. Sometimes I wonder how we got along for a few minutes, let alone an entire war.
[He doesn't say it be critical, not really. He's just frustrated that once again she's failing to recognize her own limits in the service of someone else. High maintenance, and a bothersome creature all around. To think he invested all his faith in her... what was it that he saw?
But Dinoriel bears no such judgment and comes rushing over when he's in range. Gilgamesh has to halt him by the beak, though he muscles past anyway to greet her.]
It wasn't an issue, back in the Moon Cell. It was just fact, that very few places existed where I could wholly let my guard down. That's all.
[His comment stings, but the exhaustion and her own, stubborn belief that he had a right to lash out at her for tearing him asunder, metaphorically, numbs the feeling before it can worm in too deeply. And Dinoriel, naturally, chased away the sentiment entirely. She gently rubs him under the chin, the smile sticking when it rises up this time.]
When I spoke to him a few days back, Seiei asked if I had considered consulting the physicians or alchemists about it. I suppose a sleeping drug might be better than worrying the priests every so often.
[Oh. Right. He warned her to stay away. He looks put out for a moment as he wrestles with his own hypocrisy, muttering under his breath:]
What a pain. This may be the sole instance that sort of partnership would prove useful. With a Command Spell, I could appear at your side in an instant.
[But in this world, he's always a few miles away at best. He could cover a lot of ground in no time with Dinoriel, but that was a poor substitute if she happened to be having a nightmare which demanded immediate attention. Or, worse yet, found herself too troubled and fitful to even fall asleep, as seemed to be the case. She'd opened up to him, and he overlooked it.
He frowns, and for once actually looks sorry.]
You are troublesome, you know. But not in the way that I mind.
I wouldn't force you like that. Granted, I'm not used to really having Command Seals to waste, but I... do respect you enough to listen when you ask for space. You have your own life here. It's unreasonable to just expect you to be at my side every time I turn my head or get worked up.
[She sounds so calm. So logical, so gently rational. If it weren't for the faintest tinge of loneliness pervasively coloring her mana, she might have even gotten away with the half-truth. It's unreasonable, yes, but she did miss him. But, after all the damage she had committed herself to inflicting on him, a week away was a relatively small price.]
Maybe so. But I would not have you suffer in silence.
[Which was indeed something to be thankful for, that he'd go as far as to admit out out loud—that he'd confess he cared for her without any of his typical shields or barricades behind it. Gilgamesh gives Dinoriel a pat, and the animal bows obediently down for Hakuno to climb aboard.]
Go on. I know just what you need, and we shall get you to it immediately.
[Master or not, Gilgamesh will always look after his Hakuno.]
[She mounts him without any particular issue, her movements slow and careful as she settles onto the griffon's back. Gilgamesh's comments give her some pause, but she busies herself with smoothing down and arranging the hem of her dress for maximum modesty.]
...maybe so. But, I was pretty brutal. A few days of discomfort isn't so bad. I'd rather you take as much time as necessary to calm down and think on your own, rather than get distracted by something like this.
[Gilgamesh settles behind her in a fluid motion, takes up Dinoriel's reins, and they're off. They could get there faster if running, but Gilgamesh guides the griffon into a steady trot instead. In Hakuno's current state, he's not certain she can handle a more rigorous pace.]
Do recall I am a Servant. We endure much worse on a constant basis.
[His way of reassuring her he held no grudge. Vietnam had told him much the same thing, anyway, albeit in easier terms. What's done is done.]
If I could not field an argument or two in my time, I would not have been much of a King.
[She's always been soft on him, until now. Not yielding, really, but more or less a source of comfortable companionship than... what she ended up throwing at him a few days ago. For all that she still believes it was the best course of action to teach a lesson and make it linger in his memory.]
[She falls silent at that. Really, what more is there to say, if he feels things are settled now? He's calm, and he made some sort of peaceful gesture towards Rin, and that's honestly the best she could hope for at this point.]
[At the very least, there are no lingering feelings of resentment towards any of the parties involved, and for Gilgamesh that's an awfully big step in the right direction. It is not as if Gilgamesh preferred to forget matters, but more that he was an individual constantly moving... which meant constantly moving on, as well, leaving everything else behind. They had their bout and it was over. In his mind, that was indeed the end of it.
The remainder of the trip doesn't take too long, even at a leisurely pace. Gilgamesh drops Dinoriel off by the side of the cottage and leads Hakuno inside. She might notice the living room has been rearranged differently since she last saw it, but otherwise there are no signs of residual damage from their, ah, disagreement.
He's quick to step close, into her space, and run hands over her face assessingly.]
[Hakuno lets him have his way, letting him inspect her as he pleases. The rush of his mana is a more than generous trade-off, and she lets her eyes slip shut as it mingles with her own. She takes in the new living room when they open again, but refrains from commenting. All she does is nod, once.]
That's probably for the best, if you're offering. Francis Xavier knows where I keep food for him and Kuli, so they should be fine until I get back.
[The thought of a good night's sleep is more tempting than anything else could possibly be, in this moment.]
[It's a simple suggestion, born not of ulterior motives but an earnest desire to see her well—and an excuse to get his hands on her some more. Though it wasn't inherently sexual; Hakuno might guess that he bathed with many of his companions frequently enough back at Uruk, and didn't conspire with all of them.
Most of them. Some of them. Maybe. Look, they're going to have Master and Servant bathtime and it's going to be great, he won't hear anything against it.]
You could use some cleaning up, and... some pampering, if I am not mistaken.
[It really is a very simple, suggestion, and one that she finds she is completely unopposed to, surprisingly enough. Upon further reflection, maybe it shouldn't surprise her. She's seen him naked before. She's seen him with a lover on stage before. She's got no reason to be bashful about seeing his naked body, and he's made his own assessments of her form perfectly clear, both here and in the Moon Cell. And she's so, so tired; there isn't any energy to spare for needless overreactions right now.
And really—what's there to be shy about, with him?]
...that does sound nice. I might need to borrow something to sleep in, if I'm staying though.
[That something probably being an oversized shirt of his. Hngh, so cute...
But let's take this magical bonding adventure one step at a time. Gilgamesh heads to the master bath and sets the water running, the tub itself large enough to fit both of them. Gilgamesh had made a few renovations after Adrasteius' departure and planned to make many more, so really...
It shouldn't be the least bit surprising that said tub is golden. At all.]
[It startles a soft laugh out of her, because... it really shouldn't be surprising. She has no idea why she didn't straight up assume that he only used the most glammed-out bathing fixtures. She supposes it's only surprising that he doesn't have some pool with a built in waterfall and glittering veins of either gold or precious stones, for ambience.
She immediately resolves to never, ever voice that thought in front of him, lest he actually invest in making that fleeting image a reality.]
[Waterfalls and glittering golden veins are coming in a future patch, Hakuno. Stay tuned.
Gilgamesh seats himself on the edge of the tub and starts pulling off clothes at a casual pace. No need to make this awkward, he just does so as he would in front of any other man. ...which may not actually count for much given the flexible nature of his sexuality, but hey, he's trying not to make this too much of an unbearable experience for her. Thoughtful!]
I will be expanding upon this all very soon. So I shall have plenty of space to host pretty little Masters all the time.
[It's meant as a compliment, but as usual, it may have missed its mark.]
[Hakuno shrugs and follows his lead, carefully toeing out of her boots and rolling down her stockings. When she pulls off her dress it takes a moment to pop her head through the neckline, and he might notice the faintest, barely-there remainders of some rosy mark at the side of her neck before the garment is off and she shakes her head, dark hair spilling back down over her shoulders and back as per usual.
Her underwear is cute yet not particularly eye-catching, but there's a crystal charm hanging on a thin leather cord between her breasts that she takes off with noticeable care, gently placing it onto of her folded clothes. There's the briefest, instinctive moment of hesitation before she unhooks her bra and shrugs out of it, but she forces herself to smoothly finish stripping all the same.
She feels a bit bashful, just as a side-effect of being naked, but it's nothing like the crippling shyness that momentarily overtook her at the public baths.]
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No. ...at least, I wouldn't call it an illness. You remember that lingering effect I mentioned, from the Moon Cell? I just... haven't been able to calm down enough to sleep very well. The fight tipped it off, and then I forced myself to relive some... unpleasant memories, not long after.
[Punish Start had always accompanied a battle to the death, after all.]
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You are the most high maintenance Master I've handled to date. Sometimes I wonder how we got along for a few minutes, let alone an entire war.
[He doesn't say it be critical, not really. He's just frustrated that once again she's failing to recognize her own limits in the service of someone else. High maintenance, and a bothersome creature all around. To think he invested all his faith in her... what was it that he saw?
But Dinoriel bears no such judgment and comes rushing over when he's in range. Gilgamesh has to halt him by the beak, though he muscles past anyway to greet her.]
Be gentle, Dinoriel. She's a bit winded.
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[His comment stings, but the exhaustion and her own, stubborn belief that he had a right to lash out at her for tearing him asunder, metaphorically, numbs the feeling before it can worm in too deeply. And Dinoriel, naturally, chased away the sentiment entirely. She gently rubs him under the chin, the smile sticking when it rises up this time.]
When I spoke to him a few days back, Seiei asked if I had considered consulting the physicians or alchemists about it. I suppose a sleeping drug might be better than worrying the priests every so often.
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[Oh. Right. He warned her to stay away. He looks put out for a moment as he wrestles with his own hypocrisy, muttering under his breath:]
What a pain. This may be the sole instance that sort of partnership would prove useful. With a Command Spell, I could appear at your side in an instant.
[But in this world, he's always a few miles away at best. He could cover a lot of ground in no time with Dinoriel, but that was a poor substitute if she happened to be having a nightmare which demanded immediate attention. Or, worse yet, found herself too troubled and fitful to even fall asleep, as seemed to be the case. She'd opened up to him, and he overlooked it.
He frowns, and for once actually looks sorry.]
You are troublesome, you know. But not in the way that I mind.
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[She sounds so calm. So logical, so gently rational. If it weren't for the faintest tinge of loneliness pervasively coloring her mana, she might have even gotten away with the half-truth. It's unreasonable, yes, but she did miss him. But, after all the damage she had committed herself to inflicting on him, a week away was a relatively small price.]
...thanks, I think.
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[Which was indeed something to be thankful for, that he'd go as far as to admit out out loud—that he'd confess he cared for her without any of his typical shields or barricades behind it. Gilgamesh gives Dinoriel a pat, and the animal bows obediently down for Hakuno to climb aboard.]
Go on. I know just what you need, and we shall get you to it immediately.
[Master or not, Gilgamesh will always look after his Hakuno.]
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...maybe so. But, I was pretty brutal. A few days of discomfort isn't so bad. I'd rather you take as much time as necessary to calm down and think on your own, rather than get distracted by something like this.
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Do recall I am a Servant. We endure much worse on a constant basis.
[His way of reassuring her he held no grudge. Vietnam had told him much the same thing, anyway, albeit in easier terms. What's done is done.]
If I could not field an argument or two in my time, I would not have been much of a King.
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[She's always been soft on him, until now. Not yielding, really, but more or less a source of comfortable companionship than... what she ended up throwing at him a few days ago. For all that she still believes it was the best course of action to teach a lesson and make it linger in his memory.]
...did it count as an argument?
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It certainly counted for something, you little imp.
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Well, yes, obviously it was something. I just thought arguments involved... you know, shouting. From both sides.
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[Somehow, even Gilgamesh recognizes it wouldn't have done much good.]
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[It was more like shrieking at certain points, and... not wholly directed at her, but still.]
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[They seem to have different definitions of "shouting" here...]
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[She falls silent at that. Really, what more is there to say, if he feels things are settled now? He's calm, and he made some sort of peaceful gesture towards Rin, and that's honestly the best she could hope for at this point.]
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The remainder of the trip doesn't take too long, even at a leisurely pace. Gilgamesh drops Dinoriel off by the side of the cottage and leads Hakuno inside. She might notice the living room has been rearranged differently since she last saw it, but otherwise there are no signs of residual damage from their, ah, disagreement.
He's quick to step close, into her space, and run hands over her face assessingly.]
Spend the night with me. I would have you relax.
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That's probably for the best, if you're offering. Francis Xavier knows where I keep food for him and Kuli, so they should be fine until I get back.
[The thought of a good night's sleep is more tempting than anything else could possibly be, in this moment.]
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[It's a simple suggestion, born not of ulterior motives but an earnest desire to see her well—and an excuse to get his hands on her some more. Though it wasn't inherently sexual; Hakuno might guess that he bathed with many of his companions frequently enough back at Uruk, and didn't conspire with all of them.
Most of them. Some of them. Maybe. Look, they're going to have Master and Servant bathtime and it's going to be great, he won't hear anything against it.]
You could use some cleaning up, and... some pampering, if I am not mistaken.
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[It really is a very simple, suggestion, and one that she finds she is completely unopposed to, surprisingly enough. Upon further reflection, maybe it shouldn't surprise her. She's seen him naked before. She's seen him with a lover on stage before. She's got no reason to be bashful about seeing his naked body, and he's made his own assessments of her form perfectly clear, both here and in the Moon Cell. And she's so, so tired; there isn't any energy to spare for needless overreactions right now.
And really—what's there to be shy about, with him?]
...that does sound nice. I might need to borrow something to sleep in, if I'm staying though.
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[That something probably being an oversized shirt of his. Hngh, so cute...
But let's take this magical bonding adventure one step at a time. Gilgamesh heads to the master bath and sets the water running, the tub itself large enough to fit both of them. Gilgamesh had made a few renovations after Adrasteius' departure and planned to make many more, so really...
It shouldn't be the least bit surprising that said tub is golden. At all.]
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She immediately resolves to never, ever voice that thought in front of him, lest he actually invest in making that fleeting image a reality.]
How pretty.
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Gilgamesh seats himself on the edge of the tub and starts pulling off clothes at a casual pace. No need to make this awkward, he just does so as he would in front of any other man. ...which may not actually count for much given the flexible nature of his sexuality, but hey, he's trying not to make this too much of an unbearable experience for her. Thoughtful!]
I will be expanding upon this all very soon. So I shall have plenty of space to host pretty little Masters all the time.
[It's meant as a compliment, but as usual, it may have missed its mark.]
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[Hakuno shrugs and follows his lead, carefully toeing out of her boots and rolling down her stockings. When she pulls off her dress it takes a moment to pop her head through the neckline, and he might notice the faintest, barely-there remainders of some rosy mark at the side of her neck before the garment is off and she shakes her head, dark hair spilling back down over her shoulders and back as per usual.
Her underwear is cute yet not particularly eye-catching, but there's a crystal charm hanging on a thin leather cord between her breasts that she takes off with noticeable care, gently placing it onto of her folded clothes. There's the briefest, instinctive moment of hesitation before she unhooks her bra and shrugs out of it, but she forces herself to smoothly finish stripping all the same.
She feels a bit bashful, just as a side-effect of being naked, but it's nothing like the crippling shyness that momentarily overtook her at the public baths.]
What were the baths in Babylon like?
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