Finis Chaldea

Finally, Enki's efforts were paying off in the most magnificent way. A single utterance from Ishtar was all he'd been waiting for. Upon receiving it, he felt the tug of his hair and the tightening of her legs around his head. His satisfaction at this outcome could not be quantified properly. Even better was what came after Ishtar achieved sweet release: the mention of his... offering, as she considered it. She certainly didn't have to tell him twice. Without further ado, Enki was clearing off his own lips and ascending the goddess' body. As per his original "intention", a great deal of physical inspection was performed during this ascent. Then, there was halt. Tall as Ishtar was, Enki's face reached the level of hers only when penetration began. Ah, but it began gloriously. Enki found himself capable of sliding his way home into her nether with ease, yet with no shortage of grip around his girth. He could liken it to equipping a lubricated sleeve perfectly fitted to him, but such was how he imagined anyone who successfully bedded Ishtar would feel. "Oh? I expected greatness, but I still didn't expect this─" he spoke as satisfaction radiated from his person. How did mortals survive this endeavor? He wasn't quite sure, but Enki doubted even he could do so for very long.

Gilgamesh managed only a few steps before Siduri's outstretched arms halted his descent down the throne stairs. "IT WILL NOT BE HEALTHY FOR HIM, I TELL YOU!" was his immediate response to the comment about his anger. Did she think she could stop him? How ludicrous! Luckily for him and his potential blood pressure-related issues, Siduri managed to be the wings at his back, at every possible turn. She was already in the process of dealing with that audacious mongrel in a way that didn't require his own efforts. Tenser than he'd ever been in the midst of combat, Gilgamesh stepped back and collapsed onto the throne again. A decision was made this day. If ever an ill fate was to befall Siduri, continents would burn and crumble. "You spare the undeserving. But, I will allow it," he proclaimed. Now then, what of the quantity of limestone he would part with? For a few more measly chickens, he would offer nothing short of his own saliva─ and even that would be too much for Nippur's king. "If it is stone he wants, then he should cease treating silver as an obese child hoarding meal cake. For a fair trade of silver, I will consider letting the workers of Nippur spend some days mining."

Ishtar was a tall woman, she was a goddess, it made sense that she wasn't some little thing that had forgotten to eat enough to be a person. She could even take his inspection of her as a proper tribute to her person, apparently Ishtar lived off compliments. And when Enki finally slid home within her, at least she felt something. That was far better than it could have been. And what was this? He had nothing but praises of hers to sing after finding his home within her person. "Of course it is unexpected. One cannot know such greatness without experiencing it~" Yes, Ishtar was quite full of herself, but in this case she was certain of her quality. Those hips of hers began wiggling just a bit. She might as well get something else out of him. Perhaps he would make it a bit further than mortals normally did. And if she looked up at the ceiling she could probably keep imagining it was the King of Heroes buried within her depths.

The King of Heroes' anger would not be healthy for the King of Nippur. That much was obvious. It wasn't him, that Siduri thought the King of Heroes should be healthy for, it was that she thought the king should be ready for the arrival of his queen. "I would not ask violence be healthy for someone, my King," she said. Luckily enough the rest of her speech seemed to calm him quite a bit. He did not like that she saved someone undeserving, but he'd allow her to work the way she preferred. "As you wish, the ending of that letter will include the counter offer of an appropriate amount of silver in exchange for letting his men work the Limestone Quarries," she said a small smile coming to her veiled face. Of course soon after there were other things to attend to. "With that matter taken care of, what else do you require?" she asked of the King. Of course she was always willing to be helpful to the King. She wished him only happiness and preferred health for when his future bride showed up.

All things considered, Enki could agree to Ishtar's point. True satisfaction could only be known when experiencing it, and here he was, having an experience that was surely rarely known to any in the world. No matter the case, it was now his job and apparent privilege to take full advantage of the situation. Ishtar's hips had already begun moving. His would follow suit immediately, pivoting in sequence. Enki was already having such a wonderful time, he could hardly be silent. Moans and groans escaped him at every thrust. Propping himself up on his elbows was the only way he could keep himself steady, almost as if he felt a need to steel himself against the feeling of penetrating Ishtar. He could certainly outperform any mortal, perhaps even any other divine! Even if he couldn't, Enki felt as if he'd be able to keep pushing beyond his own end. . .

Violence was not to be healthy for anyone, Siduri implied. She didn't know how very wrong she was. Gilgamesh witnessed the violence of Artoria Pendragon, and he felt as if he'd been rejuvenated each time. He couldn't let himself mull over that, though. Work was ahead of him, and more work was ahead of it. That tablet he broke in an outrage had to have a copy floating around somewhere. "See that it is done. I will end matters with Nippur as soon as possible, lest my head burst open from the sheer stupidity," he declared. Apart from this matter, there was little he needed Siduri for. She'd surely done enough while he was absent for the past week or so, and with that being the case, it was high time he picked up the lion's share of work once more. "I have no need of anything else. Take rest, Siduri."

Ishtar had started moving her own hips in the hopes of getting what she needed out of this situation. Of course, she couldn't help but enjoy it a bit, even as she hated looking at the man currently inside of her. His groans and moans while generally unappealing were a sign of his appreciation for her. As such she could almost use them as background noise as she worked towards her next end. She knew it didn't matter what she did, men were men, whether mortal or divine. Eventually, enough exposure to a body as perfect as her own would end in an offering to her divinity. Technically speaking if she wanted she could just have sex to increase her power, but... she was quite picky about her bedmates. Whatever the case she worked herself towards the ultimate release all while imagining Gilgamesh propped up and moving in and out of her at such a perfect rhythm. So close, so close. As her body found its perfect beat, the goddess' core began to pulse, she was nearing her own special form of victory and she would have it, in just a few seconds as long as no one stopped.

Meanwhile, Gilgamesh seemed content to settle into work, but not without mentioning eventually cutting ties with Nippur at his earliest convenience. "I will make sure it is sent, my King." she said with a nod. Making sure the King of Nippur stopped overstepping his bounds was a primary goal of Siduri's. She did not understand that man's outright audacity but whenever she sent him a message, he was always amiable by the time his reply came. No matter, it wasn't worth thinking about. Apparently it was time for her to take a break, according to her king, as he was settling in. "As you wish, my King. I shall return sometime later." she mentioned before bowing and heading off to do, whatever it was she did with her time off.

At the same time, Artoria had made her way back to Camelot and found herself in front of the private chambers of a particular Knight. She had questions and she needed someone discrete to talk to... this person she knew to hold a certain amount of confidence even among the others, so she knocked on Lady Galahad's door. This would open and the small room was decorated with neat little bookshelves, a desk and bed and a strange lounge like chair. The pink haired knight was in more casual clothing instead of armor and seemed to be unsurprised to witness the Queen of Knights right before her. "I would have words, Galahad." said the Queen who looked stunningly like a school age girl to the purple eyed shielder. A smile crossed this woman's face as she pushed her hair out of her face. "I assume my Queen, you do not mean the fight, those words normally imply. Come in..." she said. This of course, led to Artoria taking a seat on the couch and beginning a casual conversation with the Lady Galahad about her life, her body and the King of Heroes.

While Ishtar was imagining the motions of another, Enki remained completely unawares. Even if he had an inkling, it would have quickly left him through his own shaft, just as the seed of his loins was threatening to do every time he moved. One of those things could not be allowed to part with him just yet. He couldn't consider himself in such a high position if he lasted only a matter of minutes against another divine, and if he truly wished for success over lesser beings like that damned Gilgamesh, he had to lay claim to the one that man denied, yet didn't deserve. It was a simple task, no? Well... no. But, he would go on acting as if it were. "Bless me, Maiden. Show me this offering is worthy of Heaven's Queen~" he chimed.

Meanwhile, Siduri was taking her leave of Gilgamesh at last. She was more helpful than he would ever admit, but perhaps the time of rest he offered was sufficient enough to keep her satisfied. She reminded him of his own mother at times. When Gilgamesh was not quite where he felt he needed to be, there she was, keeping everything around him together while he worked through things. When he spoke however, he did so in his usual dismissive fashion. "Off with you then. If you happen upon the Dominatrix, instruct her to do the same." Yes, Gilgamesh would approach these matters as he always did. Those who worked so spectacularly in his name would be given rest, while he took none for himself. He hardly thought negatively of this solution. He was two-thirds divine. If he couldn't handle a bit of measly work like this himself, there was no point to all the prestige. Even he would tire, however, as he once learned in the cabin of Utnapishtim. Siduri's departure would leave the King of Heroes to his work in solitude... with eyes that had a treacherous weight applied to their lids here and there.

Ishtar was going along her own path. The words of Enki interrupted her thoughts and normally she would have found such speech annoying but... he happened to choose a sentence that didn't hit her ears the wrong way. Bless me? Show him is offering was worthy of her? Ah, that reference as the Queen of Heaven always put her into a good humor. She would be magnanimous this day, and give him words to go along with her finish as it washed over her, as her nether clutched at his loins. "Yes! This offering is accepted~" she moaned as her body sensitivity hit its highest point. Oh, the things she'd gone through to get this far, but she did actually need to accept his seed to complete this act. He'd have to give and she would accept. She didn't particularly like him, but he was an alright lay at least.

Siduri was told to tell the 'Dominatrix' to take a break as well. That reference for Medusa never really got old for Siduri she chuckled as she scampered off. It'd taken this blessed wine-maker no time at all to realize that the King of Heroes was incapable of showing his true feelings about most things. She found it to be acceptable for him to be dismissive because she was fairly good at interpreting the difference between his words and his meaning. After all, unlike most she had a name... "As you like, my King."

The sleepy King of Heroes was a topic of conversation between Lady Galahad and Artoria Pendragon. Or rather, it would be more polite to say one of them was set to listen while the other talked. It was of course, not without a moment or two of explanation from the Lady Galahad. She wanted to make sure the Queen of Knights knew, their conversation was confidential and this space was a safe one. "My Queen, you have not said anything yet... so I will start by saying this..." she said sitting at a smaller chair nearby with a tea kettle on the fireplace. "This place is safe, while we are within we are protected from magical spying as well..." she said carefully. "You are free to discuss with me anything you like and on my honor it will stay between us. Not just my honor as a Knight but my honor as a psychiatrist," she said such a thing made Artoria look down at her hands, currently twirling around that knife she'd gotten from the King of Heroes. But in the moments of the Lady Galahad speaking those emerald eyes of the Queen of Knights had shifted to this woman in her group. She meant her words with absolute sincerity. Anything Artoria chose to say within this space was between just the two of them and she could safely share any information she'd like. "I am at odds with myself. I have never had feelings like the ones I am experiencing and I do not know how to crush them, or even if I want to," she explained as the Lady Galahad poured tea for them to share. "Experiencing new emotions is part of the human condition my Queen. At least a few of us have noticed the smaller changes in your personality. I have a reasonable explanation for your normally stoic visage and why crushing your emotions may not be necessary," she offered. Artoria looked up at Galahad. If she'd been the sort to cry she would have had gentle wetness lining the sides of her eyes. Instead she dropped her knife into her lap and took up a warm cup of tea instead. "I will hear your explanation. And you will speak of these tells you have seen..." Artoria said. At the very least she didn't want to be read by complete strangers when it was avoidable.

Enki knew infinite satisfaction the moment Ishtar affirmed the quality of his... offering. Yes, of course he was nothing less! The clutching of his member as Ishtar experienced her flourish was enough to bring an end to whatever plan Enki had of holding back. If ever there was a mortal who made it this far, he'd be both shocked and ireful. The God of Water would have been capable of managing a bit longer, he thought, but that added grip was far too much friction to bear. Still, he pivoted his way through a series of spurts that would be deposited into Ishtar's entrance with haste. "Hngh! Yes, that's what I like to hear! Have it all!" he grunted.

Another was grunting at about the same time, though it was a grunt of sleeplessness. Perhaps the King of Heroes should have reason to mourn, as he found himself less capable of persisting against fatigue than he was some decades prior. Luckily for him, there was one thing capable of snapping him back to alertness. Suddenly, for seemingly no reason at all, Gilgamesh sneezed from atop the throne. Was he falling ill? No, that couldn't be; the King of Uruk did not know sickness. Perhaps he was becoming delirious amidst all the dilly-dally, and simply imagined himself sneezing? Yes, that was a far more reasonable explanation. . .

Oh? He liked hearing that, did he? Perhaps the God of Water was going to be much easier to manipulate than Ishtar originally thought. Irrespective of her future schemes she could at least, enjoy the sensation of being filled and take unto herself the power that such an offering represented. She enjoyed the sensation of his thrusts right up until the time they ended and lay blissful thereafter, having never properly looked at the man she was having sex with during the entire act. That was great, she'd been successful in being able to fornicate with this man without having to think about the fact that it was him. When she opened her eyes though the locks of hair that weren't the golden color she favored made her shudder. "I expected nothing less than your enjoyment. I assume you got your measurements..." she said with the most casual eye roll. Another little motion that could be mistaken for pleasure as she aimed to extricate herself from this man, and lay on her side appreciating the current level of filled she was.

In the meantime, a sip of tea was crossing the barrier of Artoria Pendragon's lips. She was enjoying this cup with just a little milk though she admittedly missed a nice cup of coffee. All the while the pink-haired Galahad decided to share with the Queen of Knights the tells of her change in personality and the base personality that made her feel she was at odds with herself. "In plain terms my Queen, you are or rather were both asexual and aromantic. The first one meaning you had a general lack of sexual interest, even in yourself. The latter meaning you held no true romantic interest in anyone male or female... are both of these things true?" she asked of the lass. Artoria gave such an explanation a moment of thought and then nodded. She never really felt like much of a girl until Gilgamesh became obsessed with pointing it out. And she also never felt very inclined towards anyone at all, until the King of Heroes. "Very well, the signs of this shift happened about a decade ago. When you returned from your... walk. You spent a great deal of time looking at both lady knights and the women around the nearby villages. Both myself and the Lady Kay took notice of this, assuming at first that you may have developed an interest in women, not that there is a problem if you had," she said. Such a sentence made Artoria's eyes go wide. How did they notice her looking?! "Your face is surprisingly expressive when you are not forcing it to be stoic, my lady. Those of us who have been around you long enough, can tell even when you are forcing stoicism because of the changes in the light behind your eyes." Galahad explained. "You also changed the type of dress you wore. As if you became aware of the fact that you were a girl and subconsciously decided to be more girly. This is a normal development and nothing to worry about truly," said Galahad. That made Artoria feel quite a bit better actually. It could have always been much worse. "I did not know I was seen. I was just really unused to anyone taking interest in me, I could not decide why anyone would have such an interest in me. I noticed how stunning the women around me were even and I could not stop myself from realizing how short I fall. My apologies..." she said seemingly embarrassed having been caught looking. Beyond that the Lady Galahad noticed the amount of self-esteem the Queen of Knights had surrounding being a person of the female persuasion. Such a thing was fairly normal, but it was best to break her of self-deprecation as early as possible. "Oh no, that is nothing to worry about either. Girls tend to do that sort of thing. A normal girl wouldn't take staring personally if you did not express any particular interest... think of the way girls compliment each other and understand that none of us have any hard feelings about it. Besides that, you are too hard on yourself. Being petite, with a modest figure is just as feminine in the eyes of certain beholders as more curvaceous figures can be. Though that is also normal, to feel a bit jealous of other women, in your physical age group it is normal until you finish developing. And such feelings are common in those who do not initially understand sexual interest. Give yourself time to develop your confidence, " she offered. The Queen of Knights gave it consideration. She had sisters both of whom also randomly complimented her looks or clothing choices before. Perhaps she was simply ignoring the potential of her attractiveness as a girl because she considered herself a killer first and foremost? She supposed women were generally nice to each other if they could be, even if it was slightly false, so such compliments couldn't have been completely untrue. And then there was the King of Heroes and the physical showing of his attraction to her. Her face reddened and Galahad noticed that as well. Sensing a shift in conversation she sipped tea and waited for the Queen to speak. "I see. So..." there was another pause from Artoria as she thought over how to bring it up. "The King of Heroes..."

It was no surprise that Enki's enjoyment was to be expected. He heard what he wanted to hear, he felt what he wanted to feel, and the overall experience was even greater than he previously anticipated. There was nothing wrong in Enki's personal little world. As far as measurements were concerned though, he did hazard a few squeezes to the goddess' bosom prior to the separation of their bodies. Truthfully, there wasn't much need for the inspection. Ishtar's physique was universally accepted as perfect, by even the world itself. Replicating perfection was simply a matter of having the best possible work done. "Oh, yeah. Everything but the back," Enki stated while lowering himself onto the mattress. He had to catch his breath, but his eyes remained on Ishtar's form. He'd taken particular interest in her lower half, which few managed to witness as she sat upon various thrones and received her favors from only the front. "I should take those as well, for general purposes. Now or later; it doesn't matter when. The statues will be started soon regardless."

Gentle squeezes to her bosom took place. What was he a child? Whatever, as long as her temples were built and she was given the necessary power to do as she wished she did not care if he took such a small prize for himself. After all, she'd take him for all he was worth long before it became a problem to indulge him a bit. Now then what was this about the view of the back of her form? "Oh? I may be willing to grant such a thing on my own terms... at a later time," she said these words but they likely would be unclear. She had no intention of letting any random man mount her, but she could easily mount a man in a way that would leave him in full view of the rear of her person. Actually, given how much she didn't wish to see Enki's face, she imagined she would be more satisfied in general if she took such a position. She could literally pretend he was someone else and he would be none the wiser. If she felt like moving right now, she might have done so just to get it out of the way, but she was far too lazy to feel like doing that much work while not in need of release.

While Ishtar lazed about in post-coital recuperation with a man she didn't like, the Queen of Knights tried to figure out how to speak about the man she did. Galahad for her part in this, looked completely impassive waiting in silence with no judgement in her face and soul for the Queen of Knights to say more than three words regarding the King of Heroes. "It is... difficult to explain. I do not know where to begin..." she said her tone sinking. "So, start at the beginning... I told you. You are free to discuss whatever you like here with me. But I cannot comment on that which I do not know," mentioned the Lady Galahad. She could hypothesize based on what she'd seen of the man. She could be reasonably accurate about it, having witnessed the man's behavior at Artoria's ascension festivities. Even so, she could not know how what kind of effect the King of Heroes had on her Queen's current development. But she could guess, given how far she'd come in becoming a normal person. Artoria was back to playing with her knife. That well balanced dagger spinning across her fingers as she tried to find the right words to say. "I do not know how to behave around him. I have not been sure for a long time... I almost killed him in the Holy Grail War that I won for my sister. But in a moment where I thought he could have attacked me... he did not," she said carefully. Galahad watched emotions play across the face of the normally passive Queen of Knights. "He held my face and made claims about allowing me to be defiant. I was not being defiant he was simply standing in my way at the time... But I became curious enough about the lack of violence in response to it being so freely offered... I could not kill him," she said carefully. "Even so, he took such a great interest in me. I got to know him after the event which sent rapists to Camelot and he seemed to care so genuinely about my disposition that he tried to care for me," she said blurting out words as if they did not have enough space in her mind. "I heard his story, I got to know him. I had dinner with him and fought him, violently about my desire to slay the goddess who decided to send rapists after me. And though I acted as if I wanted nothing but his death he accepted me, and my ire... though he had done nothing to deserve it. He gave me this dagger and allowed me to recover mentally from something I did not know could hurt me so much..." she explained of herself. Oh! Recognition played across the eyes of Galahad. She could already understand how the Queen of Knights had come to enjoy the company of the King of Heroes. He'd seen her honestly be vulnerable and showed an equal amount of that of himself. Acceptance for the overly violent Queen of Knights was probably something she did not believe she would have and him giving it to her, sparked affection she did not understand. "Every word he says about me he means, and I was not prepared for that... Galahad I..." she gave pause. She trusted her Knights above many others she would be truthful here. "I am a remorseless killer and I have been since before that was even a reasonable thing to be. I do not have a personality to deal with the way I feel now. I do not even know what to call it. But I was touched when he cared. My heart was happy when he showed up when I won my Holy Grail. When he kissed me my heart beat sped up. I do not know how to be honest with him, and I want to be because he is so honest with me. It frightens me to feel such things." The Queen of Knights was so honest in a moment like this that Galahad could do nothing but nod her head. She understood this situation now completely.