Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

In response to being flirted with as outrageously as always, Artoria initially had a single question to ask. Well, it was better to say she had a twofold question, which begged the reason he behaved in such a way, while also begging the reason she remained excited to see him. Oh? That was rather forthright of her. "The question is yours to answer, is it not? Is not your excitement because I address you this way? Or perhaps you've simply become excited by the idea of finally reclaiming your stolen soul," he replied. Up the stairs she climbed, drawing closer and closer yet to the throne. Artoria pointed out the thing she meant to return, even offering it the moment she was within striking distance. She did not make offerings to the heavens, she said. Lies. As it stood, none were closer to the heavens than he, and here she was... making an offering in a manner of speaking. "How audacious," he commented. His hand never reached out to take that necklace; it was far too unimportant in the moment. "But in this Age of Man, perhaps that level of pomp shall be viewed as necessity to uphold the status quo. In that case, it should be the heavens offering their blessing to you, no? As the sole remaining representative of heaven, I suppose it should be I who takes on that responsibility."

Following his little quip, the golden ark Vimana manifested around the throne. Gilgamesh had taken the liberty of ensuring that he didn't have to move from one throne to another, and with that done, Artoria would be left automatically standing atop the mobile vessel. They would not remain within the ziggurat for another second. Instead, he thought to fly over the city, free of all wandering eyes and listening ears. "You understand that you tread upon sands that shift only in one direction. There is no return from this journey, Artoria Pendragon. So, what was this you were saying about... a date?" the king asked in reference to words spoken over a thousand years prior.

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh posed an interesting counter to Artoria's questioning of the world at large. Did she like the way he spoke to her, because he spoke to her that way? That was an interesting point. One that Artoria herself had not truly considered. That was something she'd have to ponder some other time. That bit about her missing soul, seemed to earn her a more reddened face. "I do not worry for my soul! I already said you could keep it..." she said quickly. Why did he remember such a random thing from the previous millennia? She offered him his armor and he did not accept it, he did not even reach for it. "You cannot call me audacious while being you," she said as a form of absolute truth. In her mind, there was no one more audacious than Gilgamesh. Still, he claimed making an offering on behalf of heaven was his problem and soon enough they were on the move, lifting up into the sky far outside of the norm. What a strangely nostalgic feeling being on this vessel while he spoke to her like this seemed to spawn within her heart.

Artoria in a moment like this seemed to only find amusement. She reached out for him properly taking the final step forward which would leave her standing between his legs and no longer willing to hold on to what she saw as belonging to him, she placed that necklace over his head content to leave it draped around his neck. "That memory of yours is strangely selective," she mused as she lingered just a bit too close. Her eyes widening at the mention of her name in such a casual fashion. She did mention she would accept him calling upon her as such, but she was not sure how she felt about it, after literally being called Queen of Knights most of the time. Of course, she did not actually mind it right? No. Moving on. Did she know about the nature of her journey? Yes. "I am more aware than most of the nature of this journey of mine," she said. "Why do you remember that I mentioned a date? I would not have known what else call it, but it is why I am here..." her words were strangely certain and she was still excited. She'd missed this man beyond reason. She'd just been very surprised and quiet and moved on to speaking like she hadn't been so quiet in the moment.

[Bloodedge]

"H'oh?" True enough, she did claim he could keep her soul in that strange hypothetical they once discussed. Of course, that hardly meant a thing. Gilgamesh's plans were far greater than something like that. "There was never a need to say it at all. Even if you reclaimed it, no difference would be made. I will have all parts of you," he declared with still-unwavering certainty. Every fiber and aspect of her being would be his to claim; of this he was certain. The claim that she could not be called audacious by him in particular, was ridiculous. There wasn't an ounce of audacity in his person! In fact, it took as much to believe there even was! "I am above all things in this world. Of course I can say as much," he decided.

What was this about his memory? It was selective, she proclaimed. No, that wasn't the truth at all. He hadn't recalled a specific moment, but instead all moments that mattered. There was a chance that Gilgamesh could regurgitate every conversation they had up to this point, even over a thousand years and then some. Interesting it was though, that she said something along those lines while draping that necklace over his head. Did she know what it meant to be in such close proximity to him? Surely she did by now, but that seemed to be a non-issue. She lingered longer than one would consider necessary as well. Few could even be allowed to be so close to the King of Heroes, yet he decided she was not yet close enough. As such, he reached out to grab the queen by her chin. The eye contact which followed would be both prolonged and intense, his gaze finally fixing itself on a single location. He had a point to make, and Artoria had to stay exactly where she was while he did so. "So long as you are aware. I will not hear your naysaying when you've leapt into the endless pit of a euphoria you cannot even fathom," he said first and foremost. As for his memory of her mentioned date... "Hear me, it is not to be questioned why I remember that single statement. Every word you have spoken, every shifting glare, and every twitch of your lips─ all of these things have been engraved onto my memory and branded to my very soul. My soul is quite spacious. You alone are invited to witness it, and apply the iron to all the remaining canvas."

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh claimed that he would have all parts of Artoria and there was never any need for her to speak of leaving him her soul. Of course, he would say something like that, but for some reason she actually liked that coming from him. Artoria was starting to believe she was somehow strange, she'd begun to like the King of Heroes laying claim to her and more than she should, she accepted it as something she'd like. 'That declaration makes me happy,' she thought having it bring a small smile to her face. Ah but what was this? He believed he wasn't audacious at all?! He claimed that nothing in the world was above him so he could say that much, "And not a speck of humility either..." she stated as a pure point with no added intention. She liked that too didn't she?

After giving him his necklace did Artoria fully understand what it was to leave herself capable of being within his grasp? Yes, absolutely. Even so, she did not truly want to leave it, after all... she'd been trying to walk into his clutches for quite a while without being able to, it wasn't as if she was trying to run. So close she remained standing between his legs, only to have him reach for her and turn their eyes towards each other. Uh-oh. Locked gazes always led strange places when it came to her shared time with this man. Oh, he wouldn't tolerate her naysaying if she fell into an endless pit of bliss she could not fathom. Her face reddened, this amount of eye contact while saying something of that intensity was beyond embarrassing. Artoria became almost convinced this man lived to leave her face heated. "I will say whatever I wish and you will hear it regardless!" that was her proclamation. Had she noticed she wasn't actually arguing with him yet? Yes. But that wasn't exactly the point here and now. She both hated and loved that this man was so content to challenge her on everything... that had to be some sort of problem with her existence. Surely it wasn't the case that she simply liked such a thing from him because she liked him. Yes. Yes was the answer. There was the matter of the rest of him as well... he claimed that he remembered everything she said and did within his presence and her eyes could only widen. It wasn't just his desire to take her, it was the free offer of himself that seemed to draw her in all the time. Even now, he was saying something like that and it made her stomach feel strangely and her heart feel like it could pop out of her chest at any moment. Forced eye contact was not helping. "You still have flowers falling out of your mouth..." she said while staring into eyes she'd come to like a lot more than she wished to express. "I suppose from you though, I can accept."

[Bloodedge]

Humility? Ah, a word Gilgamesh knew, yet refused the very concept of. Humility was a tool for lesser existences. He sat upon a podium far too high to speak the language of those mongrels flopping about on the ground. Just as he could not speak in their terms, they could not even think to address him. Artoria, however, had earned her place atop another podium. Yes, that happened to be his podium in a manner of speaking, but the placement was roughly the same regardless. She had a right to gall─ a right to speak those flippant words to him. He'd even enjoy the fact that she did so by choice. Face red as a beet, Artoria declared that he would hear whatever she wished to say, regardless of his input. Well... she certainly wasn't wrong. "Oh, I intend to hear it all. Are you so certain it is words you will be speaking, though? If you think so, then I look forward to the moment you become coherent after a virtual eternity of senseless blabber and screaming."

He would never stop with these methods. The time was so close now, yet oh so far away. This date thing was something oddly familiar to him. It was courting, was it not? Some sort of hangout, or even a preemptive celebration of things to come? Yes, that sounded accurate enough. Standing, he kept hold of Artoria's chin, even lifting it to maintain that meeting of gazes. She spoke of the flowers that escaped his mouth, claiming she would accept as much from him. She'd be accepting much more that he offered in time, but first would come words spoken only a breath away from her own mouth. "Get used to those very words, for you will speak of accepting my offerings for the rest of time. What will the next one be though, I wonder? I have known all things related to pleasure, but you who resigns yourself to fate... what do you know of your own desires? Tell me, what urges call to you for this date you seek? It will be nothing to grant your every wish."

[Apollymi]

According to Gilgamesh's own words, he had no true issues with the way Artoria chose to speak to him either. He claimed he would hear everything she had to say even that which wasn't words, but instead screams and blathering. He questioned if she knew for a fact she'd have words to speak and she could only look shocked. "Who? Who says things like this aloud to someone else?!" This poor young Queen could basically faint for lack of blood circulating her body. If she wasn't certain that she had more than enough within her body given how much of it had spilled in the previous days, she might have been concerned for her own safety. But that is how it always was when Gilgamesh spoke to her.

Still his grip on her chin remained and even as he stood it would seem he was content to question her own desires. She had spoken of a date, but what exactly did she have in mind for such a thing. It was a simple yet complicated question. Moreover he first claimed she had to get used to saying such words of acceptance because she would be claiming such acceptance for the rest of time. Ah, but there was almost something more important to his questions here and now, and that was his placement. Gilgamesh stood in front of Artoria still holding her face, tilting it upwards so they could continue staring at each other. What was more those words of his were spoken so directly into her face she was certain they could have kissed accidentally. Actually, she liked the idea of that, besides enjoying the difference between their physical selves. 'Yes, I definitely feel very small right now... I like this,' she mused seeming not to mind it even as she held eye contact for reasons she could not begin to understand. She'd been much quieter than she'd intended to be, though this tended to happen when he was so close and directly within her line of sight. "I have not been on a date for any conventional reason, either time I have lived. I do not know what I would want out of one," that was the truth always she'd share such truths with the man before her. "I know what they are like dinner and a movie... well no movies. Movies do not exist... So, probably something more normal, like sightseeing or a walk," she said thinking about it more than she meant to feeling the need to clarify. "Not like my kind of walk where I am going to kill something but a nature walk with calm nature and new things to see and animals. I have always enjoyed animals!" Artoria seemed to be quite amused in a moment, such a normally quiet person she was. Hoshimi Eri, enjoyed quiet activities and pretty things to look at. Quiet walks in the mountains, trips to zoos or museums, and quiet background music. Most of those things were not really possible any more, but she was just giving ideas. Besides all of that she did not really have plans for what to do, she just knew she wanted to do it in the company with the man she was currently looking at.

[Bloodedge]

Who said such things aloud to someone else? He did, of course. What greater privilege could one have than being at the receiving end of his advances? The masses flocked, throwing themselves at his feet for a mere taste of perfection. It took only a single moment of exposure for Gilgamesh to declare them all unworthy. That exposure came over a thousand years prior, and he'd never stopped. He never would stop, even when the goal had been reached. Even as he towered over that brilliant star here and now, he looked toward the future. It was not something he did with the special quality of his eyes, but... perhaps this was that thing called hope? Whatever it was, it would be pursued as prey to the lion.

Dinner and a... movie? What was that? Yet another thing from that silly old dream, surely. He'd have to arrange something like that for future excursions. Regardless, it was nothing that could exist in this world now, though dinner, sightseeing and walking... well, those were simple matters. There were few greater sights in this world as magnificent as what one could find in Mesopotamia. Vimana's path took the pair toward the outskirts of Mesopotamia, where two rivers met. When Artoria shared her love of animals once more, he chuckled, tapping her chin with his forefinger. With that, strangely... he pulled away and stepped past the queen, out to the ark's edge. Arms crossed and a wide grin upon his face, Gilgamesh looked out to the edge of his country. A single fork in the waters ahead required only one ultimate decision... And what a strange one it was. "One, or two?" A simple and almost meaningless inquiry meant a great deal in this moment. Without realizing it himself, Gilgamesh had fallen to an old habit. There was once a period of time in which a man named Ishigami Daisuke asked such a question of his audience. Option one or option two was one of the lesser-used catchphrases to engage the masses. When the choice made no difference to him, he deferred to the potential enjoyment of the watchers, all to the same effect on his own end. Such was a thing he decided to do now.

[Apollymi]

Artoria would always be shocked by the things this man said to her. Whether she liked them or not, if they were alone, her response would always be generally positive even when she wasn't sure the kind of response she should be giving. Strangely, though they'd been locked in a staring match the likes of which could not be known. She liked the way he talked to her, the way he looked at her and even oddly enough the way he teased her. Right now for instance, that gentle tap to her chin made her eyes widen and moreover he stepped away from her. That was different. But what was he doing now. Obviously, they hadn't truly stopped moving this entire time, and right now she found them at the fork of two rivers. Why did he bring them here? Probably had something about the sightseeing huh?

But it wasn't just that. He stood, arms crossed grin on his face and asked a question. Such a simple question, it could have been taken as anything but it made Artoria's eyes widen as her head turned in his direction rapidly and her eyes narrowed just a bit. Surely, he did not realize what he'd just said, or how common of a thing it used to be in his speech. 'Is he, slipping back into himself I wonder?' Artoria wondered if the abilities of their family had saved them from losing themselves to the world's whims? Or was it something else entirely and Ishigami Daisuke was a different sort of anomaly. Maybe it was strange for her to admit to knowing that information, she should keep it to herself. After all, she'd only viewed a couple of his streams because it had been demanded by Emi 'He's not so bad, I think you'd like him. Actually, the whole roleplay thing is pretty cool.' Yes, these were the words of the Hoshimi's youngest sibling. But that first reaction was a snap, how would she answer? After taking a single moment to gather herself knowing that her face was tingly and red she stood beside him at the edge of Vimana and looked out. Two rivers, a single question, both were kind of breath taking, she could see she would enjoy the sights either way, so which option would be chosen? "Two." Yes, that was always the right answer for Artoria. One was a starting place, but two was mysterious, she'd always lean towards the future not the stepping stone.

[Bloodedge]

Gilgamesh witnessed none of Artoria's hesitant reaction, or if he did, he thought little of the potential reason. His focus was on the rivers ahead, though his gaze shifted toward Artoria when she stood by his side. Her decision was number two. That was an interesting choice. The options were Euphrates and Tigris. In selecting the latter, Artoria chose the one that flowed more quickly. "Tigris, the swift water. You will see all manner of creatures there. Carp and great Barbel fill the river, but you will see much on the surface," he said as Vimana began its descent. They would travel along the stream, eventually descending enough to let the freshwater mist brush over the ark and sprinkle the pair just lightly. On either side of them, there were many beasts indeed. Wild pigs roamed as they passed through the marshes, but as they moved farther, there were visible hyenas, jackals, mongooses and... a gathering of reed cats. Gilgamesh slowed his pacing at the final sighting, finding himself curious. A love for animals was one thing, but her prelation to lions was something else entirely. He wondered if lions were the sole target, or if the Queen of Knights simply had a weakness for felines of any sort. Well, he'd be finding out soon enough. "Hmph. I would call it an interesting choice. Of the two, I favor it," he commented, keeping a keen eye open to inspect a few specific reactions.

[Apollymi]

Artoria's choice of two came with an explanation from Gilgamesh. The Tigris was apparently the name of this river and it came with a whole host of wildlife, while being fast flowing. Ah, she'd heard of that one, while having no reference for it, and sitting on his throne in Uruk. A gentle nod of Artoria's head occurred. She realized in this moment he was functioning as a strange amount of tour guide, and she would be attentive while her eyes took in the landscape. They descended quite a bit, she was lightly misted by water but did not seem to mind too much. She took in the sights of animals she recognized by a large margin seeming to find them moving about in their groups and living their own lives to be just as entertaining as anything could be.

In a moment like this, Artoria's eyes sparkled and she seemed to be almost enamored with the sights she was taking in. Their pacing would soon slow though as they approached a group of reed cats. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat sped up. She'd never seen this sort of cat before, they looked so cool! It was a lesser known fact among those who'd been around the Queen of Knights that her weakness in life was cats. Though lions were admittedly her favorite, any kind of cat could immediately gain love and affection from her while offering the rest of the world a singular experience of her cutest and most girly reactions. There was no cause for her to resist her own reactions, and even if there were, she was surprised. "oooOOOH!~" she inhaled sharply seeming to be stunned by the sight. "Kawaii!~ Mite mite!! I have never seen those before!" she was exceedingly excited. How excited. Language slip? Cuteness slip? Boundary slip? All three of these things occurred. What about that last one she was excitedly pointing while nudging Gilgamesh directly in his side. Someone needed to share her excitement. Oh? He'd been talking huh? She'd missed it. She'd almost completely abandoned fighting against her own nature for a moment. She'd not been this excited in front of him before. "Ehm," she stopped soon after but there was still light sparkling in her eyes, though it came with a gentle blush of embarrassment.