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Thread: Finis Chaldea

  1. #361
    It was no secret that Gilgamesh did not fit into the standards set by mankind. Of course, he was far above such measly things as human expectation, in every regard! With that sort of mindset, however, even he did not see the current reason for said strangeness. "Fantastical though I am, the only oddity here, is the likes of you. Queen of Knights, I declare that you are the South to my North. Your ideals shield your eyes from the light you, yourself, emit as freely as the sun. I will become the mirror that reflects that light upon you, and one day, you may be blinded by it as I have been." Yes, the greatest plan was now in play.

    Had he grown out of his "less charitable" traits? Any answer was completely subjective, but that was of little importance. Gilgamesh was a king, the King of Heroes and strong-walled Uruk. He could only behave as such, no matter the state of his mind, body and soul. Those who stood above the masses must never put themselves within reach of lesser beings, lest their footing be for naught. In Artoria's case, a very different approach was taken. Her knights were in no way disposable, in no way untrustworthy, yet also not trusted fully without exception. "Hmph," the king murmured. They could not fully disagree on this matter, surprisingly. He did not surround himself with soldiers for protection against the world at large, as there was no one he would be capable of trusting. However, Gilgamesh had more than enough faith in his own capacity to believe none could do him harm, if they even had the audacity to try. That is... until Enkidu fell. Only then, for a time extending even to the present, did he know fear of death. Even then, it was only the gods who wielded the potential. Choosing not to harp on these matters for long, he stood. "Humanity. To have faith in one's brethren while harboring no faith at all in those same brothers... That is beneath me," he surmised. A hand extended to the bedridden woman sporting that dress of fine lapis lazuli, and his gaze remained stagnant cast over her. "Come then, Knight-Queen. Cleanse yourself in the great baths of this citadel, don the robe suited to its future queen, and see the return of your blade."

  2. #362
    Apparently Artoria was the strange person here. Even though the King of Heroes had quite the description for himself in a moment like this. He claimed that her own ideals blocked her from her light. Artoria looked at him strangely once more. She had no use of her own light, why did he want to show it to her. Moreover why was he flirting with her so much? It was clear enough to her that such words were wasted upon her, she simply did not have it in her at all to reciprocate. "Definitely flowers... I am not light for my own sake, I doubt I would understand it," she was assured of his nature. Words like that definitely made no sense when applied to her. She was almost certain of it, she might think he was joking if he wasn't so absolutely earnest in his showing of himself.

    Whatever the case, it seemed that Gilgamesh was not willing to speak on the development of his personal character. What was that? Was he... abashed? No. That wasn't right, this man didn't know embarrassment. Perhaps then she was simply right and he did not want to admit it. That seemed more likely given his standing personality defect. What was more, he claimed that it was human to both trust and distrust the same people and he claimed to be above it. "It is nothing so pessimistic. I give no faith without proof and I do not leave it to rest on its own. I trust those I test, but I am vigilant of potential change. Hopeful and vigilant, it is all anyone can be... that is humanity." Artoria's opinion about people was very different from most, considering how much she worried about personal safety she did not seem to be completely hopeless about the forward momentum of people eventually. But now, she had a new worry. There was a hand extended to her, and Gilgamesh speaking of baths and clothing. She supposed she could use a bath it would further relax her muscles and make sure she was ready for her next battle. But, this extended hand caused her to look for several seconds blinking strangely. She'd offered a hand like this many times to many women, but never had she been on the receiving end of such a hand. Obviously, she didn't need help, she never assumed anyone did, but it was a curtesy that was normally extended by knights. She was the Queen of Knights and no one offered her this kind of hand before. She barely thought of herself as a girl but in this moment she realized how much of one she must have looked. "I have never been the girl in this situation before..." she murmured. But she supposed there was no harm in taking the hand right? There was no extra implication in doing so... and it was not as if she feared for her own safety in Gilgamesh's company. Her smaller hand met his calloused though it was as she took his help to climb out of this abnormally large bed.

  3. #363
    Understanding of Artoria's light would fall upon its caster one day, perhaps. For now, Gilgamesh would refrain from throwing additional pebbles at the limestone wall that was her emotional unavailability. He'd done things that had taken much longer than this was expected to be, and for far less payout. For the Queen of Knights, he would wait centuries, even millennia for her understanding of his advances.

    This day, there was one additional test of resolve... in a manner of speaking. Gilgamesh's hand was offered, and Artoria was heft hesitant. She didn't seem to be arguing with herself about taking it very much. No, she instead looked at that hand as if it were a foreign object and a strange concept overall. In the meantime, Gilgamesh was left to mull over her assertion about humanity. It sounded pitiful, frankly. To test for worthiness of faith went against the king's understanding of human faith itself. Was it not so blind after all? Oh well. He could not concern himself with the light of hope and all of its workings, as it was something he had no need of. As such, he shrugged off the notion overall. "It is no less foolish a thought," he declared. Now then, what of his offered hand? She took it in the end, stating that she'd never been the "girl" in this situation. Of course she hadn't. Altered genetics aside, the expectancies of chivalry came with a certain applied masculinity. Of course, the memory he held of her in a previous life was not exactly the idea of femininity either... and that was all fine. Taking her hand into his own, Gilgamesh closed the distance between them. Another thought required sharing. No, it was no mere thought; it was a fact determined by Gilgamesh himself. "You are free to adjust. You, never having been as a girl, are to become my woman, after all. One day, I will take your hand when leading you to this very bed."

  4. #364
    There was some understanding, even if not in full scope. The King of Heroes realized that he was unable to pitch woo towards someone who simply did not understand enough of its application as a concept. In the meantime, Artoria began to understand that Gilgamesh was apparently quite content to see her in a way no one else did, as a woman. That was a strange thought, one she might have willingly abandoned to think of something else.

    It seemed that the King of Heroes did not truly understand the expectancies of humanity. How strange, he claimed to lord over humans, holding himself at an exceptionally high standard, but he did not fully grasp what moved humanity forward and upward. She came to the conclusion that he didn't spend enough time in the company of people, and though she could not really talk about that in any great detail, she at least kept a few humanizing influences close enough to keep any of them from losing sight of their monstrous differences. "You have been holding tangible hope in your hands for days and you truly think that? I am beginning to believe I am not as strange as I thought," she said almost rhetorically. She didn't truly expect an answer. Whatever the case, that subject she was willing to drop reared its head again. This time after she finally grasped the hand extended to her. The utterance that she was never on the receiving end of such offers, would have the King of Heroes within her personal space and relaying a message to her of their apparent future.

    He was quite close to her when relaying this message, but her own personality did not allow her to feel any thing beyond the movement itself. She found herself staring at the King of Heroes with confusion and curiosity in her eyes. He was speaking of sex... she was certain of this. She understood sex in the broadest sense, but she did not get the appeal. She had not been an active participant in the activity even before, simply because such a thing did not seem necessary. Was this a matter of attraction? Did she think him attractive? Did he think her attractive? Surely, he did given his own explanations of her, but how? That would be something to give her thought. Since she never thought of herself as much of a girl she didn't often consider how she was viewed as such. She knew her sisters to be lovely actual women with womanly thoughts, demeanors and bodies, but her own disposition was never really that. Was he a deviant who decided that after trying everything he had a strange preference? That seemed likely... "I do not imagine how I could adjust to that, and I will refrain from the violence that is my normal method of coping," she said. Still it was strange, if this man could have any woman he wanted, why did he want her? Whatever the case, she could be led to this bath while she pondered her own thoughts and the abstract thought of attraction.

  5. #365
    Indeed, he had been holding the physical manifestation of hope for the past few days. Had that changed even one thing? Not at all. There remained a certain emptiness to the thought of hope tempered by an objective understanding. "Hmph," was the only additional thing he could offer. His primary concern was not understanding the pitiful mentality of humans─ not presently at least. No, he was far too invested in the idea of claiming Artoria Pendragon, and further yet Hoshimi Eri. She continued to defy him, and he would continue to allow it all the way to the bitter in... and beyond, if necessary. She wasn't sure how she could adjust to his methods; that was fine. She'd refrain from violence? That was just another adjustment already in place. "Refrain? I will allow your violent outbursts. Your foolishness, your destruction of everything including yourself, your hatred and the lost concept of love─ I shall rest it all upon myself and cherish it thoroughly the day you take my side."

    With one additional declaration, Gilgamesh spaced the pair of them again. He led the way through his chamber door, out into the great halls of the ziggurat. Only a few dozen or so paces from his bedroom, was the... well, some would consider it a bathroom, though it was better viewed as a sauna far too ambitious for its own good. It was not a room containing toiletries and the like; that room was across the hall. The room he led Artoria to contained numerous heated pools of varying shapes and sizes, and at different elevations to boot. The irrigation system of Uruk had an entirely separate channel passing through just this room, keeping a continuous stream of fresh water in every bath. Steam rose high from every pool, creating a thick layer just beneath the ceiling. Scents were... all over the place, really, for many baths contained different "moods" so to speak. Whether containing flower petals, oils, or some mixture of the two at their sides, every large pool of hot water boasted a certain uniqueness from all others. It had once been said that one could spend all day perusing the Citadel of Uruk's baths, and be wearing the next day's filth by the time a choice was made.

  6. #366
    Artoria found it interesting, the things missing from Gilgamesh's understanding of humans and thus his understanding of her. Still he remained close and she remained curious. He claimed she did not have to refrain from her violent tendencies, he would instead accept them. The King of Heroes spent the next moment making a declaration the likes of which Artoria had not heard before. Once again it was earnest but once again she did not truly understand the nature of his concerns. "You say, very strange things to me... I do not think anyone normally agrees with me being so ill-tempered," she replied. Again those words were understandable in language. She knew them, but they did not at all fit her mind's understanding of how people addressed her.

    And just as close as they'd been together they were physically separated. For her part in this, Artoria managed to look only a bit confused. When he pulled away like that how was she meant to interpret it. This was not a battle in the way she understood them. They were not presently fighting so it wasn't evasive, but she did not like the space between them, she also did not hate it. Twelve or so paces they took from outside of his massive bedroom into what could only be described as the most massive bath she'd ever seen. Why did one need this? Artoria, Queen of Knights, stared in awe. "This... is," she gave pause, how did one describe the unnecessary extravagance that was this bath. "I do not have words..." the pools of this bath were ones which smelled so very different from one to the next. The Queen of Knights was not a gross person, she liked baths... they did not normally come with this level of choice, but as she was already here and had already done the angry fighting bit, some time alone with her conscious thoughts was not terrible, she supposed. Perhaps she'd easily find something she wouldn't mind smelling like and spend her time there for the duration of her bath. This seemed excessive for one person, but the King of Heroes did indirectly mention only recently growing out of his errant personality phase. Perhaps there was a harem of women somewhere who normally exhausted this space and that ridiculous bed of his. Yes, that likely made sense. Hm, was she about to meet a strange woman with a catty attitude staking her claims to a man, Artoria herself only had mild curiosity about. Maybe that would be a topic of thought for the bath. Whatever the case, the blonde haired young woman began pulling apart the bun her hair was normally kept in freeing it and raking loose curls with her finger tips. She'd be taking a bath regardless she might as well prepare while deciding which smell tickled her fancy.

  7. #367
    "I've spoken the words once, Queen of Knights. Only I, Gilgamesh, am capable of truly appreciating all that you are." There was a certain finality to the king's words, as if the phrase he'd spoken was also a command to all others who drew breath. It almost seemed none were allowed to even attempt witnessing Artoria Pendragon in all aspects, as only he could receive those various sides properly. Perhaps he did mean it that way at some level. Regardless, his goals and intentions could hardly be made any clearer as they set foot in the "bathroom" of this ziggurat. Speechless as any who knew nothing of true luxury should have been, Artoria was witnessed during the consumption of a visual spectacle indeed. Of course, Gilgamesh was soaking it all in. What words could one ever apply to his possessions?

    Upon releasing the queen's hand, he stood with one hand upon his hip, the other holding firmly to Excalibur. He seemed to have grown quite fond of its weight and balance, yet it was not something he thought to hold in his treasury these past few days. Ah... he should have been leaving as well, returning to his work while Artoria cleansed herself. He didn't; he even couldn't right away. Hair was being loosed by Artoria. That alone was a tantalizing enough sight that Gilgamesh found himself transfixed by it. As such, that grinning face of his was aimed forward, eyes taking in every lift of an arm, every billow of hair as it was left to cascade over her exposed back. He could only think of this as something he would see again, for a different purpose entirely. He could almost see the throes of passion overtaking the pair of them mere moments after this very image, yet at a very different point in time altogether. Time... how fickle a concept, making a king of his magnitude wait for something like that.

  8. #368
    The King of Heroes continued to claim only he could appreciate the kind of person she was... and Artoria for her part in this conversation, was beginning to believe he saw some great truth in statements like that. He'd seen her spiral in several different forms of her own manic behavior and yet there was always an interesting light in his eyes while looking at her. He was very obviously attracted to her, but she was beginning not to understand how one came to such a conclusion. When her hand was dropped for her own sake she felt strangely, she'd walked hand in hand with women. She understood why it was comforting in some way for them to know that someone would look after them. But she'd never in her life felt so inclined. Right at the moment as one arm tossed golden locks around the other hand so recently released was stared at like it didn't belong to her. She had the thought that she would require a haircut soon, it was taking longer and longer to put it all away in that neat little bun she enjoyed. All the while she did not notice the staring of Gilgamesh, the way he saw her, so unlike the way she saw herself.

    Since he was still here, she decided to interrupt his staring to ask a single question. "Where are my clothes?" It was a simple question but one she would need to know the answer to, once she was finished with her proper tub time. Artoria strangely enough made the assumption that Gilgamesh would not be staying in this room while she bathed. Hm, she had no idea why she thought that wasn't his intention though... was it a decency thing? Did he already have an established understanding of boundaries? Was there some kind of middle ground where he was old enough already to understand what would and would not be entertained by one like her? She did not know. She truly had no idea how very interesting someone else found her to look at. In her own mind, she was not worth the extra thought. Even right now, as near to naked as she could be with a hand in her hair as her nose twitched and she began to move around the pools of water. She could not see the light she possessed. No matter, that wasn't a concern of hers, what was... was a particular pool. One that smelled gently of lilies, blackberries and nectar. It was sweet by smell and nostalgic... she'd bathe there.

  9. #369
    There were many things Artoria could say here in this bathroom. What she chose to say, was a question. Where were her clothes? There was no inquiry as to when he planned on leaving, nor why he stared so intently. One could chalk this up to progress in the right direction, he thought. Regardless, he could easily assume she spoke of her own clothes, not the fine garbs of Uruk she'd woken in. Where did he put those after picking them up from her bedside? "Those tattered rags? Do not concern yourself with those; I may have even thrown them away," he said, having nearly no memory of what happened to them. Even when claiming he'd thrown her garments away, though, he seemed to be full of pomp. Why? Well... "Fear not. Those remains served the glorious purpose of finding something that fits you perfectly. Let this bath function as your closet."

    With a casual click of the fingers, Gilgamesh produced an entire wardrobe... or even, a market's worth of the finest garbs all perfectly tailored to the queen's form. Dresses of lapis lazuli were aplenty, alongside pure whites, satins, silks, all manner of colors and fabrics to grace her skin. One could almost mistake this bathroom of his for a shopping district, as clothes meant specifically for one Artoria Pendragon were all across and throughout the room. Where there was not a pool of water, there was a rack of dresses and the like, with a small amount of walking space between. There was a distinct lack of any undergarments, but... this was an ancient desert. With those garments offered, and not an additional word spoken, Gilgamesh made his way toward the throne room. He would keep Excalibur in hand while handling a bit more work for the day, all while awaiting the completion of Artoria's bath.

  10. #370
    The words of Gilgamesh about her clothing hit her ears with about the normal amount of pomp his words tended to. This wasn't even a matter of him not getting value this was simply an assumption of his that what he had to offer was better. "You do know I can not stay here indefinitely right? I have my own kingdom to raise, a cold weather kingdom. One does not walk around in desert clothing in Camelot, you would freeze," she said. Truly if he'd gotten rid of her original garments she'd have another stop to make on her way back, to see the great Pharaohs in Egypt and hopefully not interrupt their afternoon for a more appropriate set of clothing. Of course, with Gilgamesh's arrogance came the presentation of an entirely new wardrobe for her to choose from. He was seeming more and more like one of her siblings, trying their best to just take over some random aspect of her life they thought needed extra control. Then again, Artoria was not so very picky, surely she could find something to suit her current needs while she figured out where her actual dress ran off to? "I will have a look... I make no promises about it though," she said. Finding clothing that fit her was one thing, finding clothing she liked on her own form was an entirely different matter. She was comfortable enough in what she currently wore, but it was more like extravagant bedwear, it at least made sense. The rest of the clothes strewn across this bath didn't seem too much more covering than what she had on already. It was going to be a long bath wasn't it?

    Whatever the case, after Gilgamesh exited the lass stripped down and had a wash and rinse before settling herself into the pool. She dipped her head back ran fingers through wet golden locks and relaxed. Eventually, she was in this pool her eyes turned up to the ceiling partly floating just being in the warm water. What kind of man was the King of Heroes that he took even her wardrobe choices upon himself? What did he actually expect of her? Did she like being around him? Well... that was strange, she couldn't say she disliked being around him... but she also couldn't form a hard opinion one way or another. She was likely to turn to a prune before she finally found the right answer. An hour of deep contemplation in a hot bath was about all Artoria could take before she muscled herself out. A towel around her person, another around her drying locks she stood before this clothing and began thinking through what she could wear. "Too short. Too loose. Too open. There are no underwear. Why are there no undergarments? How do these people survive without accidentally flashing each other?!" she was near outraged as she settled for what could only be considered the softest of all presented choices, only found after an hour of searching through what felt like miles of clothes. A white silk number with two arms and enough length for her to feel comfortable enough. Her arms were lightly exposed, it tied under the chest with a bit of blue that was closest to her more favored pieces. It had flowy bits of fabric that apparently needed to stop above her knee for reasons she did not understand. She wasn't even a prude, but with no underwear she was officially worried. And now she was doing something about her hair, which would not take long because she only did a single bun with that braid surrounding it. The loose pieces framing her face were enough to give it her normal bit of flair with that one little blonde lock over her head completely untamable. Whatever the case she exited her bath looking exceedingly uncomfortable, though as stunning as she always did. The exposed skin on her shoulders and back only made her long for a weapon in her hand. She felt so exposed, something she figured she likely wouldn't have felt if Gilgamesh hadn't been staring at her earlier. Sandals? Yeah, it looked like she'd be wearing the sort that wrapped her legs up in golden twine, still, the overall look wasn't terrible to her she was certain, she just felt so very different.

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