Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

Six. Six Holy Grails filled with wine was what it took for the Queen of Knights to properly open herself. At this point, she was upholding a very normal conversation with Gilgamesh, much to his furthered satisfaction. The analogy she had for her sister bordered upon a brutality. Actually, it sounded like something Gilgamesh himself would have said. Were they so alike? Perhaps. "Hmph. Reality bends to the mighty, does it not? You seem to have plentiful control over that very concept. Such an engrossing method of showing dominance over those who purport to be your superiors. I have been made no less smitten this day," he declared. Every time he even minced words with this woman, he was given a full list of new reasons to pursue her. Rarely was he so specific as to the reasons themselves, but... he'd been through quite a few grails of wine himself.

Now then, what purpose did this spoon aimed at him serve? To draw attention to a point, it seemed. Artoria thought ill of his elation, determining that he was on his way to another indulgence. Ah, but what was this? Could it have been a drunken stupor which caused her phrasing to be so very... specific? "Oh am I? Tell me, what indulgence is it that I tread upon now? Is the thought of crowning your king still stuck in your mind, per our earlier discussion?" he asked. Yes, though he was given some reprieve of her chiding, it seemed her break from his onslaught was at its end.

Much could have occurred between the would-be king and queen of all creation. Progress would see them quite similar to another pair, who shared the most casual banter over wine and dinner. None could question two pharaohs speaking of their previous lives in the middle of the most powerful banquet ever seen in this world. "Better, is it?" Ozymandias wondered as a sly hand made its way toward Nefertari's plate. The male would see himself snatch a strange ball─ merely a combination of dates and pistachios formed into a simple dessert. They looked rather pleasant, and there were none on his plate. Surely this would be the best of desserts by Nefertari's own explanation, no? "The way you speak, Moon of my Life, I shall assume consent."

[Apollymi]

Reality bends to the mighty? Yes, but more specifically as far as Artoria was concerned it bent to her, as all would. "Twice today my ideal of might has been mentioned. I am beginning to believe I am leaving strange impressions on everyone. Especially when you give me compliments over it," she said about her might makes right style of going about things in her life. As for the King of Heroes being made no less smitten by her obvious leaning towards domination and violence she could only chuckle. "My day has consisted of spouting violence and spoiling children, even in the Holy Grail War. Truly you are a strange man, to think no differently having witnessed anything of my day, King of Heroes," she said with a level of certainty most couldn't possess. She was looking at him. She knew he meant those words, she was more than a little aware that he found even her faulty logic attractive for reasons she could not possibly fathom. She'd definitely said she'd kill her sister of pudding, and it was a known fact she'd slayed her sister before this point. Irrespective of that, the King of Heroes was here to offer adoration she did not think of herself as deserving.

At the same time, she was eating when the King of Heroes went back to his normal antics. What indulgence was he treading upon? Well, in truth that was merely a statement about how freely he was referring to her as being his, but he mentioned 'crowning her king' as a statement Artoria understood now as a reference for a sex act he seemed rather keen to show her. A sex act in which her thighs were wrapped around the King of Heroes head, was that something she wanted? It seemed like the sort of thing that could do strange things to her entire soul. And now of course, she was thinking about it actively and that wasn't good at all. Three slow blinks occurred as Artoria processed the information with each one the girl's face gained a more reddened tint. "I said no such thing. I thought no such thing. It is you, putting ideas in my head, King of Heroes. You make me ask the world multiple times a day what I have done to deserve this?" she questioned softly. This assault to her dignity was almost too much to bear, and she could blame no one but herself for thinking about it too much. That was a smidge more dramatic than Artoria normally managed to be, but she was a bit drunk and quite shocked. He'd said nothing particularly offensive, but it was still shocking to her because she knew what he meant. It was like being spoken to in code and the code itself was simply meant to fluster her to death.

Ah, but what was this? Watching the Pharaohs, was like a looking glass into the future. One easily taken in by those with any level of mental acuity. Galahad's eyes moved about just slightly, as she came to realize that the Queen of Knights was on her way to a loving and peaceful relationship whenever she got around to accepting her feelings for the King of Heroes. Nefertari for her part in this was having a howling good time. "Ah, poor Queen... I didn't know what that looked like from the outside," she said of Artoria's obviously embarrassed state. She knew from the depths of her soul the King of Heroes had said something crazy to her that the rest of them couldn't hear, because she'd once been in such a situation. In fact, she was once tricked into the lap of one Oliver Williams before she knew what to expect from such a throne. Regardless, she couldn't help but smile as he reached onto her plate. To take her words as consent was almost outlandish. "My Sun and Stars, all that I have is yours as well... consent is freely given. Always~"

[Bloodedge]

"And twice more, it may be mentioned on a whim. It is not a strange impression you leave, but a brilliant one. To even imagine that I could think less of you by now, is nothing short of ignorance." Once more, Gilgamesh drank between clauses. Artoria would be far from the only drunken mess by the end of this banquet; Gilgamesh was well on his way ages ago as well. Alas, it was the visage of a king which did the work of maintaining stability. Jovial as he was, there would hardly have been a difference between his drunken and sober states anyway. He was, however, managing to be somehow quieter now. "Besides, witnessing your day has been only the finest delicacy from beginning to end. I'm ever so keen to see what the final segment will be like~"

The gears were turning once more, not in the mind of Gilgamesh, but in the mind of Artoria Pendragon. He was indeed just putting ideas in her head. Did that make much of a difference? If one were to ask him, he'd say there was no reason for the image to ever leave her mind's retina. "Yet even now, you do not speak against it. The Queen of Knights, endlessly expressing distaste for an idea presented, yet never for the idea itself. You wear the guise of a ruler in the strangest way, to restrict yourself so thoroughly." Once more, there was a sip that emptied his cup. He lowered the object onto the table, casually waving to have his own and Artoria's filled to the brim again. She thought to ask the world what she did to deserve this. To deserve what, one might wonder? "It is as I have said before. The fact that you were born as yourself, is justification enough that I should desire you as something to adorn myself with. Emeralds sat in a bed of ruby, which itself will be partially draped in lapis lazuli. What more could a king ask, whether for his crown or his loincloth?"

Nefertari was not the only one suffering a fit of amusement by the antics one table over. Had Ozymandias not been shoving some strange Mesopotamian confection into his mouth, he'd have been guffawing into the ceiling upon witnessing Artoria's face. Even resisting that much, the laughter could no longer be stopped. "Hah hah hah! With a face so pale, there's no hiding it from anyone. Those days are my fondest memories. It's almost regrettable that you adjusted so well, but I do fancy the cheekiness of this life. Well... I very much enjoyed the cheekiness of the last one, too," he commented. A few chews later, and he decided this dessert was rather good, yet nothing compared to what they could have back home. There was a distinct lack of sweetness compared to the confections of Egypt, though he did not dislike this strange thing. "Ho. Say something like that again, and you know exactly where the pair of us will end up."

[Apollymi]

"It is not normal to find me too agreeable. It is not ignorance I suffer from but shock every time I receive a compliment where one should find criticism, King of Heroes," Artoria mentioned, even so her reddened face would be going nowhere, if only because the compliments were settling in now and there was nothing she could do to halt her own visage. If she was being honest, the words that flowed from the King of Heroes mouth were a bit more like honey at this point, sweet and sticky. Whatever the case, apparently he'd enjoyed his day in her presence and wondered what its ending was to be like. A shake of Artoria's head happened in this moment. "Avoiding spoilers again, King of Heroes?" she asked most rhetorically. After all, she wasn't keen to hear any inclination of this man and what kind of night he thought they would share. She imagined another reference incoming that would have her at a loss for words.

She wore the title ruler strangely, and restricted herself firmly. Well at least he understood that. Even so he seemed so content to point out her contradictions she had no choice but to defend herself. Even as she finished the large dessert and had nothing left but another goblet of wine. "I am not one to pass judgment over an activity. The restrictions I place are for me alone to bear. I am not so prudish as to hate the idea alone," The words of the Queen of Knights came easily even as she sipped from her chalice once more. She truly had no hard judgements to pass about sexual activity in any way. It was simply strange to her that it was aimed at her. Obviously it didn't matter to her, both of her sisters seemed to be pretty well involved and she had no issues with them. She did not like her elder sister's choice in contributor but that wasn't her business. Artoria was even raising that one's kids. According to the King of Heroes, he needed no other reason than her existence to try and lay claim to her the way she was. Artoria was hardly surprised by this notion but his word choice in the explanation made her shift her gaze towards him as she sipped more from her chalice. He truly just said whatever he thought. "More flowers and some pretty colorful imagery. You truly enjoy placing strange images in my mind don't you?" she asked once more rhetorically. She could not even manage outrage at this point she simply wished to disappear as her face became a shade of red that as sure to challenge his eyes for dominance.

Ozymandias was quite right. Given the coloration of the Queen of Knights skin, she could not hide her embarrassment. "Good thing she looks great in jewel tones, or that would become quite annoying for her," Nefertari said as if it was a true win for the young lass. Truly, Artoria Pendragon seemed to be suffering from a case of tomato face, likely caused by the sorts of words the King of Heroes uttered about her. "Ah, well... I like that I calmed down. I was hardly able to concentrate before, at least now I can get things done without losing focus in the middle of sentences. We even finish meals now~" she said with a small smirk crossing her visage. Apparently, her last previous sentence was enough of a declaration to stir the Sun King. A chuckle escaped her, as she cut those rainbow eyes in her Pharaoh's direction. "Hoh? Well if such simple words cause such an interesting end, I could not be happier. We should do the polite thing though, and give our regards to the Queen of Knights and King of Heroes though, right?" she asked of her husband. "You always accuse me of being not nice after all~" she said of Ozymandias. Besides all of that she needed to accept the King's offer and all of that before they slipped off for their designated after dinner activity.

[Bloodedge]

"Therein lies the ignorance. In truth, there should be no criticism of these moments. Shock should never be a factor, because for you, the heavens themselves should rain down praises for every breath you take." Once his cup was filled, Gilgamesh shooed the wine-pourer and lifted that golden, glorious thing to his face... yet again. To Artoria's question, he remained silent initially. He was avoiding spoilers, yes. When certain landmarks were reached, it had to be under one very specific criteria. "Of course I am! Certainly there were many possibilities in past meetings where I came to know your body on a whim. Those possibilities would mean nothing. Know that when you are finally made mine, it will be done by my merit as a man─ not simply as Hero-King Gilgamesh." There was something beneath the surface of this declaration. He'd been here for so long, unable to speak his original name and never knowing another from their world who could speak it, the name Ishigami Daisuke had long since vanished from his mind. Even so, it would be his crowning achievement to obtain Artoria Pendragon, and furthermore Hoshimi Eri as she lay buried within.

Moving on, Artoria confirmed his assertation from moments prior. She truly did detest the fact that he said such things, while offering no opposition to the things themselves. That sort of candidness could not be faulted at all. The decision itself, on the other hand, was one Gilgamesh would always pass judgment on. Your conflicted nature keeps you from such things nonetheless. Without question, you are enough of a prude that you refrain from the truest spice of life. Do you believe it is altruistic for the Queen of Knights to perish without ever having truly lived? What you call colorful imagery should instead be as the royal carpet upon which you walk a path unending. Instead, you hide behind the bashful visage of a little girl crippled by her own hormones. Tell me, when will the Queen of Knights truly spring to life?"

"It looks to be annoying regardless. If she could get away with a full-speed sprint, I imagine she would," Ozymandias added about the torment Artoria Pendragon seemingly faced. Such a dire situation it was, but people like these pharaohs knew that it could all be for the better, if that lot simply made the best of it in their individual perspectives. "Poor lass. Finishing meals isn't a problem for them at least, though I would wager it may become an issue eventually. My money is on rabbit-level," he quipped while licking residual pistachio dust from his thumbprint. "Those things are pretty good. Still, I'd rather have honey cake. Or... another sort of cake, I suppose." Honesty in its purest form, Ozymandias was yet another who would brazenly blurt out every truth on his mind. As for accusing Nefertari of not being nice, he laughed. "Well you've always been a bad girl, haven't you? Come on then; time for your dungeon trip." With no further need of the food and merriment found in this banquet, the male pharaoh rose from his chair. He'd begin walking toward the obvious future queen of Uruk, and her obvious future king, all while wondering... if it was in good taste to prod a bit. . .

[Apollymi]

The words of Gilgamesh, assaulted Artoria's ears. He had nothing but her praises to sing, and from the most genuine place she'd heard such things. People often adored her, some even thought her great, but to take every aspect of her workings as if she was without fault and speak it as truth aloud was uniquely a characteristic of the Golden King. "I am certain you mean that, as outlandish as it is for you say such a thing..." Artoria managed softly. She found her face in her own cup, sipping behind it and allowing herself the most casual stare at the King of Heroes. What was more, the King of Heroes admitted, no, declared he was purposefully avoiding spoilers of the nature of their meeting. He was certain it would happen but claimed it would be on his merit, not as the Hero-King but as a man, and he would not taint that. Artoria's eyes widened over the edge of her cup. And in this moment she came to realize what it was about the King of Heroes that confused her. His earnest like of her as a person was one thing, forgiven for being star-struck. His willingness to work at her affections and not just purely exert his power over her to claim her, wanting her to like him back... it was something else entirely. No one who wanted to achieve anything by merit alone could be bad at all, diligence remaining in a man who'd had everything already was appealing. "I... do not have words," she managed with softness bubbling up in her soul. 'King of Heroes you cannot do this. I may never forgive you if you turn yourself into this...'

Artoria worried about the placement of the King of Heroes. She would not add him to her responsibilities but that was because she could see it. She could see him telling her exactly the things passing through her mouth. Be more selfish, live for yourself. Accept me and you can have the world. Why can't you take for you? She did not expect anyone to understand truly how she saw herself but she also couldn't help but be honest. "You are quite wrong, King of Heroes. I do not consider it an act of altruism. It is an act of selfishness," she said. She always found herself being overly honest with this man. He already understood her motivations so she was not hiding anything from him to start with. "I do not plan to spring to life. What I am selfishly pursuing is not something I would share here and now," she said carefully, being just as evasive as Agravain had been earlier. If he wished to know the truth she had in store, she would tell him freely, but that wasn't a dinner topic.

"Ah, yes she does seem like she would leave him at any moment she could. Earlier she looked like she might just walk off into the wilderness..." said Nefertari. Of course, she'd seen the truth of this girl in her bath, struggling with her like of the King of Heroes. It seemed over the course of the night she'd lightened up quite a bit. As for their ability to finish meals, that was only properly possible because the Queen of Knights did not like, her appreciation of the King of Heroes. "It will be a bit worse than that. Her whole life will fall apart worse than mine did the first time," said Nefertari she had a lot of certainty. She also slipped out of her chair post downing her last dessert. "Oh? Well, if I have earned my pharaoh's punishment... I will accept it graciously~" Nefertari was on her way to speak with the pair at the center table. "Queen of Knights, you are owed proper congratulations for achieving your goals. King of Heroes, I will take your commission at your earliest convenience. It was a fun night..." she said to the pair making it obvious they were intending to leave. Artoria looked up from her cup and could see by the way they were that they had more pressing matters to attend to. "I see. I would have words with all the cupbearers before we break. I have news I should share before the information is lost. I would rather not interrupt any of you later..." the Queen of Knights stated, she was surprisingly understanding of the situations surrouding both the Pharaohs, and her younger sister. She'd rather not interrupt them later if at all avoidable.

[Bloodedge]

Every time he spoke, she acknowledged the sincerity of his words... Yet every time he spoke, she failed to understand the purpose of those same words being sent her way. Again, it was only a matter of time, and another step would be taken with only another declaration. Artoria was left without words once more, as she had been a number of times recently. These were the signs he looked for, and the more they appeared, the more content he became in his path toward the future. One anomaly remained, though. Artoria saw her own self-destruction not as something altruistic, but as something selfish. How foolish. "Hmph. Is this also humanity? Destroying yourself for your own desires is life in its purest form, I suppose... but it is no way to live," he declared in spite of his own actions to this day. It was quite a shame that neither of these individuals truly knew their own similarities. There were surely others who saw them, though. In fact, perhaps as much could be said about the pair presently stepping up to them, while Gilgamesh offered his final clause. "I will allow your secrecy. Later, we will speak more of this."

With that final phrase given, the pharaohs were upon them. Ozymandias was grinning widely in the wake of Nefertari's most recent statement, but first there was a matter of business between the woman and King Gilgamesh to address. "It is as I thought. Expect materials and remuneration to arrive at your doorstep soon," he said to seal the deal between them. This could have been the end of discussion with the pharaohs, but the Queen of Knights herself had information to share with those who wielded Holy Grails. "Ho ho. I expected someone fighting at the end of this shindig, not a meeting. Still, I'm interested to hear anything that's worth all of our attention. It just so happens that we have the perfect room for a meeting just over here. We left a little VIP section next door just incase it was that sort of party. Shall we?"

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh questioned whether or not it was humanity that made Artoria think of her impending doom as something selfish. Some might consider it that way, but she thought it was exactly because she was so inhuman that she would see her situation through all the way. "Or it is the only way to live," she countered easily. She was still sipping from her cup, seeming not to care that it was her seventh of such a large drink. It could also be seen as something extra considering it was wine made by the blessed wine-maker and as such actually had a lasting effect even on the monstrous metabolism of one Artoria Pendragon. Much to her own appreciation, the King of Heroes as willing to let that piece of their conversation end for now, claiming she could keep her secret and they could talk about it later. "Oh? Feeling generous today, King of Heroes~" she stated into the brim of her cup.

Moving right along, the Pharaohs were now standing before them. Artoria had been right in her thoughts about the pair of them running off, then again... she could see the motivations of people she was looking at, though she did not need such a power in their case. Of course, the Pharaohs had planned ahead including a meeting room for them. "I'll be waiting on that," said Nefertari. She wondered what all the King of Heroes would commission. At the very least, it would give her an appropriate creative outlet for all of her designs which weren't themed for her own area. The words of Ozymandias hit Artoria's ears and that little smirk crossed her lips as it always would. "Sun King, you wound me... but the night is still young," she joked, though truly she had no intention of fighting anyone in the present moment. "Emi! With me..." Artoria said to her younger sister the Queen of Saints. Of course, Jeanne D'Arc rose without a second thought following heading up to her sister's side with a wide smile on her face. "Oh? Are we having a meeting?" she asked seeming to find this gathering just as strange as the first time such a thing had happened. Artoria nodded, picking up her cup with one hand and preparing to depart to this secondary room with the others.

[Bloodedge]

"We shall see," Gilgamesh concluded. Whether Artoria's choice was a terrible one, or the only one truly worthwhile, would one day be discovered by the pair of them... perhaps. For now, there was no immediate cause for concern either way. There was wine to be drunk, a celebration to finish, and apparently generosity to be offered on Gilgamesh's part. What would he have to say about this notion? "Of course my magnanimity should know no bounds when my darling bride is on the receiving end," he said jovially.

Nefertari was clearly excited to flex her creativity, as some (such as Ozymandias) realized she always was. Perhaps she would be even more elated to discover that the project Gilgamesh had in mind for her was, in fact, not something that anyone without foresight could have anticipated. He sought clothing for Artoria, yes. Some however, were for a physique she'd never possessed, which dwarfed even her physically mature younger sister. Some were for her current physique, but a more magical guise. More were matched to her current physique, but were more suited to an assassin of the night. She would soon learn of what he desired, whenever he gathered the materials and transported such a massive payment. First though, there was apparently a meeting to be had, and still the potential for Ozymandias to witness combat at a banquet. Hope was to be held as five holders of the Holy Grail stood and moved toward this alleged "VIP section" constructed by the pharaohs. Only a few treks from the dining hall was a large room draped in velvet and threaded electrum, with what appeared to be several couches arranged in the center of a round bar. Off to one side was a large harp, presumably from somewhere ridiculous like Gilgamesh's treasury if one considered the fact that it played itself. Ozymandias was the first to take a comfy sofa for himself, stretching an arm across the area his queen was expected to inhabit. "Alright then. What sort of situation warrants five mighty ones?"

[Apollymi]

Ah, right. According to the King of Heroes, they would see, probably when they had a real discussion about Artoria's plans. She felt she owed him the truth of her unavailability. If she gave it to him, perhaps he would be content to leave her to the path she walked, without becoming the only thing she might regret. Apparently, his generosity was there specifically for her, as his presumed future bride. "Oh to be so certain..." she said with a casual roll of her eyes.

Soon enough this gathering was in a nice 'VIP' type of room, with couches and it was obvious that Nefertari was apt to show off. The Queen of Knights current outfit was proof enough to Artoria that such creations were what she loved. Jeanne shared the same opinion after seeing the inside of the Holy Knights Headquarters. This VIP section they were now in was also proof of her creativity. There was even a harp playing itself, in gentle tones. Between the last memory of a room like this Artoria had, and the soft music her heart almost exploded in her chest. What a strange thing to remember, She could hide that though, just a gentle blink as she took a seat on a couch across from the Pharaoh Ozymandias. Artoria would drink out of her Grail now about halfway empty. Of course, Nefertari took her seat in the open arm space provided by Ozymandias, meanwhile Jeanne took a seat on one side of her sister.

Artoria for her part in this only had one way of speaking. Directly and not resting on ceremony with her word choice. Much like she would have spoken about anything with her Knights at her roundtable she had a candid conversation with these four about the nature of their current lives. "All five of us hold what this world considers a Holy Grail, though only four of us have seen the white room, I figured the information I gleaned from the voice within should be shared, at least between us," Artoria said. She sat with perfect dignity like a lady soon after with her hands clasped in her lap around the grail itself. "I asked the voice its origins and its actual powers, as well as about the grails and it enlightened me," she explained carefully. "The voice itself is the Nexus. And those of us with grails possess what it calls a 'key' to access it in some way or another. This is Divinity, above that of world gods or whatever else is naturally spawned within the world," she explained of the situation. "The Nexus itself has the power to change anything about the world, even things it does not truly understand and could not under normal circumstances access. But it is not completely infallible nor all knowing. It depends on those of us with keys to utilize it properly, including sharing the innovations of those of us who have talked with it. Do these things make sense?"