[semi-open] come, let's fly.

[babbylon]

Who: Gilgamesh and various characters
When: Following the latest dungeon.
Where: the Airy, around Polgar, possibly other places
What: Catch-all log for post-dungeon adventures.
Rating: I'll just slap this with the classic "Gilgamesh Deserves His Own Warning" warning. Mentions of rape in Adrasteius thread. Fetish and sex talk in the Kavi thread.

[Custom prompts are below. Feel free to PM me if you're interested in doing something aboard the Airy or in Polgar; I'd be happy to plot with you!]

Comments

[quaria]

[ Even if Gilgamesh should smile, Setsuna wouldn't be able to see it; he's rather content with staying still. He remains so even as the King moves closer, though he eventually shifts to face elsewhere while continuing their shared meal. His eyes would tend to always look out there, reflected by the distant skies before them. Crimson and gold... The colors of the sunset, much like that day, much like this person beside him. Why is it always during the sunset?

But those golden colors before them will not last long. Soon enough, the darkness will blanket the area. Setsuna nods to acknowledge Gilgamesh's words, intending to head out before the sunset is completely over. He was hoping the mana exchange would finish before then... But it's not quite enough, still feeling his waist area pulling him down. He moves a hand to hold over his covered wound, part of him wishing that cell-regeneration equipment were available. Though he doesn't complain as usual, choosing to bury the useless thought at the back of his mind. In place, there's something else that he could ask for. ]

King... May I trouble you one more time?

[babbylon]

[Even though Gilgamesh isn't privy to the finer details of his life—that Setsuna was the pilot of a powerful machine, part of an organization called Celestial Being that oversaw the world, went beyond the stars in a very literal sense—he nonetheless knows that he belonged in the sky. Watching from high above, beyond humanity, beyond a homeland. It's evident in how thoughtful he is with every sunset, no matter how many times he's seen one. It never seems to matter; he always seems so awe-inspired by everything. In a sense, Gilgamesh envies him for it. For that innocence, even if he'd claim to the contrary.

When he's hailed this time, Gilgamesh tells him, quite sternly:]

Now, and from this point forward, you have my permission. None of this "may I trouble you" business; just ask.

[It is an uphill battle with Setsuna, coaxing such directness from him, but one he's willing to fight. He prefers that those close to him speak freely, as it is a sign of mutual respect. He may be a King, but Setsuna's opinions matter, too—though, given his stubbornness, only to a certain degree. He's still rather set in his ways.]

That aside... what might I do for you?

[He has a feeling he can guess what's troubling him. His eyes wander to the wound, as well, the slightest bit concerned.]

[quaria]

[ Hm... Setsuna still has to get used to that, too. Getting scolded for being too formal, when living in distance is his way of life. It doesn't matter much lately, considering the public's recent acceptance for their organization after the events from two years ago. But facing unfamiliar experiences and concepts requires time to adjust to. He's a little speechless when told to drop the formality, though it was fleeting.

If there's anyone who can adjust to change, it's undoubtedly Setsuna. He will try. Surely it can't be hard for someone like him, who has a reputation for being too reckless at times. Still... as someone who only knows how to fight, it's harder to apply his directness in the everyday life than in matters related to war; but he will do what he can. For his King, he would not mind. ]

Yes...

[ A light confirmation that he will. And once Gilgamesh asks him, he follows through with it. He pauses only for a second, then says it. Rather, he gestures it. He lifts his hand back up, indicating for the King to lean down closer. ]

[babbylon]

[It was a learning process. Just as Gilgamesh had learned to be gentler by planting that flower, Setsuna would learn to be braver in this way, by looking his King in the eye, by always saying what he means and meaning what he says. It will not happen overnight, but eventually, Setsuna will hold his head high. Not as high as Gilgamesh, but high enough that everyone could see he was proud of himself and what he'd achieved.

This, however... this situation's becoming a bit prickly. Not by any fault of Setsuna's, but there's only so close Gilgamesh could come before he took it as a sign of initiating intimacy. Once, he dreamed of taking Setsuna to his bed in a very provocative manner, but he had since decided he would work for the privilege rather than force it. If it was something Setsuna wanted, it was something Gilgamesh would earn, as there was greater pleasure in the chase than in the prize.

Baby steps. Maybe just a little won't hurt.]

Yes?

[His voice is slightly breathless. He does as requested, leans down and draws their foreheads together. Now, they stare eye-to-eye.]

Speak to me. What pleases you?

[quaria]

[ "Speak to me." Most likely not. Although trained to adjust to the most extreme situations, matters that concern his actual being—his real self, is still a distant figure. Through elapsed time, he's undoubtedly gotten better even prior to arriving in this world. But in the end, he's still limited — of known comfort, of uncertainty beyond familiar habits. Regardless, he is willing to learn. That is part of the reason why he's always seeking for answers... He is aware that he might require himself to be closer to others to find what he is looking for. To understand those around him, even if he wasn't an Innovator... He's always wanted that from the very beginning.

After their foreheads touch, Setsuna courageously continues to trust. Without his body flinching, without his head turning away, without his brows furrowing in hostility, he remains with a fluid pair of darkened eyes. He stares back, maybe by chance overpowering the gaze before his own. Underneath all of his silence, his intensity is here within him. His eyes focus, in a split second those rare golden irises flash against the crimson pair in front of him. He's asserting the King in front of him, wondering what would happen if he returns a gesture forward. So slowly, he shifts on... Just a little onward. Maybe through an unsaid whisper, he apologizes.

And right after, his hand moves to hold the King's uniform. Tugging him down further, Setsuna meanwhile kneels up to plant his own lips against that unguarded, pale brow. He stays for a while, allowing the final rush of mana to fill the two of them. It's then that he moves away, sliding off the bed to stand on his own feet. His hand moves against his own uniform, straightening it as he looks away like the usual. ]

I will... see you later, then.

[ My King. And that's all that he says before walking ahead, leaving the room. ]

[babbylon]

[Those eyes... Gilgamesh would never be frightened by them, but they still bring him to shudder when they ring with gold. When they stare back at him, so powerfully, in a way men simply weren't meant to understand. Even as a god, if only for a moment he feels outclassed. He does not bow to them, would not bow before anyone, yet he's subdued to the point of stillness. Fascinated, though also unnerved.

Setsuna could apologize for it, but he wouldn't accept it. It feels like the beginning of familiar steps; he's held, Gilgamesh holds him in turn. His pupils dilate with interest. He's kissed. Is he reading the air wrong? What does he want, why did he not say? Was it only for mana? His body shifts, ready to take the lead in the dance he knows best, but it's too late. Setsuna pulls away from him. He mutters some faint farewell, and then he's off, and that Gilgamesh leaves alone in bed when not moments before there had been a very handsome man beside him, and he had been so close—]

...damn.

[No good. Setsuna's gone, he won't hear it. It tastes like a loss. But that kiss—Gilgamesh reaches up to the spot where those lips had been, and wonders aloud:]

I wonder if I should tell him.

[Tell him that it was all well and good, to think of him his King... but someday, inevitably, Gilgamesh would be looking to cash that check.]