closed; where it all went wrong

[arcanepower]

Who: Belthazar (arcanepower) and Gilgamesh (babbylon)
When: Backdated to between 5/10-5/15
Where: Gresser
What: Belth accidentally finds a purveyor of pornography while trying to better the world.
Rating: G for Gilgamesh??? No, wait. Probably make that PG-13.

[Belthazar is honestly not very good with investigating. It's not that he can't put two and two together, but he's actually quite terrible in social situations. On the one hand, this gets him some extra money, since he ends up helping out one of the shopkeepers for a day, and he hears a lot of gossip. On the other, this doesn't actually physically bring him any closer to finding out where the cows are. The next morning, he sets further out into the forests of Gresser.

What he does know is that he is forging out into the wilderness with nothing but his staff and a whole lot of angry wildlife. Fireballs tend to keep most of them away, for now, but he's still half-expecting to run into a dragon. If he does, he has a plan... and that is to run away very, very fast. It's served him well before.

Ironically, his Carrier is a dragon, just a baby one. The little spiky lizard hides in the (modified) hood of his uniform, snorting and snoring away, while Belthazar picks his way through the broken branches.]

Ferdinand! Charlene! Yvonne!

[Calling their names helps to find them, right...?

And then he sees one-- how now brown cow, standing in a clearing, munching on some leaves. Belthazar startles into a run and trips but keeps going, which of course makes the cow look up nervously.]

Fear not, I am here to save you!

Comments

CRASHES IN HERE

[babbylon]

[Something approaches.

It is part beast, part otherwise. It travels fast, not on hooves, but what seems to be the sound of heavy paws, followed by the occasional screech. An eagle, maybe, or some other form of raptor. Someone whoops along with it, baiting the animals that attempt to attack them without fear, without concern. They fend them all off with a confident swing of a sword, a bold, daring grin, before emerging from the brush and into said clearing.

And so the first Belthazar will see of Gilgamesh is a powerful man in sharp, snazzy clothes, mounting and posturing atop griffin. That's one way to make an entrance.]

Save whom, exactly?

[...and the first he'll hear him speak, he's mouthing off. The cow looks a little nervous now in the presence of a predator, but Gilgamesh pays it no mind, focusing on the elf instead. He paces a wide circle around, studying his features. Those ears, in particular, which give him away for who and what he is.]

Ah, you must be his little pupil. I see, I see.

oh my god HAHAHA

[arcanepower]

[Is this man for real? Is he, really? Because Belthazar doesn't believe it. People like that don't exist. Maybe he's the village fool and he's had a few too many drinks, but no, he is actually riding a hippogryph and that's hard to ignore.

Who is this guy?]

The-- [He's momentarily startled by the sight, but he finds his ground again and tries not to look intimidated.] The cow. Obviously.

[He tries not to look nervous as Gilgamesh looks him up and down. Not that there's much to see-- he's 5'1", ninety pounds when wet, and clinging to his staff like it will save him. His eyes, however, are fierce and unwavering. Though he's a nervous and skittish creature in order to survive, there are things he will give himself to protect. The effect is not unlike a bristling kitten with its claws out and its ears back.]

My name is Belthazar. [He knows who Gil must be referring to, unless there's another blood elf he doesn't know about!] Belthazar Anor'thalion.

[Not his pupil. His son. Deal with it.]

[babbylon]

[Is this man for real is, in fact, a common question when addressing the wild Gilgamesh for the first time. When addressing the wild Gilgamesh, do not make eye contact; he does not see it as a threat, but instead as an excuse to boast even more. Do not give off sarcastic airs, as this will concurrently be seen as a threat and as excuse to engage in foreplay. Speak softly and do not arouse his temper, as that may very well arouse something else.

The wild Gilgamesh grins at the little creature before him, and pauses front and center. Fortunately, his mount seems a bit more amenable; it chirps once, twice, then descends into a graceful bow. Despite appearances, at least, the great bird will not harm him.]

Hail, Belthazar. I am Gilgamesh, and I am well-acquainted with your kinsman, Adrasteius. He spoke of you quite fondly.

[Glancing to the cow, then back, he offers:]

Did you require assistance? I believe we were meant to herd that animal, and I am much better equipped to manage it.

[arcanepower]

[Failed step one.

The griffin has more manners than his master, apparently. Belthazar bows in return, though not too low, and the baby dragon hiding in his hood beeps in annoyance.]

Gilgamesh! [The color rises to his face anew, and suddenly he's all bluster again.] You must wish you were well-acquainted, if you keep drawing my father naked and plastering it onto the bulletin board for everyone to see!

[Failed step two. He's pointing angrily now, his other arm still firmly wrapped around his staff.]

How dare you sully my father's honor, you-- you crude, lecherous brigand! You are not worthy to take a pig for a mount, let alone a griffon!

[babbylon]

[Dryly:]

Yes, you've managed my name quite sincerely, I see.

[Gilgamesh may as well not even have had heard the rest, which might prove advantageous for poor Belthazar. Gilgamesh dismounts from his griffin, gives him a reassuring pat, then assesses the elf with a more critical look. He's a short, skinny thing, even more so than Adrasteius. They didn't appear at all alike, beyond their pointed ears and emerald eyes, which confirms his suspicions that they were not at all related.

But Adrasteius seemed to hold this youth in high regard, and had insisted he be spared from the worst of Gilgamesh's intentions, so he honors that and pretends he'd been shown no serious disrespect just now. And again, his attention span could be flighty at the best of times so maybe he really hadn't noticed.]

How long have you been at this for?

[Gilgamesh jerks his thumb towards the cow.]

How long have you been at that for? It seems a bit... disinterested, sorry to say.

[arcanepower]

[It's true. Adra is all hawklike features, but Belthazar is round in everything except his figure. They wear their attitudes differently. Also, a cute button nose is pretty telling as far as genes go. If Belthazar is aware he could be crossing a line, he doesn't care... or he's not aware of it. He doesn't know Gilgamesh from some hobo on the street, and besides, this is personal.]

Three hours. But two of those were spent tracking it through this mud pit--

[His righteous anger is quickly deflating, though. Gil can see right through him.]

Stop trying to change the subject!

[babbylon]

I have only the greatest respect for your father.

[There. Subject addressed, and quite seriously, at that. Gilgamesh looks neither angry nor particularly annoyed; he's giving Belthazar the answer he presumes that he wants, for the sake of moving along. Gilgamesh did not care to dwell on something he saw as trifling when there were other, more pressing matters on the agenda.

Like claiming his colle for a job well done. And getting to know this little firecracker a little bit better.]

Now, if you would have any respect for me, you will aid me in this endeavor so that we might return all the faster to cold drinks and warm beds.

[...that didn't qualify as hitting on his son, did it? No, not at all, he thinks. Just an innocuous invitation, nothing more.]

[arcanepower]

[That touch of seriousness is what Belthazar needs to hear. He relaxes a fraction, enough that he can stop huffing and puffing about the well-intentioned guy stealing his cow. His cow that is someone else's cow that he has been trying to fetch all day, that is.]

... All right.

[Hey, look, that's something.]

What do you want me to do?