[Open] It's getting hot in here

[showsnopiety]

Who: Caren and anyone visiting the hot springs!
When: Post dungeon, could be right after fail/success, could be days after
Where: Hot Springs of course
What: There's a hot springs, so now there's a hot springs episode.
Rating: Could be a p-13 and beyond because some people are only wearing towels in this place.





[Win or fail, everyone needed a reason and a way to relax. With the fall of the towers, there was all sorts of good things to come from it. Some would say it was the birds; and others would say it was the hot springs.

The large, large pools of heated water. Sure, they could be used as a way to get all steamed up (or even steam punk) but after all that hard work, everyone deserves a break!

Bring your swimsuits, your towels, your drinks and snacks-who knows, you should be able to find them in the bazaars, or even on Airy. It's time to soak in the heat!]

Comments

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh flushes, genuinely flattered by the praise. Naturally, he responds as expected to it.]

Undoubtedly so! You are very fortunate indeed to have met me, and very insightful to recognize it. Alas, not all prove so grateful as you.

[Much as it might be nice to have this world on his heels before him, even Gilgamesh may have recognize it simply wasn't meant to be, that his proper garden was to be tended far away from here. Even so, he seeks to rise as high as he possibly can, because doing so meant it would be all the easier to spoil those he favored.

Hair accessories and nail polish. Well, a woman was a woman, after all. Gilgamesh nods thoughtfully, and makes a mental note to pick up a few presents for her soon.]

It will be done, then. You've certainly locks worthy of it; look how pretty my little tigress is.

[He combs a hand through her hair, suddenly wishing he had a brush in his hands. For now, his fingers will have to suffice.]

I must keep her looking her best. Otherwise, I'd be embarrassed as a man in her company.

[hoasen]

[He flushes, but his words are flamboyant as usual. What would Gilgamesh be if not so self-assured? She's amused by this, so perhaps she needs to reiterate.]

I am grateful for reasons they do not yet appreciate. Because even if I am fortunate to have met you, I am more fortunate that you are so patient with me. [Not everyone is as accommodating as he when it comes to her rage. And it's directed to him to. The world sees him as a tyrant, and they fight him. He claims he is a tyrant, and she knows and accepts it. Because he has never been a tyrant to her. Or, well there was that one Incident--

She flushes, every time he calls her pretty, especially now it is about her hair.] A-ah, I am more curious about what you have in mind. And also...[Actually this has always been on her mind--] If I am your tigress, then what should I call you? [A lion?

Before she could suggest that, she hums quietly, head tilting slightly as she feels his fingers comb through her hair. It's luxurious, and she does appreciate the touch over a comb right now.

Even if she coughs slightly at his words.] You say this knowing you are one of the most handsome men around. [She remembers his reaction to her writing. Amazing.]

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh answers, without hesitation:]

I will be your lion.

[For what else could he be? A lion was a king in its own right, considered the most majestic of all beasts. One day he might tell her of his beloved pets, of the lazy afternoons spent in a pile of them, lounging in the palace with his brother and looking over their kingdom together. One day he might tell her, but the stings remains a bit too raw at the moment. Gilgamesh may have claimed to have moved on from his homeland, loved and lost, but...

Well, Gilgamesh would claim a lot of things that weren't necessarily true. Rather, it was his version of the truth he chose to show to the world.]

And handsome though I may be, a king is only enhanced in the presence of a queen. Someday soon, a proper queen we shall make you.

[Just imagining her all dolled up, in a beautiful dress and hair flowing, gets him excited. Not that it takes very much these days.]

NICE ICON BRO

[hoasen]

[So her thoughts were accurate. It is what he wanted. A lion, a king of the plains, and the way he holds himself, it's not too far off. He is someone who, while he denies it, is always surrounded by others. And she would love to learn more about him, about his life when he was king of Sumeria. With his brother, with his pets. A time before she even existed. And even how he is alive now.

That is for another day. When he is more comfortable telling her. She knows he's hiding a great many things. But whenever she asks, he has shared.]

Then my lion you will be. Let us see how many times I can say it. [It's already embarrassing! But she will try. It's not hard if it's just the two of them.

And then she raises her eyebrow, looking at him curiously.] Is that so, handsome king? [See, he says so.] Are you going to make me a queen to walk beside you?

[Never forget that this humble country can be incredibly ambitious. She would don on finery if she really must, so it wouldn't even take him much to get her into them. Such plans are never that far off.]

TAKE THIS ONE TOO

[babbylon]

Countries cannot love, nor can they marry for it.

[Gilgamesh states this simply, matter-of-factly. Vietnam's path, while not necessarily as lonely as his own, was also one where she was surrounded by other people she couldn't truly touch. She was an immortal, and they were simply her citizens. Simply those to protect, those she existed for. Matters of love were beyond her station, as they were supposedly beyond his.

And yet she's so warm with him, he'd never believe it. He'd never believe she lived as such an entity, on a pedestal above everyone else. She has always been down to earth, and reasonable, and fair. A good wife, he thinks, if she'd ever accept another's hand. A modest wife, modest yet proud. For he knew her history, and therefore knew she would fight, and continue to fight, for as long as she had to.

He grasps around her hand. So small, yet so strong. Stronger than even his now.]

Even so, you are capable of it. So I would give you mine, as well. Walk with that love. Walk, and remember, even should we part...

[His eyes almost seem to glisten. Mischievous things, but here, they are... warm.]

A King once favored you.

OH NO THAT ONE IS CUTE THOUGH??? even if for grosso reasons

[hoasen]

[He understands all too well, after she explained it to him. Countries cannot love, nor can they marry for love. Marriage is political, to unite lands. They often wonder what love is like. And she would often hear France's stories about it, even though he knows all too well that he can't.

And Gilgamesh would understand because it is the same for him. They have their duties to serve their country. Even if he ruled his, and people feared him. He gave his home his entirety. And even so, he gives her love, and encourages her to love. She knows why she cares for him so.

She pulls his hand and holds it close, and this time she's the one who kisses his fingers.] To hear that from a tyrant who strikes fear in the heart of men. You have more love than I do, Gilgamesh. I know it for certain. You understand it more than I do. [And she can only hope that he continues to keep his heart open, no matter how lonely he, they, can be.]

Then I will say this too. Should ever that day come, my feelings for you will remain the same for eternity. This is not easy for me...a-ah...

[She clears her throat awkwardly, and answers a little slip of paper properly.] I like you, too.

[babbylon]

[What more is there to even say? It seems they understand each other all too well now.

Without another word, because they are no longer necessary, Gilgamesh dips his head and gives his tigress, his queen, a long, deep, and proper kiss, so even if she cannot love she will at least know what it feels like. She will at least know it was felt towards her by someone she cared for in return, and that her memory will not so easily fade for him, either. He will remember the woman who believed in him from the start and so helped lead him to glory once again, not that it ever truly faded.

Even a tyrant has his soft spots. And Vietnam has found one of them for sure. Or rather, she has become one of them.]

[hoasen]

[She cannot love, that is what she kept telling herself. It will hurt less when they leave, or die. Just love them as much as it will make them happy. But now, she understands what it is like to love and be loved. To be guided so that she can still have her walls taken down, and grow only stronger for it. He may not be her leader, and she will still say this, but he is her king in a very different way. A more human way. Who would've thought? Perhaps she will care a little more for this world now, knowing where, or who, it had lead her to.

And so she returns his kiss, slow and deep, to return his love with her own. To thank him for caring for her like this. To show him that she will care for him. Just like this.

Eternity is a long time, and she won't even know what the future holds for them. But for now, they are within reach. And if her long years have taught her anything, it is that she will treasure every moment of it.]