✿ THE HOUSE ✿
Adra's house is a cozy stone cottage on the outskirts of Caissa, close enough to the sea that one can hear the breaking waves throughout the day.
This afternoon, there's light, cool rain falling intermittently, tapping in a rhythm at the windows and roof. Fortunately, the kitchen is warm, bright, and welcoming. Its counters and tables are covered with freshly prepared foods of all kinds, and there are plenty of chairs for visitors who might like to sit and relax.
A door from the kitchen leads out into the garden, which is not quite yet fully landscaped, but which boasts a promising array of flowers (orchids, roses, lilies, tulips, etc) and herbs. Adra's also cultivating strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and so on; the strawberries and cherries in particular are ripe for picking. Adra has strung enchanted, floating fairy lights all over the garden; they cast a soft, ethereal glow over the paths and carefully tended patches of greenery. At the garden's center, there's a clear pond filled with red and pink lotus blossoms.
Back inside, a visitor might like to rest in the den. There's a roaring fire in the hearth, and sitting near it for a short while offers a boost to the weary spirit. Soft, plush chairs and couches fill this room, making it ideal for lounging. The tables are covered with books borrowed somewhat indiscreetly from the library; they deal largely with the magic and history of Enprise.
Adjacent to the den is Adra's study. In here are half-empty bookshelves and antique rolling desk covered with neat stacks of papers, boxes of quills, and numerous pots of ink, each one in different, brilliant colors. His journal is somewhere here, too ...
Finally, down the hall one will find a half bathroom and, across from that, the door to the second bedroom--belonging to one Gilgamesh. The master bedroom, belonging to Adrasteius, is at the end of the hall. There's a full bath in there, but this room is definitively locked.
✿ THE SPREAD ✿
As usual, Adra's gone over the top in his preparations. For drinks, there's a sweet, refreshing punch; delicately pink and decorated with sprigs of flowers. There are pitchers of sparkling ice water, jugs of wine and spiced mead, and plenty of glasses to share.
Though Adra does not eat meat himself, he prepares it ably; there's a honey-glazed, roasted turkey in the center of the table, right beside a carving board heavy with seasoned, hand-carved slices of fresh beef. Red potatoes, bright with paprika and salt and glistening with pats of melting butter, are arranged in wedges around the turkey. There are woven baskets of steaming rolls, flaky and soft; platters of carrots and broccoli and asparagus; enormous bowls of belly-warming soup filled with thick wheat noodles, sliced egg, and shredded cabbage. At one end of the table, there's a plate of burgers, along with small dishes to fix them--bacon, crispy onions, sauteed mushrooms, and all the necessary condiments. He has plates of savory pies, filled with beef or pork or chicken; steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with meat and spring vegetables, plump and perfectly shaped.
The desserts are similarly extravagant: he has a plate of meticulously crafted flower and fruit cakes; some look like ripe, blushing peaches, others, he shaped into red orchids, lotus blossoms, or golden roses. He's made a chocolate tart so dark that its smooth, sugar-dusted surface shimmers reflectively in the overhead light. Cupcakes of all kinds are scattered here and there, as well as an extravagant, multi-tiered confection dripping with fudge sauce, encrusted with sliced strawberries and vibrantly colorful, fondant flower petals. There are loaves of warm banana bread; fruit tarts glittery with rainbow sugar crystals; and, under glass, an assortment of flavorful macarons baked to look like something plucked right from the starry sky.
But the most important thing about Adra's lavish banquet is this: all of the food is enchanted, laced with magic meant to inspire feelings of comfort and security. Eating it may conjure up familiar, welcome sensations or memories--nothing sorrowful or painful, and only as specific as you'd like. It could be something as simple as the feeling of a fuzzy blanket on a cold day, or as complex as a particular soothing memory. In all cases, the intended effect is meant to inspire calm and ease.
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But for now they can just be cozy together. You know with Gilgamesh wrapping an arm around the sword and Jiroutachi resting his head on his shoulder like it just belongs there.]
Oh I think I know someone who can keep me occupied now that you're gone.
[Nope. He won't say who.]
But I could always visit you here too.
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[Gilgamesh perks up a little, intrigued by the thought of anything or anyone that could possibly distract Jiroutachi. This he must hear of.]
Should I be jealous? Has someone else come to steal your heart away, leaving me all by my lonesome?
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[Whoops. Want to talk about that instead? It's not going to be quite so easy to get him to share that part, Gilgamesh. Mostly because he's not quite sure that said someone can handle you.]
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[Poor Gilgamesh... he really does dig his own grave by not asking the right questions much of the time.]
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[Ta-da~ The subject has moved on! Jirou will just pretend like they were totally talking about this the whole time.]
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I am a man of nearly insatiable tastes. Of course not.
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[He snaps his fan closed and touches his chin with it. Like he's shocked and concerned he'll fail! Spoilers: He's really not either of those things.]
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[Busted.]
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[He gives him such a sassy smile. He knows they're both so full of it.]
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[Careful, Jiroutachi... Gilgamesh will only endure so much teasing.]
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[Drunk. Not stupid. That's this one right here.]
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To think they made the likes of you a Hero... standards are surely slipping these days, aren't they?
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[He laughs but clearly doesn't seem to be bothered by the jab. Why should he be really? This is the kind of mask that he has people falling for to begin with.]
Or maybe they just didn't know how to follow up after they brought you here. You were just too perfect that no one else could go on after!
[Jirou then leans in close.]
The King of Heroes is a lot for someone to match, after all.
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Is that what you truly believe?
[Gilgamesh seems to be inviting something else, on his own: honest opinion. He tilts his head, eyes growing a bit sharper.]
Or were simply seeking a free drink and an easy lay, as they say? I wonder.
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[He gives him a pout and leans into the hand that's threaded through his hair so nicely. Being admired is always lovely. Perhaps more so when it's by someone who might be able to appreciate the full magnitude of who he is.]
Besides, I think it might be a little rude to call you easy. Perhaps welcoming instead?
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As if you're the slightest bit concerned over being rude. You do whatever you please, you whimsical little creature.
[However, it's not an insult. Far from it. The kiss to his cheek that follows makes that much obvious.]
Perhaps that is why I like you so much. More men should live as you do.
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[He smiles and happily leans closer to him. Very much preening over the attention.]
Though I'm not sure little applies to me. There's nothing little on me.