✿ 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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Simple for you. And I mean it'd be nice if I could, b-but I don't have to...
[ He already has a girlfriend. This is okay, Gilgamesh. You can stop now. ]
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[...was that it? That actually wasn't even that bad. Just a single word, Gilgamesh allows to hang in the air, before continuing.]
Women appreciate your true self, a degree of inherent charisma, rather than a facade. Of course, I myself require no facade to be naturally great, so if you are not... well, you must make do with what you have, I am afraid, as we are not all destined to be kings. So let us examine your strengths.
[Maybe that vow to behave was paying off. So long as Yata continued to be respectful... or rather, indulgent of his whims... this seemed to be going pretty well. It seemed that the secret to getting along with Gilgamesh was simply enduring these flights of fancy and entertaining him. What an overwhelming sort of man.]
What are you best at, boy? Do not be shy; boast your full array of talents to me.
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Huh. Asuna told him the same thing. What she appreciated in Yata, above all else, was how he carried himself with no pretension. Could this man have some nuggets of wisdom behind all that ego after all!? Well! If he's helping him, then he might as well take the offer. ]
That's easy! I'm really good at sports and stuff. I like skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding— Ah, and I'm a pretty strong fighter, too! And dancing... Anyway, as long as it's a really physical activity, I can do it. [ He says this with full confidence. ] Oh, and my mom taught me how to cook and clean.
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[Damn, this got serious. Gilgamesh's eyes goes wide, and his grip tightens, a signal to listen up.]
Cooking and cleaning may be definitively a woman's field, but you will impress her all the more by challenging her in this arena! Perhaps you might even attempt these things while donning your mount— [talking about his "board"] —so that you may deftly combine both skills. She will certainly take notice!
[His advice seems a little strange... but it also seems to be coming from a good place. Perhaps Gilgamesh sincerely wishes to make amends. Either that or he's sincerely spouting off again, off in his own little world of misplaced logic. Either way, he really believes in all that he's said, and it's hard not to get drawn in by charisma like that.]
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[ He can see it in his head: flipping pancakes while grinding on the rails, ironing clothes while he's on the ironing board... It's killing two birds with one stone! ]
With all due respect, Gilgamesh, that sounds totally crazy. Gh... But for some reason, it also sounds stupidly cool!
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[Gilgamesh seems to have misunderstood the meaning of the phrase... but they have done it, definitively. They have bonded over choreboarding, the revolutionary way to clean and impress your honey as the hot new mess to impress your honey, guaranteed. There's no possible way this could fail!
Mission accomplished. Sort of.]
And, naturally, I possess the means to make you go very, very fast. So I would be happy to assist you in this endeavor.
[No. Possible. Way.]
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[ He heard that among the Hero Ranks, Kings can cast spells that could make him faster and stronger. If they were in a video game, Yata would call them buffs. Did a person as pompous as Gilgamesh have such an ability? That'd be incredible! And kind of annoying. ]
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[Gilgamesh appears to have misunderstood the question... but he did have buffs! Kind of. Sort of. If you squinted. Look, psionic magic had plenty of varied applications, alright? He totally could send Yata soaring along. Granted, he'd largely be soaring completely out of control, but life was best lived on the edge!
And boy, did Gilgamesh have edge. Too much edge, one might argue.]
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Hehhh, really? [ He smirks. Is Yata challenging him? When you've got a big ego like Gilgamesh, Yata probably is. ] You want this kitchen clean in a snap, right? [ He jerks a thumb at himself. ] I can do it for ya. So show me what you got!
[ Buff him! He kind of wants to know what it feels like. ]
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Alright! Do your best to impress me, boy!
[Gilgamesh focuses a moment, then casts a psionic aura around Yata. Congratulations, young man, you now move at the speed of sound. Or at least really, really fast.]
just end me
[ It's okay. It's not like Yata has to impress his father-in-law at his own damn party, anyway. And even if he does, Adra can't tell them what to do. They're on the same page on this one.
So the boy gets in position, reveling in the aura not unlike his own back home. This will get the job done in two seconds flat. He can feel it!
He starts running and it's absolute chaos.
This souped-up version of Yata bumps into walls and decor, knocking over fragile objects as he tries to scrub, sweep and wipe the mess Gilgamesh made. The effort is in vain; a bag of flour Gil's probably left there topples over the counter and so does a bowl of eggshells. They're quickly followed by a box of baking powder, creating a bigger mess that neither of them had ever imagined.
In front of Gilgamesh, Yata skids to a stop, flour on his nose and hands on his hips. ]
How'd I do?
[ He is so hopeful. ]
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my son has come home at last