✿ 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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no subject
Did you prefer it on?
[The strong implication here being because I would wear it, if you wanted me to. Maybe Aisha isn't accustomed to people like Gilgamesh, or at least his sort of approach, but he's as free as she considers herself to be. Open and wild, untameable, unconquerable, untouchable. A man beyond men, just as he claimed.
He watches that drip, drip, drip of blood carefully. Notes the precise way it dribbles down her lip, and makes his interest known by the sharp way he stares.]
Or did you prefer me otherwise? A proper lady should always speak her mind.
[Was he encouraging fetish talk over dessert? Yes, yes he was.]
no subject
Well, I don't mind either way! I want to know you, so whatever you think is fun will be good, you know?
[Of course she'd be drawn in to someone who did what they wanted. The sort of royalty that wasn't stuffy, or married to propriety. A new weakness, and maybe she'll be pissed off at herself for this later.
(It's doubtful, she isn't the type to look back.)
A glance up, and she catches him staring. Her tongue sweeps over her bottom lip, slowly, as she meets those crimson eyes. Teasing is easy, the only thing making this unusual is the fact she's going to act on it this time. Doesn't hurt that she likes the taste of blood.
Not as much as as ice cream, mind.]
Aisha doubts you'd look bad no matter what you wear. Or don't, for that matter.
no subject
[To know him. Many had tried, anyway, and nearly all had failed, all save for one. He smiles a little bitterly to hear it, though he recognizes it isn't her fault. She's spirited, spirited as the sun itself shining upon him, and it was likely just her way to exude optimism and forthrightness. That was fine; he enjoyed that sort of company.
But would more could it be? She's a pretty face, with a sassy tongue, but what more could she offer? That remained to be seen.]
But I've no need for wishes, you understand. All I seek... it's already mine.
[A bold statement, with a bold smirk to back it up, and a bold pair of fingers wrapping around her wrist.]
no subject
[A pretty face, a sassy tongue, a person who'd always try to be more than what she was. To know Gilgamesh may be impossible, but that sort of thing didn't phase her much. Who knew, with kings? Right now she'd just enjoy what this was.
Enjoyable.
His fingers wrap around her wrist, and she doesn't resist. They've made quick work of the ice cream, so nothing would be wasted. The Ctarl smirks back, a mirror of his boldness. She was flustered, she was out of her depth, but there was no fear here.]
I hope you treat the things you hold well. It's a sad king who can't handle what he seeks to conquer.
no subject
[With the heated look in his eyes, and the way his grip tightens as if in challenge, there's no room for misinterpretation here. He's inviting her to his bed, and doing so without regrets, without hesitation; he may not truly know her people, not yet, but he thinks he knows the sort of courtship they might prefer.
The straightforward kind, that left you a little flustered, a little out of your depth, and more than a bit breathless.]
no subject
[His challenge is well met. There's a bit of vulnerability in her eyes, the look of the inexperienced. In a sense she's putting herself in his hands, at his mercy. But knowing exactly what he wants makes it a bit easier.
What more this could be was so far off it wasn't even a thought in her head. This King of Heroes was still something of a stranger, might always be. But she wants to know how he is, and this way seems as good as any to find out.
(Something had sparked in her, when he'd looked at her the way he had.)]
no subject
There's plenty of the party left for you to enjoy, so by all means, do so. Afterwards...
[He'll lean down and snap his teeth just short of biting one of those furry ears. Instead, he takes the chance to mutter into it, again in such a way that his intent couldn't possibly be misunderstood.]
...you are free to visit me within my quarters. And then I will show you what it means to earn a King's favor.
no subject
[She bets his teeth are sharp. Her eyes slide shut when he speaks in her ear, so close. It's... yeah, it is. He's loud and clear, and she's so curious.
Wait, he lives here?
That makes things easier, at least.]
I'll see you then.