[closed] I want, I want, I want...

[babbylon]

Who: Gilgamesh and Hakuno
When: Shortly before the dungeon.
Where: Caissa
What: Master and Servant go on their very first date together! Hopefully it's not a complete disaster...
Rating: Probably general audiences nah it's pretty PG-13 after that boobgrab.

[Dates weren't exactly an everyday occurrence for Gilgamesh—at least not planned ones, his outings as King were far more demanding and, uh, compulsory—but he's fallen into stride with them easily enough here. He actually didn't have any swimwear prior to Hakuno's suggestion of a pool, so he's picked up a simple pair of patterned golden shorts and matching sandals for that very purpose before heading out to meet her by her door.

Of course, that's all he's wearing by the time he arrives, but it's nothing she hasn't seen in the past. He greets her with a friendly wave and a big grin, and if there's any sign of tension from their previous conversation, as always it has all but evaporated.]

There you are, girl! I presume you almost ready for our grand undertaking?

[...never mind it being a date. Now it's a grand undertaking.]

Comments

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh hems... and haws... and it looks like he's actually struggling some here. To be fair, he only just recently regained the need to eat. And drink.]

I do not do this very often... what beverage would best quench the thirst of a King?

[sealeted]

Hm...

[Well, wine only dehydrates you, if she's not getting her facts muddled. So...]

Maybe grape? Or you could try some of mine, if you like.

[babbylon]

I should have brought my usual stock along. This has proven to be a most agonizing quandary.

[But he'll just roll with her suggestion, this time. Even though she's not in much of a boat to know any better.]

But it shall be as you say. I request one "grape" from you, shopkeep!

[sealeted]

[Hakuno has to hold back a snort at that. 'Agonizing', huh?]

Well, it's nice to try something new from time to time, right?

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh receives his... grape... and pays for their purchases in full, even going as far as to thank the attendant—but likely to only impress his date. He stashes all their drinks away in his satchel and considers what she has said, eventually giving an approving nod.]

I find comfort in a certain routine. Although I will admit too much of it can become dull.

[He slips his hand back into hers and gives a cursory glance about the area.]

Hm... there are several outdoor swimming facilities within the city. Did you have any preference as to which?

[sealeted]

No. I've never been to any, really, so I wasn't really sure how to choose.

[She knows how to swim, but there has never, ever been a casual time to put it into practice. There had been the Moon Cell's Core, she supposes, but the might of the Eye of God had rendered her unable to do anything more than float.]

Have you been to all of them yet?

[babbylon]

I confess it is not an activity I often engage in.

[If he's lounging, he prefers to do it from the comfort of a couch and some suspiciously dim lighting. It isn't as if he disliked the water, but swimming was... well, the last time he really swam, it was beside someone special. Someone irreplaceable. It might even be said there was a bittersweet association for him.

But he does recall one place in particular, for one very specific reason.]

I believe I know of a suitable locale, however. This way.

[sealeted]

[Perhaps she might be able to extrapolate and realize that, given the chance and time to really think hard on the matter, but mostly Hakuno is just happy that it's something out of the normal that they can both enjoy. She follows his lead happily enough, glancing around as they walk.]

So, what sort of activities do you usually engage in? ...aside from carnality and drinking, that much can go unsaid.

[babbylon]

In this world, I have taken up artistry.

[Which, coming from Gilgamesh, could refer to any number of surreptitious hobbies, but it was intended as a literal statement. Given that he was no longer a Servant, he was no longer forced to fight against his own wishes, and he had no obligations to a Master infringing upon his personal boundaries. Even for a born hedonist, perhaps there was such a thing as too much free time; it felt almost too indulgent, like it could be snatched from him at any moment. As true happiness always had been.]

I find painting with watercolors enjoyable. I am able to garden once again, and travel wherever and whenever I please.

[He sounds strangely happy that she asked... he may have been waiting for a question like this one.]

[sealeted]

Is that where this came from?

[She taps the lion now emblazoned on his arm, idly tracing over a few of the lines and edges with her fingernail as they walk. It feels strange, to see something other than the characteristic scarlet stripes on his skin, but it makes her happy in a way. They aren't preserved avatars, in this world. They can get piercings, tattoos, change their appearance however they choose to.

It brings a small smile to her face, as she tilts her head to peer up at him.]

I'm glad. That's what he and I were going to do, before I was summoned here. Well, not so much gardening, explicitly. What sort of things do you grow? Just flowers, or herbs, or...?

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh nods, laughing at that particular memory.]

Truthfully, I have not been able to give it much thought.

[There just wasn't any opportunity for it, rotting in Kirei's dungeon of a church. He wandered the city when he could to alleviate boredom, but there just wasn't much to see, and Fuyuki wasn't the best place for growing anything anyway, too cold or too wet or both. Like Hakuno, Gilgamesh was experiencing Enprise with bright and eager eyes; now, nothing was off limits, and he could live as he always desired, immortal and free from the shackles of servitude.

Which was best for everyone, because a contented Gilgamesh meant a sated Gilgamesh. One that would not lash out and plot the undoings of all around him.]

Adrasteius keeps a garden in our residence, but I would not mind one of my own. Flowers are best; their presence soothes me, and Setsuna adores them. I believe they remind him of the beautiful world he dreams of. Indeed, it is a strange thing for Heroic Spirits to dream, but now...

[I can do anything. He can say that, and he can really mean it.]

[sealeted]

Is it strange? The only dreams I've ever had that I remembered were... not exactly my own. I'd think it's perfectly natural for you to dream. It would be stranger if you didn't; with all those experiences, there might be regrets, and hopes, and things you might wish you could redo, or insane things you might like to imagine to amuse yourself. You may not be wholly human, but there's enough overlap, isn't there? Servant or Spirit, no matter what, you still have a mind and a heart, don't you?

[She glances around at the street, and there's no mistaking the quiet, crushing joy churning through her mana where his skin touches hers. She doesn't have the words to say just how much this casual, completely off-the-cuff outing means to her.]

Ah, but you said 'again'. What sort of garden did you keep before?

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh keeps quiet on the matter of you still have a mind and a heart, don't you, as it strikes a bit too close to territory he keeps purposely buried; he has no issue thinking back to the gardens of Babylon, however, and Hakuno was certainly not the only person whose mana was flowing with thinly veiled delight. A Master was a Master, after all, even another world away—and this one was far kinder than the others had been. A strange feeling of familiarity that isn't rightfully his, but he'll cling to it all the same.]

We were surrounded by sand, but Babylon had many hidden places of green. Hanging from the rooftops, or tended underground, light filtering in from above. These sanctuaries were like little pleasure palaces for the King, places of peaceful retreat when times were trying.

[His smile turns a little wistful. A little sad.]

You know well of my nature, Hakuno. Of who and what I am. But beautiful things... I have always tried to protect them. I have always treasured them.

[Even as he always managed to break them into a million pieces—sometimes on purpose, to revel in such tragic destruction.]

[sealeted]

I do. And, that doesn't surprise me at all, you know? Because...

[She thinks of BB. Kiara. The Alter Egos, and the contrast of that warm, safe little daydream she had been cycled through endlessly when she was first dragged to the Far Side.]

Because, beautiful doesn't always mean 'good' or 'happy' or 'whole'. Even if it's tragic, or fragmenting and about to crumble, or bitter and bright, you aren't the type of person to back down and let somebody take what you've decided to keep or watch over. I can't say there weren't a few times I found some of it distasteful, given the circumstances, but I always admired how stalwart he was about it.

[She rests her temple against the lion.]

I'm glad there's so much here for you to enjoy.

[babbylon]

..."here" may be better than "there".

[An uncharacteristically ambiguous way of hinting maybe I don't want to go back after all.]

[sealeted]

[She tightens her grip on his hand.]

Mm. A lot of people seem eager to go back to their homewards but I... there's only one regret I have, one thing I would go back for after all I've gained here. But, he'd probably tell me to seek pleasure and live wherever I am all the same.

[She peeks up at him.]

Hey Gilgamesh, I'm going to ask you something selfish.

[babbylon]

[He appreciates it, even if he'll never admit as much aloud.]

Doubtful you could do worse than present company, child. But go ahead.

[sealeted]

Unless you really come to hate me, or you want to cast me away entirely, don't let go, okay?

[If the time comes and you don't want to go, you can use me as a tether.]

[babbylon]

...then, don't betray me. Not for anything.

[He could agree to that, but only if he got a promise of equal measure in exchange.]

[sealeted]

I won't.

[She can swear that much steadfastly and without hesitation. How could she? He may not be the exact same, but she's only alive because of Gilgamesh. There was no way she could have survived making her wish on her own, let alone escaped the Moon Cell.]

I'm not the type of idiot who could cast you aside.

[babbylon]

It may shock you how many have tried.

[*cough* TOKIOMI *cough* KIREI *cough* SHINJI *cough*]

[sealeted]

I told you once, I'm pretty sure; I was promised basically everything the other Masters and I stranded on the Far Side wanted if I broke my contract with you. I didn't want to then, I don't want to now, and I'm not among that 'many'.

[She puffs her cheeks up at him.]

Even if you can be infuriating sometimes, and insulting—oh my God you drive me crazy sometimes—it's not going to be enough to make me want to tear you out of my life, or screw you over. I sacrificed my life to the King of Heroes within five minutes of meeting him, and he refused to let anyone or thing take it.

[She glances away, and her fingers curl over his.]

Even here... is there a single time I've fully, sincerely turned you away or implied I wanted you to leave me alone? For all your experience, you should know I don't have any intentions like that towards you.

[Dummy.]

[babbylon]

[...Gilgamesh doesn't breathe a word in response. Probably because he's ever so slightly red in the face and that would only draw attention to his noticeable discomfort. Except silence also draws attention to it, while also implying he's agreed with everything she's said. It seems they're on the same page here for once, thank the gods.]

[sealeted]

[Hakuno coughs slightly, keenly feeling the fact that they are in public. Her voice is soft enough not to carry beyond the two of them as they move, but the air between them is somehow charged, now.]

...s-so, um, what's the pool we're headed to like?

[babbylon]

[Oh, good. That breaks the tension, and so Gilgamesh proudly exclaims...]

It has a huge slide!

[Which was, in fact, the reason they're going. Your Servant, Hakuno, the biggest little kid of all time.]