middaeg | [closed] straight up gil talk

Entry tags:

[closed] straight up gil talk

Who: Enkidu & Saber
When: backdated to the 11th of Aereuer
Where: Caren's place
What: Talking
Warnings:none

Actually, Caren's plants are in excellent condition and there isn't much Enkidu has to do, really. They hum softly as they cut some branches and pluck at the dead leaves. After that they merely crouch down to witness a caterpillar crawling its way up their finger.

"Aren't you hungry?"

They whisper the words slowly while they rummage through some of the leaves they just cut off, picking a nice green one for the caterpillar to eat.

"Here you go."

There is something calming about watching a little insect eating its food and for a brief moment Enkidu wishes they could listen to its words. Like they used to. Would it be happy? Would it tell them how to be of help? Maybe it could explain what leaves are their favorite. And while they think about trivial things like this they have no idea they have a visitor. They hum a soft song and touch the caterpillar in a gentle way instead.

Spring has arrived and for once, life is quite good for once.

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Saber has found that she has a bit of a social life. It's rather strange to think of, honestly. She isn't used to speaking to more than a handful of people on any sort of social level. Even then, she was a king and they were her subjects. It wasn't the same as this. She was intending on paying Caren a visit, but she's distracted by the sight of someone else in her garden. She detours from her path, boots shifting on the grass.

"Enkidu."

She says their name softly, not quite wanting to disturb them at their work.

Of course, she's different now. A pair of black-brown-red wings are folded in against her back, marking her (along with the lion's tail) as a chimera. She's been getting more wary looks lately.

"I did not expect to meet you here."

When they hear a voice behind them they snap out of it and move to stand.

"Ah..." They straighten their back and use their shirt to wipe their dirty hands. "I think that sentiment is mutual. I did not expect to meet you here either."

The last time they saw her has been a while ago and she has definitely changed. Wings have grown on her back and there is a tail as well. They do not think much of it, it is a way of how things work here. Witches and beasts. Magic and painful changes.

"You are here for Caren, I take?"

Saber folds her hands in front of her, one hand clasped over the other as she offers Enkidu a slight bow of greeting.

"I am. I would like to discuss potential clothing options, since..."

She pauses and gestures to the wings.

"These make it a bit difficult."

"You can cut a hole in the back of your clothes."

It is very simple, really.

"Just be careful where you make the cut, otherwise it will end up being a hole in an uncomfortable place." They move to look around for a moment and finally they crouch down to pick up the hedge trimmer. "Should I help you with that?"

"That... was a consideration, but I was hoping to have it done a little more regularly," she replies with a blink. At the moment she's... sort of making do with a weird halter-top she's dug up. It works, but it's definitely not the sort of thing she usually wears.

"That is unnecessary, but thank you all the same. It will have to be an on-going project I imagine. How have you been? It's been a time since we last spoke."

Enkidu puts the hedge trimmer down again. Really they wouldn't have minded to cut a hole in her shirt. But then again, they don't have wings and they are not entirely familiar with how uncomfortable having some could be.

After all, wouldn't it be amazing to be able to fly?

"I am doing well." It is true, they are doing really well. They sleep better, for once. Less nightmares about the Rathmores. "And how are you doing? Are you getting used to this city and its...rituals? Ah...and being a monster, of course."

"So far, yes," Saber admits, "The adjustment has not always been easy, however, but... I am managing. I have a bond now and that has helped. And in truth... I feel as if I'm beginning to find my feet again."

She pauses, unsure of how to bring this up.

"How are you and the King of Heroes faring?"

"Even though I do not like the entire mechanic I do think they are helpful. I am glad you have found one as well."

And they are growing very fond of Caren. Their bond is peaceful and calm, actually everything they want a bond to be. They raise their eyebrows briefly when she asks about themselves and Gil. Of course, it isn't surprising that she does. After all, Gil is quite open about his plans to marry her.

"Hmm...very well..." They pause. "...Gil himself is...I think he is happy..."

"He seems content enough, yes," Saber replies. She's not quite sure why she's asking after Gilgamesh of all people, but after their encounter and conversations, she does find him straying into her thoughts from time to time. Besides, Enkidu seems to be very fond of him, so it seems a natural progression.

"I have mentioned this, I think, but he is very different from what I remember of my encounter with him in the Grail War. He is less... cruel, in a way. You knew him in life - was he always so?"

"If Gil would be a cruel tyrant for his entire life it would mean that the growth of his soul has gone stagnant. His will is too strong for that to happen."

Enkidu moves to wipe their dirty hands on their pants.

"Gil was a tyrant and I used to be a beast." It would be ridiculous to say that Gil is without wrongs. It would be stupid to think that he hasn't been a merciless tyrant of a king. They know that and it is one of the reasons why the gods created them. "Humans learn and grow."

"You used to be a beast...?" Saber blinks. Ah, yes. That was part of their legend, wasn't it? She only had a vague, general knowledge. It shocked her a little every time she remembered that. They seemed so mild mannered.

"They do. Although... he wasn't human until he arrived in Aefenglom, was he?"

She sounds thoughtful.

"And to a certain extent, neither was I. At least for a time."

"Yes." Enkidu nods slowly and starts to gather up some of the garden tools. "Gil has always had more humanity in him than I have. But we were both Heroic Spirits before we came here. But now... Perhaps Gil would be closer to being a human than I am at this point."

They gesture at the entrance to the mansion.

"Perhaps it is better we go inside and wait for Caren. And I do not mind answering all your questions about Gil, yet I do think that there are some things he should tell you by himself."

Saber considers and then stoops to help with the gathering. She's a guest, but she always does feel the urge to help somehow.

"I think I'm more closer to being human than I have been in a long time," she admits with a frown, straightening and glancing toward the mansion.

"I... would like that. Although I'm not sure what I will ask, just yet. Shall we go in?" She moves toward the door, glancing over her shoulder. She's a bit quick on the draw, isn't she?

Enkidu doesn't mind her help. After all, they only have two hands and two arms attached to said hands.

"Hmm...yes. We have rid ourselves of our existences as a Servant. I wonder if we are our true forms...what we were in the stories known about us. Or that something still ties us to the Throne."

They nod and follow her.

"If I can answer your question I will do so, if I will leave it to Gil I will not. And I do have some things I wish to know as well." The smile around their lips is almost serene. "For instance, I have never known about Gil being so taken by you. It fills me with a certain sort of joy to know that he is ready to take a wife. After all, his soul will never stop growing."

The first thing they do when they are inside is getting rid of some of the garden tools. After that they sit down on the couch, their feet tucked underneath their body.

Saber isn't quite sure how she feels about Enkidu being happy about Gil taking a liking to her when she still has very mixed feelings on the subject, but she opts not to get too combative about that while they're still getting settled. She takes one of the armchairs and folds her hands in her lap.

"I don't understand why he is so taken with me, myself. Nor do I wish to be his wife... I believe we touched on this in one of our earlier conversations. He is... abrasive. At best."

She probably shouldn't get too snippy about Gil in front of his BFF, but it's hard not to when she thinks about it. Still, her feelings are decidedly mixed.

"I have seen glimpses of something beyond that, though, and I wonder whether or not he will... improve... given time."

Enkidu listens closely, cocking their head a little as they do.

"If you wish to see the person he will become, you need to understand him first. And if you wish to understand him, you have to make the decision if you want his company or not. It will take time. Gil isn't human, so he might never be a king liked by humans. But in the end, he is the king humanity needs to preserve their future."

They sit back.

"All of this isn't a problem of some sort, it is merely a choice you have to make, Saber."

"I... believe I want to understand him better, if only because I have seen something in him that seems to belie the arrogance he shows the rest of the world," Saber replies after a moment of thought, still sitting up, hands still folded in her lap.

"We bonded, however temporarily, and there is more to him than he allows the world to see. Or perhaps wants them to."

"It is difficult to answer this with a yes or no since many of these things should be explained by Gil himself, not me. But you must know that he has a strong will, a will that takes him further than what can be seen on the outside."

After that they start to chuckle.

"Still, I think Gil will always stay arrogant. After all, he has the strength to defy gods."

"Yes. It's a will that seeks to exert control over others, from all that I've seen," Saber replies with a low sigh, "It is... aggravating, but at the very least we have maintained our truce here. Especially since he has no memory of my Grail War."

She shakes her head, "I believe I can work with him, if we share a mutual goal - that being the protection of this city and its inhabitants. Whatever his strength is or was... I cannot find that it excuses arrogance of any sort."

"Worry not, I am not blind to Gil's flaws."

The tone of Enkidu's voice is somewhat dry this time.

"It is also difficult to determine if another is willing to understand him when, at times, his behavior isn't understandable at all. You do not know him the way I do, all you have seen is him behaving like the tyrant he is, is it not? If Gil will protect this city he will do it in a way you might not approve of."

A soft sigh escapes their mouth because this is difficult. They understand her words. They understand exactly how difficult Gil can be. How utterly cruel and stupidly arrogant.

"You cannot expect him to be the person you want him to be. Just like he should never expect you to be what he wants. There is something in between. Focus on that place right there, in between of everything." Yes, that makes sense. Even to their own head.

"I do not expect him to be anything but what he is; we have a truce and I have learned something of him that makes me think that there may be something more beyond that arrogance and cruelty. However, he will need to prove that to my satisfaction before I am comfortable calling him more than an ally against the Cwyld," Saber shakes her head, "I cannot even say I would call him friend. And as I know him, I would not wish to call him so, even if I perhaps understand him a little better."

"Hmm... You wish to understand him, yet he has to prove to you that he is worthy of your understanding."

Enkidu says those words in a thoughtful manner. Gil is someone who takes because that is his right as a king. And he gives when he feels like being a generous king. So he probably would expect to simply take Saber as his bride. And Saber is not one who allows herself to be taken so easily.

"Perhaps date first before you decide to take him as a boyfriend."

This is completely the wrong advice, yet that is how Gil explained it to them. To marry they had to become boyfriends and girlfriends first, and to become that dating has to be involved. Intricate human relationships.

"I think it will take a lot of time." Enkidu leans a bit forward. "But perhaps it will help that you both have not been a part of the same Grail War."

Saber starts and stares at Enkidu as if they've sprouted a second head. Despite her usual self-control, that suggestion seems so strange that she can't help herself.

"I... I think you have misunderstood my intentions," she finally manages, "I have no wish to woo him or be wooed by him. I simply seek to better understand him as a person. My intentions are not romantic. In the least. I have no desire to seek out a marriage of any sort..."

She feels awkward and on the back foot all of a sudden.

Edited (spelling) 2020-05-21 18:49 (UTC)

If they were still made of clay they could definitely sprout a second hand, no problem. She looks shocked and they realize they've just said something outrageous. Enkidu taps their chin, trying to make sense out of everything they know and have heard.

Perhaps Gil has been wrong about some things. Or he had the wrong idea. Or they were wrong instead. Enkidu has never been very involved with Gil and his women. This is a difficult matter.

"Then tell him that and offer to become his friend."

The look on his face becomes a bit worried.

"He speaks about marriage. I am quite sorry if it came off as strange."

"I... do not know if I wish to be his friend, either," Saber admits with a frown, "Not while he continues on his current path."

Now she just feels incredibly awkward.

"Especially given my history and how he acts..."

"Then what is it what you want from him?"

No friendship. No marriage.

"Must I ask of him to leave you be?"

His current path? Enkidu frowns a little. The gods were also very convinced Gil would walk a certain path. That he would not stray from it. But he did and they did too.

"The path he has chosen during the Grail War? Or the path he has walked in the past?"

"Perhaps both? I find it hard to find him agreeable at all, although I have seen glimpses of it..." Saber sighs and shakes her head, "I do not mean to... disparage your friend to you. I simply am unsure as to how to actually approach the problem I face. I would like to see the king he became, but at the moment that seems distant..."

"I do not care what others think of him. And I will not fight his battles either. People call him insufferable or cruel or an absolute tyrant of a man and the only answer I can give them is that he is all of that."

Enkidu looks straight at her.

"Paths are never a sure thing to begin with. There are always little roads that sidetrack you. And there are crossings and when your feet ache the soft sand of that other road might just be more comfortable. When you find yourself at a crossing with him at your side, take the path that is most comfortable to you. It might just be a path he agrees to as well."

"Thank you... I will remember that, should it ever come to pass."

It's good advice, honestly. And even if Saber is only warily considering how best to approach Gilgamesh in the future, she'll have to figure out something, if only because they may need to work together to protect this place.

"Your advice is welcome."

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[closed] straight up gil talk

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