middaeg | [closed] Some closed memshare posts

[Rain is pouring down from the heavens and, despite the bull has fallen, the sea is still rough. But despite the sound of rain, thunder rolling in the distance and waves breaking against the shore there is a certain heavy silence filling the air.

Anyone who has entered the mirror at this point can see two people. It becomes apparent that it is a scene where one has to say goodbye to the other. One hero dies and the other gets to continue his life alone. It is quite obvious that Enkidu is the one dying, their body slowly falling apart, the hands that holds them belong to Gilgamesh.

Of all the memories Enkidu has made, this is the one that will always stand out the most. The one that echoes in their mind with every step they take. It is the one where everything ends.]

This is not the type of memory I wish to share with others. [They turn to look.] But…if anything, I am somewhat glad it is you. [The sound that makes it past their lips is right between a sigh and a hum.] This is where my life ends. Where I part with my friend.

This does seem...rather personal.

[Honestly, for all that Caren had touched the mirror-it had been more or less due to compulsion then curiosity at this point-she hadn't expected to see this.

The sea should take away their hearing; the rain should take away their sight. But...instead, she can see the crumbling of Enkidu's body, and the look on Gilgamesh's face, as his one true friend laid dying in his arms.

It's one thing to read the epic, but it's another to see it happen. Her tail lashes behind her, once, before she manages to school herself into neutrality.

As she should.]

I should leave. This isn't for me to see.

I wish I could have presented you a better memory, Caren. After all, Gil and I have done so many things, we have traveled to the corners of the world. Yet I show you the way I die.

[They don't like to look at it. And where the look on Enkidu's face is mostly neutral most of the time, there's a hint of sadness here. It is only a matter of time before Gil would speak to them. Those words that still ring in their head. Even now.]

You are my bonded. That means I trust you.

Maybe that's why I'm seeing this. It's because you trust me.

[She moves towards them, slowly, and offered her hand. Enkidu may need the support more then she did. Even if seeing their death was upsetting, Caren had a particular relationship with death.

And too, Enkidu didn't want to see their true friend to suffer.]

Because this may mean I can understand you better.

I think so.

[The rain is starting to fall down harder. And it is strange. So strange to watch. So strange to stand there and see the sadness on Gil's face. Truly see it. If they were dying now, they might've said something different to him. Maybe they would've cried as well, maybe they would've tried to reach out to him.

Perhaps they wanted to stay at his side.]

Hmm...all I think about is what I could have said to him. Or what I truly wanted. [But Aefenglom isn't ancient Mesopotamia and they're different now.] I accepted this punishment because I knew there wasn't another choice.

[They're drenched. But...it's not going to matter. It's a dream, and...when did she ever see that expression on Gilgamesh's face? She doesn't remember. No...she hasn't, she thinks.

This might have been one of the lowest points in both of their lives, with their death, and Gilgamesh's misery.]

You....[She changes her mind, and sighs, switching tactics.]

Regrets are normal. When you die, you wonder what you wanted. What you could have said, what you could have done...who you could have reached out to.

...have you been able to speak to him about this? Or have you both been...

[What's a polite way to explain the high horny energy.]

Wrapped in each others?

Hmm...but it is so. Gil needed this to happen. My death is what made his soul grow, what caused his story to advance. To cherish a desire to undo it is...it is not right. To deny him the thing he needs to rise above himself.

[The rain is coming down rapidly. Truly, for a memory it is a rather wet experience.]

I do not think I have the words to describe it. But when I have, I will tell him. [Caren might be aware of a certain sort of warmth radiating from Enkidu.] Ah...you mean if we have been pleasuring one another? Yes, we have. Many times. Hakuno has told me that he loves me. With his entire heart.

[And they're still wondering how love should feel.]

Do you sense anything from me? Something that might be love? Is it the longing you feel? Is love longing?

[But then they silence. They know what Gil is going to say. His decree.]

[It's just good that this is a dream. Else, she'd truly be miserable, not liking the smell of wet fur and feathers.]

It may be so but...you still wanted to stay by his side. No one can blame you for wanting to stay with the one you love.

[Yeah, she knows that warmth. She made a soft amused noise, and gently bumped Enkidu with her shoulder. She wasn't good at affectionate gestures still.]

Longing is not the same as love. I feel...warmth. Something that ties you and him with happiness, and is...more then sex, more then desire. It's difficult to describe.

[She would have said more, but with how Enkidu hushed, something was about to happen.]

[What can be seen is that Gil turns a little blurry. This is the part they start to fade away, where they lose their sight but still can hear.]

It does not matter what I have wanted. It has been for the best. After all, I consider myself extremely lucky for becoming what I have been. For making the choice to stand besides him, besides humanity. [They smile.] And to be a friend to him.

[Their surroundings start to fade as well and eventually Gil's voice is the only thing that is audible. The rain has faded, the wind has stopped. There's just the sound of his voice.

Where he declares them his only friend and that no one else shall have that worth to him.

And those words are absolute.]

It is old. Ancient, perhaps. Since we were the first heroes of humanity. But we remain bonded without being close to one another. [The firmness of his voice still touches them.] Perhaps it is...what humans call love. [Slowly they move to lean against Caren.] I love him. With all my heart.

[Ah...it's fading. But that makes sense since...this is Enkidu's memory while they laid dying in Gilgamesh's arms.]

You made your choices. And so did he.

[And their choice was friendship and love. And...Gilgamesh has stayed true to this, even beyond in his own life. Carefully, Caren made to wrap her arm around them with a quiet sigh.]

And your love, his love is still strong. I could envy you that, if I was the jealous type.

I know he will make the right choices from here now on. My life needed to end so his soul could grow.

[The arm around them is welcomed and finally they pull her into a hug.]

I thought it would make me sad to see this again. But it helps when someone else is present to put it into perspective. [Slowly they let go so they can look at her.] You can love by yourself, not? So in the end there is nothing you have to be jealous about. Humans seem to have a better understanding about matters like that.

[Everything around them has turned black.]

Should we go?

[She grunts softly when she's pulled in, and she sighs. Yes, she's just going to be hugged now. Gently, she wraps a wing around them, so they won't feel so wet-or at least it's a broader hug then her thin arms could give.]

Love is complicated. Not something that can I completely understand. Not yet.

[Her arms and wings drop, giving them space to look at her. She's not sure how she feels right now, seeing this memory. It was wistful but also...she was capable of doing what Enkidu did. Dying for another.

But it still felt...unfair somehow.]

But...yes. Let's go. Maybe together, we can wake up.

I see before my eyes the end to one journey— [ It could be considered callous, Asura's stark lack of sorrow in the wake of watching the Enkidu of memory crumble away into earthen clay, but the hand which finds its way to Enkidu's shoulder (the Enkidu of present; the weapon who believed themselves to be less human than they were) proves otherwise. Warm with Asura's heat and gentle with the delicate curl and squeeze of his taloned fingers, the gesture is one of both comfort and reverence, and it is perhaps one of the only things which the King might be able to offer to his friend in this dream which has confined them both. ] —but not an end to them all.

You are galanthus, Enkidu. I have witnessed it, now, for the third time. [ The first, when he had plucked Enkidu straight out of a snowbank, their skin fissured and cracked like a vase with centuries worth of wear. The second, when Enkidu had risen to support him when they'd been entrapped together, within that vile pit of stone. And now, the third, where Enkidu's first journey had ended, paving way for another which had lead them to Talam. ]

Regardless of how your body is broken by the elements... [ By the relentless sheets of rain, or by the hand which had weakened the Enkidu of memory so. ] ...you unfurl from the cold earth again, blossoming once more.

[Whenever Asura speaks, Enkidu listens. His words are kind and full of hope. They always have been. And for him to see this memory...it isn't that bad. Yet, this sight, the sadness on Gil's face, the realization that he doesn't want any of this. That he wants them to stay at his side, regardless of what they are.]

I rise because a Master summons me or a mirror wants me here. Yet, I do believe my story will always exist, just like his story will. [They gesture at the man holding them.] As long as my name isn't forgotten and his feats will be told about, the memory will remain.

[The rain is falling hard now and they cock their head a little to the left, watching how Gil supports their head with his hand.]

If anything...what I realize...that I want to rise. Even when I haven't been able to. It fills me with a sad sort of melancholy to see him like this. To witness this. I know I will close my eyes soon. I think I do not want my friend to lose me again. [They lean against Asura, allowing themselves to bask in the warmth that comes from him.] Even though it might make his soul grow. Hmm...it is selfish of me.

It is human of you, Enkidu. [ —supporting Enkidu as they lean against him is second nature to Asura; the way he embraces Enkidu as seamless and certain as his assertion: ] To be selfish, to hold fast to friends, to want to rise and exist beyond the scope of a story already written...

[ It's a delicate sort of confession, isn't it? Beautiful and flawed in a way a weapon should never be, and yet Enkidu had said the words all the same. Doubtless, that the memory of parting from the world (and from the arms of someone beloved) had inspired the realization, but not the whole of it. The rest had been learned, perhaps decided upon when Enkidu discovered what they truly wished to aim at: ]

That defiance of fate is utterly, unabashedly human. [ And it is something which the King of Summer himself could never hope to attain, for his kind were imbued with and forged from fate and its governance: the pull and pulse of the Wyrd which lived inside them, comprising the very core of their being. ] You've changed. Grown yourself.

And for that, I am glad— [ Happy for Enkidu, despite the events which unfold before the both of them. ] —because it means this memory will not repeat itself. He will not lose you, and you will not lose him. Not in such tragedy.

[ But even this revelation does not change the fact that it had already happened once. That the memory remains a painful one. Bowing his head, Asura makes to lock Enkidu's gaze with his own, letting them know: ] You... do not need to watch the rest of this. You can turn your eyes from it, if you wish.

[They still look at their friend, they watch him speak, knowing about the words he is saying. His decree, a sworn oath he will never break. So when Asura listens he can hear him speak, declaring Enkidu his one and only friend, swearing that no other will ever have that worth.

And while seeing this they realize more than ever that, even though their story will always exist, their name will never be erased, this is where they end.]

Gil told me that our life here, in this city, is a continuation of a great tale. But I fear it is not. It is a new story where we both live in such different ways. We have to rely on the hearts that beat inside of us, the souls that shaped us.

[They rest against him, basking in the warmth he emits.]

While Gil will always remain king, I cannot claim to be a weapon anymore. But what I am now, I do not know. At least I am a being who can lose their fingers. I am someone who can make friends but never forget my one true friend.

[A soft chuckle escapes their mouth.]

Gil and I will always find one another, no matter where we are. Our bond cannot be defied by the Coven, these lands or anything else. I believe it is something that defies time itself, something tied together by the story we created.

[And while they watch themselves crumbling away in his arms they do not turn away. Everything merely starts to blur around themselves and Asura, after all, when eyes crumble away, there isn't anything to witness anymore.]

I am fine. I have never mourned my own death, I have mourned his loss.

[What stands out about this particular prison is that there are a lot of runes carved into the walls, used to restrain the magic of witches and the strength of the ones that became beasts. There are sounds of anguish and perhaps some sobbing. There are pleas for help and unclear whispers. All in all, it is obvious people are suffering here.

One of the prison door opens and two men are coming out. One is holding a thick chunk of wood and the other moves to tuck away a key in the pocket of his pants. They both look the same, dark hair and a crooked nose. They talk about the escapes and express a fear to get caught soon. While talking like that they keep the door open, probably knowing that this particular prisoner isn’t going to escape their cage soon. First of all, it’s locked and second of all, it’s uncomfortably small. To them it seems a fitting punishment for one that tried to escape. After all, what’s better than taking away their freedom and trap them in a cage like that. Funny. Ironic.

And, indeed, inside the cell there’s a small cage standing in the corner. There are some bloodstains on the floor but there aren’t many, after all, whatever Enkidu might be, they still don’t bleed as much as humans do. Close to the cage are some chunks of long, green hair and inside of it there’s a figure lying with their knees pulled up to their chin. It shivers a little and tries to move at times but doesn’t make any other sort of sound.]

[ ... how impossible.

at least, to his mind in its Servant condition, as the hero-king, Gilgamesh would think so; Enkidu is his friend, his equal. they cannot be laid low in such a manner.

when he thinks of Enkidu, he thinks of strength and of power. he thinks of a being similar in nature to himself. it is an image impossible to reconcile with the one before him. and yet he had worn Enkidu's loss like a brand on his soul for thousands of years. to see this is once again to be reminded of a moment seared eternally into his consciousness.

but to think he would be here again so soon after their reunion.

witnessing this does bring Gilgamesh great sadness; of course, that goes without saying -- a deep, reverbating grief. radiating pangs and wells of ache that he was not present, that they were not together as they should have been. yet, also, this is not a condition that Enkidu should be returned to. for his friend to be granted life again, even if that friend should die once more someday (even their lives might in the end be less eternal than one supposed), that life should be lived thoroughly and fully and should Enkidu die once more, they should perish in glory.

not like this. ]

Enkidu.

[ -- his voice is somber. as always, he does not flinch and his gaze is steely with only a hint of something more.

at this juncture, there are many options. he could try to enact Judgment, though even Gilgamesh seems to sense with the intuition of the dream that he would be unable to do so. he could forcefully use magic to free his friend -- no, to help them free themselves, rather.

so it must be. even if the King helps, his friend must free themselves from shackles mental as well as physical. so it always was even in the older days, when nothing could bind the Chain of Heaven and when Enkidu themselves existed only to bind. Gilgamesh takes another step inward. it is dark, so dark, and his friend is a pale slice of flesh streaked with shadows and almost bare save for their pants. ]

I am here.

[ and still a shade bright, even if his golden hues are dimmed by the cell's darkness. ]

[This cage is too small. Enkidu can feel their heart beat pick up, a sudden fear taking hold of them. After all they're someone who appreciates their freedom. Their ability to dig their heels into the earth and race a deer through a forest. All of that has been taken away completely.

They can feel the bars press against their back and their feet. They do not budge when they try to bend them by pushing against them with the back of their feet. And eventually there's just fatigue and pain. Have they ever felt so much pain? They are not sure. Their body responds differently this time.

Finally they press their hands against the front of the cage, fingers curling around the bars while their mind focuses on some sort of stupid hope that the ground would start to speak to them again. That whatever plant that might grow here in this damned hole would listen to their voice.

But most of all, they're scared. Filled with a certain dread they've never felt before. Not even when they perished a long time ago. Did they fear for their life? Were they alive at all? Because at this point, they do not believe the cruelty will end.

That is why Enkidu's entire body freezes up when they notice the door is opening. They fully expect one of these Rathmores to enter. Perhaps they have found a better weapon to hit them with. Something awful and full of spikes, probably.

But it is someone completely different. And the only conclusion they can make is that they've falling asleep and that they're dreaming. So when they speak their voice is barely a whisper and tense muscles start to relax.]

It is a relief to know that I am dreaming.

[Enkidu shifts.]

You only come to me in a dream. [But they want to see him and they press their face against the bars, eyes searching the room for his face.] I sang for you...

[ Gilgamesh approaches steadily, slow but assured as always.

that flint gaze hardens all the more as his eyes take in the sight of his friend and as he continues to fully apprehend the cage and the runes and the blood -- is it not human blood now? but then, Enkidu was always so very human to Gilgamesh. the perfect being, the counterpoint to him as the demi-god king. neither of them had fully understood humanity, but of course it was Enkidu who had caused that humanity to finally bloom in their friend.

Gilgamesh returns his attention to his one friend.

he reaches an arm out, towards the bars -- his hand extending through them and opening, palm up. ]

You are dreaming.

[ however -- ]

But that is no matter. It is as I always say. Dreams end when the dreamer awakens.

[ he smiles, with that deep fondness, if with great sadness. ]

Take my hand, Enkidu. Here still, I am the King of Heroes forever.

[ and not one to believe in no's and closed possibilities. but first, Enkidu must rise. they must become what they were before. just as a certain King aged out of his prime and lost much of his treasury, but rediscovered his full strength after going to the Throne of Heroes, so Enkidu must attain their strength and become themselves once more.

... ah, a creature of the Earth, his friend, but made of Earth no longer. human now, and full of even greater possibilities for a reborn future. he thinks this even as he looks upon this great destruction, these ravages that even he cannot acquire vengeance for. Gilgamesh thinks silently, knowing the aftermath, knowing what will come later. this is a memory, but it speaks to a world he must come to understand and master. he owes it to them, of course, to his friend, to become fit to preside over this world as well. ]

I know.

[They are aware of how melancholic it makes them feel, but this time it isn't the feeling that dominates. There is just a lot of relief.]

And I know that as well. I remember you saying those words. They are true...yet...at times you do not want certain dreams to end. You want to hold on to them, hoping that one day they might become reality. Those dreams are the sweetest ones.

[Enkidu's voice is barely audible. One part of them does not want to give the Rathmores a reason to return to their cell again. When Gil offers them his hand they curl what is left of their fingers around it, holding on tightly.]

Tell me about something you have seen. An adventure I might not know yet. [Because they don't want to speak about this situation. They stir inside the cage, doing their best to press their lips against his hand, kissing it gently.]

To tell you of my adventures? [ Gilgamesh huffs a laugh, sardonic if warm. ] Do not be foolish, my friend. I shall do better than this. I shall show you.

[ Gilgamesh readily accepts the kiss to his hand and Enkidu's gesture. he looks down at his friend with deep and ancient fondness. then, he raises his other hand, urging Enkidu to free themselves of this dream, this memory, and urging them to stand up, to remember the world apart from this memory and let these night shadows fade into the morning mists. ]

Clear your mind in its slumber. We shall return to the Mirrorhouse. But first, you must stand up. You are my equal, and it is not fitting for you to kneel before me like a common supplicant.

Let this dream pass into the night and come with me once more.

Edited 2020-05-19 00:28 (UTC)

[It takes a while before it really clicks inside their head. Until they are able to separate this dream from reality. Even with Gil's voice piercing through all the suffering they have experienced it is difficult to focus. Difficult to notice that, maybe, the pain in their body lessens and the cage isn't closed at all. They could rise and they could follow Gil. As his equal instead of a frightened mouse trapped inside a cage that is too small to begin with.

So they stir some more inside that cage, fingers still curled around his hand. But those fingers aren't bleeding anymore. They are mere stubs, like they always have been.]

I cannot guarantee that the dream will stay away...still, your words give me strength...

[At this point they're somewhere drifting between what's real and what is a dream.]

...and I am curious about your new adventures... [They pause for a moment and press their face against the bars again, trying to look at him.] Gil...can you open the top of this cage? [For some reason it is important that he opens the cage. They have a feeling no one else can, only Gil.

Perhaps it is symbolic.]

[ there are nubs where Enkidu's fingers should be, and to see his friend harmed in this manner, reduced and shamed, infuriates the King of Heroes.

his anger is cold and quiet now, not the heated wrath Gilgamesh would have felt were he present when the event itself transpired, yet its undercurrent continues to show in the hard flecks in his gaze and posture and in the set of his jaw.

still, Gilgamesh does not pity Enkidu. to pity would be to display condescension. for his only friend, the King may feel affection and warmth that he even allows to touch his face, but Enkidu is more than a soft creature to idly show fondness for; Enkidu, much like Gilgamesh himself, is a warrior. therefore, when he takes their hand and brings the force of his strength to bear on the cage, rending it open, Gilgamesh's grasp is firm, with only the barest hint of gentleness. ]

How negligent I have been.

[ for Enkidu to be here, suffering this wretched fate, as Gilgamesh was having adventures with Hakuno --

yet there is not regret in Gilgamesh's voice. not now. rather, as this dream fades to the Mirrorhouse and they make their way towards Gilgamesh's own dream landscape, the King of Heroes begins to feel nothing short of exhilaration. ]

But no more.

[ beyond the Mirror, Gilgamesh's own dreamscape opens into a wide gulf of darkness. it is darkness that he and his friend fall through -- a darkness beyond darkness, as dark as the bottom of the world, the chasm in which the King of Heroes journeyed to find the herb of immortality and the land of Utnapishtim. this is the sea of imaginary numbers on the Far Side of the Moon.

after falling for a brief eternity, swept along the phantom lunar winds, two ancient heroes arrive at their destination.

[[[[ The Moon Cell Core. ]]]]] ]

We have arrived, my friend. Behold! Genesis. The eve of creation, and the beginning of its end.

Edited 2020-05-27 15:00 (UTC)

[Enkidu knows that. They know what they are in his eyes. His equal, his friend. And that knowledge is important to them. It serves as a sort of anchor, something that keeps them in place while they struggle with being here.

When they rise they can feel this fear, this pain, this desperation flow out of their body. The cage doesn't really exist anymore. It fades the moment they stand upon their feet and their eyes are focused on his face.]

You haven't. [They shake their head slowly.] You are here now. And when we lose one another...we will find each other one day sooner or later. Each reunion will be full of new stories, new adventures. It is a hopeful feeling.

[It is obvious that they are doing better. The look on their face is far more relaxed and the bruises and wounds fade.]

Hmm...thank you for that, Gil. I think I needed to remember that.

[And then everything starts to change around them. There is darkness. The type of darkness that goes beyond black. And they fall and they keep on falling. Somewhere along the way they reach out to him and take hold of his wrist.

And then there is...a certain sort of construct. A tree but not entirely. Something foreign and maybe a little familiar as well.]

This isn't just an adventure. [Enkidu takes their time to look around themselves.] This is beyond...every concept I know of. Tell me more of it. Show me.

[closed] Some closed memshare posts

Closed to Caren & Asura - From clay to actual clay

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Closed to Gilgamesh - The Rathmores Revisited

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject