[closed] you're not alone.

[babbylon]

CHARACTERS: Gilgamesh and various characters
DATE: throughout the team's stay in Oska
WARNINGS: None anticipated, besides some angst; will update if necessary.
SUMMARY: Gilgamesh has gifts to give! And though he's not really in the mood to do it, give them he shall.

[This is a catch-all for Gilgamesh's purchased gift-giving extravaganza! Individualized starters are below.]

Comments

[babbylon]

[It didn't. Not really, anyway. Truth be told, there were many boxes just like it buried in his Gate somewhere; ALASTAIR had justdone him the courtesy of presenting one to him upfront, so rather than toss it in the equivalent of an enormous closest, he decided to pass it onto someone he knew would appreciate it. That was all.]

Did you even remember what it was like? To receive a present.

[Even in his current mood, Archer's reaction was... well, cute. He steps forward, touches his wrist, gently. The faintest sign some heart within him still beats.]

I suppose, if I am being honest... I wished to see it. The astonished look on your face that was only for me.

[anti_altruisms]

[ He has received a present since he arrived -- from Rin, in fact, during their stay in Chantes. He simply didn't expect to be given another. ]

...I have very few memories of my past.

[ It's a tattered patchwork of images and voices, and the failures stand out more than anything else. Whatever good there was, unfortunately, is mostly overshadowed by the bad.

He looks down at the fingers brush against his wrist, and after a moment, he turns his palm and gently presses their fingers together. His eyes come up, finally meeting the other's gaze. ]

I cherish the good ones.

[ Without them, he really would have nothing. ]

[babbylon]

[The fingers are gone just as fast, and Gilgamesh turns away, tone crisp.]

I have a favor to ask of you. It will require a good chunk of your time, and you are well within your rights to refuse.

[Though as ever, Gilgamesh doesn't expect him to. In this light, it makes the gift almost seem like a bribe, or else a segue to a more difficult conversation. Either way, Gilgamesh goes on, himself not knowing if he'll agree to it or refuse outright.

But he must try.]

ALASTAIR has offered me the opportunity to witness my fate, further in the future... but only with aid of another. One who has seen it for themselves.

[If that isn't enough, Gilgamesh will tell him, point blank:]

I would see it. I would confirm it, Archer, all the claims you have ever made, and what I sought to do. Show me the future where I would destroy it all.

[anti_altruisms]

[ It was a test.

Archer appears neither startled nor put out when Gilgamesh whips his hand away. In fact, he doesn't react very much at all. He wasn't entirely certain of his limits, how much would be accepted and allowed, but now he has his answer.

Placing the lid quietly back on the box, he doesn't answer at first when Gilgamesh makes his request. It's quite a bit to ask, really, all things considered, and he weighs it with no small amount of seriousness. It would change nothing that has not already occurred, showing Gilgamesh his future, and besides that, he's uncertain what his reaction will be, in general. He might very well get angry and attack him, particularly given his recent losses.

He thinks about. He thinks about it for a long moment, and while it briefly crosses his mind to ask are you sure this is what you want, the words never leave his mouth. Gilgamesh wouldn't have made his appeal with so much certainly if he his mind wasn't made up.

Finally, he gives his answer. ]

I will go with you.

[ Not because of the arrows, but rather in respect to what they shared prior to this request. Live or die, he'll grant the other his company one last time. ]

[babbylon]

[Archer understands. He need say no more on the issue, and truthfully, he wouldn't even know what to say. It's just a request, a need for space until he can figure this out, whatever it may be. He'll insist it's how he's always been. He'll insist he doesn't need anyone, not even a Master, because that's just the sort of person the King of Heroes was.

But in time, Archer will understand the test for it really was, and why, inevitably, the great King will return to him someday.]

I sincerely thank you for your willingness. I will inform you when the preparations have been made.

[Gilgamesh dips his head in a show of respect. He may claim to forget what transpired between them, but he hasn't forgotten this.]

Regardless of what may happen, it was not a mistake to have met you. To have known you. The King has decreed it; therefore, it is so.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Perhaps, it is for the best.

Archer thinks back to the time they spent together in Nalawi, the circumstances that drove them to such an arrangement, and he realizes, there isn't truly a need for it now. They were weak, and in their weakness, they sought each other out. For survival, for mana...maybe a bit more.

It's different now, though, and while Gilgamesh no longer has a Master, he's drawn the line between them clearly. He can accept it, even if it feels strange being on the other end of rejection.

He isn't sad about it, but he isn't happy, either.

Archer looks at Gilgamesh squarely in the eye, and his expression hardens, ever so slightly. ]

You may not think so after you've seen what lies ahead.

[ He doesn't really know. It really does depend entirely on Gilgamesh and how he reacts, and he's trying to be realistic. Still- ]

I did enjoy your company.

[babbylon]

I think it unlikely.

[Gilgamesh cuts in with his usual pompousness, if slightly curtailed on account of his mood. But it is, if nothing else, proof his pride hasn't died out entirely. He stands firm and tall before the other man, meets his eyes without fear yet also without judgment. The King of Heroes, staring into the face of the one who would kill him.

He stares, and seems to blame him for nothing—"I forgive you everything."]

You see, I am not the sort to act in error. And it may be true, that I will come to despise you; it may be true, that I would wish to take your life, for some slight against me; it may be true, that I will have every reason to cut you down, for daring to defy a King. For interrupting my duties.

[Gilgamesh shakes his head. Looks flustered, for all of a moment, as if experiencing all of what he just claimed, then lets it go.]

It may be true, but it does not change that I do not make mistakes. And I believe, that whatever I see, whatever transpires in this fated future...

[A faint smile curls his lips. And this time, he gives Archer's knuckles a playful smack of his fingers, as if to say you fool, how dare you doubt me.]

...it will only serve to confirm that.

[anti_altruisms]

[ He still doesn't believe it.

The answer makes him frown, but Archer says nothing more to dispute or discount it. All good things must come to an end (strange that he's even at a point where he considers their relationship "good"), and this, he thinks, is really, truly it. There is no coming back from something like this, from showing a man how his life was taken.

The man gently raps his knuckles, an attempt at reassurance, he's sure, but it falls just a little bit flat. He's learned to trust Gilgamesh with a few things, but with this...with this, he's just not sure. And so he reacts like he always does -- by pulling away.

His grip tightens a little on the box, and his answer is quiet. ]

Contact me when you're ready.

[ Otherwise, there really isn't anything else to say. ]