king "#1 shitposter" gilgamesh (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
babbylon) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
epidemiology2015-12-20 06:31 pm
babbylon) wrote in epidemiology2015-12-20 06:31 pm
Entry tags:
[closed] between heaven and earth, there is only one king.
CHARACTERS: Gilgamesh and Pearl
DATE: After Pearl's conversation with Archer at the winter festivities.
WARNINGS: To be determined. But probably discussion of some pretty serious topics.
SUMMARY: Something's amiss with the Master. Gilgamesh gives up the truth.
[It has barely been more than a few months since he departed Fuyuki and so lost his bond with Kirei; therefore, he still knows it well, the connection between Master and Servant, can sense disturbances in thoughts. Uncertainty present where there should not be. Something has happened, Gilgamesh deduces, it must be dealt with at once. He cannot afford to lose the contract. Pearl was an asset. Pearl was necessary for the road ahead. Pearl was everything.
So rather than wait for summons, this time Gilgamesh approaches Pearl himself. He does not manifest quite yet but instead floats around her as a familiar sphere of light, before settling in front of her face and reaching into her mind:]
Master. [He addresses her as such to catch her attention.] What troubles you? There is unease within your heart. Speak to me.
[I will undo it. I will unmake them, whoever did this. Those sentiments he keeps private, even as he seethes. It's the only possible explanation: someone interfered.]
DATE: After Pearl's conversation with Archer at the winter festivities.
WARNINGS: To be determined. But probably discussion of some pretty serious topics.
SUMMARY: Something's amiss with the Master. Gilgamesh gives up the truth.
[It has barely been more than a few months since he departed Fuyuki and so lost his bond with Kirei; therefore, he still knows it well, the connection between Master and Servant, can sense disturbances in thoughts. Uncertainty present where there should not be. Something has happened, Gilgamesh deduces, it must be dealt with at once. He cannot afford to lose the contract. Pearl was an asset. Pearl was necessary for the road ahead. Pearl was everything.
So rather than wait for summons, this time Gilgamesh approaches Pearl himself. He does not manifest quite yet but instead floats around her as a familiar sphere of light, before settling in front of her face and reaching into her mind:]
Master. [He addresses her as such to catch her attention.] What troubles you? There is unease within your heart. Speak to me.
[I will undo it. I will unmake them, whoever did this. Those sentiments he keeps private, even as he seethes. It's the only possible explanation: someone interfered.]
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Pearl tries her best through the day to steel her emotions. To keep a bright and happy face to mask the unease that swelled within her chest. This was a time o celebration. Gift giving. Happiness. She kept the mask on for most of the festivities. She left footsteps in her wake through the freshly fallen snow, pulling her cloak tightly to herself. The same one which Gilgamesh had gifted her. She was so enamored by it before... but now it felt like a weight on her shoulders. Keeping her grounded, by Gilgamesh's means.
The Gem feels that presence in front of her and looks ahead of herself, stopping. She pulls her cloak's hood tighter over her forehead, to hide her gem. She tries to brush past the presence of her Servant, looking ahead of herself as she ventures forward.]
Please don't call me that.
[She mutters into collar of her sweater, burying her face as much as she can into it, hoping to hide from the question he was asking.]
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Gilgamesh falls into proverbial step with her and allows her a moment of shyness. He falls quiet for a few minutes as they stroll but ultimately, one of them must break through that barrier, through that damning silence. He ventures again, more softly this time, in hopes of receiving a meaningful reply:]
Pearl, I know you are upset. But I cannot help if you do not tell me what is the matter.
[Of course, he could always fish through her thoughts himself... but she'd sense as much the instant he did and likely consider it a violation of trust. And if he'd already lost a degree of it, as he suspects, then it was an unwise course of action. He'd have to take a subtler approach here.]
We are partners. It does neither of us any good to hide things from one another. [Insistently:] Speak.
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[She snaps. Pearl hunches her shoulder up to her ears, to make herself smaller. Emotions were bubbling, to say the least, within the Gem. She glares accusingly down at the snow, fingers tightening within her silken cloak, knuckles tight.]
I met another Servant. His name is Archer.
[She lets the statement alone sink in for a moment. More crunching of fresh snow under her feet, and she speaks once more, feeling a soft breeze brush past her, snow tickling her warm cheeks.]
He said he knew of you. From a different timeline.
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Archer and I were enemies from a future war. He does not look kindly upon my presence here; one might say it is his duty.
[And so, as Archer had spoken only of his truth, Gilgamesh speaks only of his. He's calm, and even elaborates freely:]
In that future, the world drowns by my hand. Or so would've been the case, if not for the intervention of human beings to avert their fate.
[He cocks his head and tries to catch her eye, even as she evades him.]
Is that what has you so bothered? Were you informed of this before?
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Considering that you are now his Master and the responsibility for his actions rests on your shoulders...
Suddenly, she stops and lets her hands hang at her sides. Hands ball into loose fists, her jaw set as she looks ahead of herself, surveying the landscape.]
Do you still intend to purge humanity? [Finally, she glances over her shoulder at him.]
Do you intend to follow through with that plan here?
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I think it is time you were shown the truth, Pearl.
[His fingers curl around hers, balled so tight. The touch of them is warm and welcoming. Friendly and soothing.]
I am taking you inside the Gate. Come.
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She furrows her brow, almost hesitant to go into this place of limbo. Would anyone call it that? It was his treasure hoard. But he could manifest it at will. It was massive, imposing, and complicated within itself. Swallowing thickly, she looks back up at him.]
The truth?
[Did she even want to know at this point? Sadly, there was no turning back now at this point.]
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It is infinite. It is endless. There is no describing it. The ceiling stretches on forever and the floor feels anything but, like an ocean one might sink into at any moment; royal carpeting lines their feet and stretches over what might be walls and what might be something else altogether. Everything is treasure. Everything is gold. Everything is priceless and beyond imagination.
Jewels are stacked high in mountains that go on forever. Weapons hang neatly in racks, arranged by shape and size, form and function. Shelf upon shelf, stuffed full of ancient texts and books no human would ever even dream of seeing, lies before them. Luxury abounds. As they walk, Gilgamesh gains his armor, but clutched in his gauntlet he is gentle with Pearl's hand. So much strength yet none of it is dared employed against her.
His lions come to join him and he greets them with a fond pat. They walk and walk and walk and they could very well go on walking for the rest of their lives, the Gate fills up so much, is dwarfed by nothing in known creation. They exist outside the world now, in another dimension, in another place and time that Gilgamesh alone controls.
He could kill her here. He could keep her forever, locked up and chained up and forced to serve as Master until the end of time.
But his thoughts are faraway, unknowable, untouchable, so even if he dreamed of such things, she would not realize them. For once, Gilgamesh has no need to speak. His Gate does the talking for him, and in a way this is the truth: the truth of one who hoarded treasure not just as a hobby, but as a means to exist. Reason onto itself.
He is leading her somewhere, undoubtedly. The treasure piles ever onward. A great door lies ahead. What could be behind it? Gilgamesh says nothing of this, either.]
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Her reflection appears in gold, and her feet feel as though she's walking on holy ground. Soiling it with her worn ballet slippers. While this is all grand, it had Pearl feeling very small. Insignificant. Imposing weapons from around the world towering over her on shelves, like a silent, but beautiful, threat. This was now Gilgamesh's realm, in a way. His world. His domain, in which Pearl had little knowledge about it's mechanics. She had seen how he easily summons his weapons to fight with. Her head swivels, taking in the sights. The blades, swords, artifacts, the mountains of treasure... Rubies, sapphires, and pearls....
She tears her gaze away from the treasure, taking note of his lion... no, lions. When did he obtain another? Then again, she shouldn't be surprised at this point. Pearl presses on, looking up to see that Gilgamesh had changed attire. Her reflection in his armor stares right back at her as they walk.
Turning her gaze, she looks up to see the door ahead of them.]
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The sacred blade called Ea appears in his grip, black and gold and shrouded in a red as deep as his eyes. Something starts to howl, though it is very quiet. Something begins to whisper all around them—I am the beginning, I am the end, king of all kings, Gilgamesh. It is ceaseless and insistent. It demands to be heeded.
For a time, Gilgamesh is still. He holds the blade straight outward and glances over his shoulder at her, intensely. The Gate itself appears to vanish, and they are standing on sand. Within his memories. Within the time he was truly King. Uruk looms in the far distance, as shining and as beautiful as anything the Gate holds.
When Gilgamesh does deign fit to speak, Pearl can rest assured he tells no lies. He gives her the truth, just as he claimed.]
I am Gilgamesh. I am a being beyond all others; I see beyond sight and live my life as I see fit. Into my hands, I was delivered humanity, the fate of which I alone may determine. To unmake, to unravel, to destroy—it is my divine right, the right of absolute judgment, the right of the King.
[The top of the armor disappears. He stands before her as he has always been, otherworldly and powerful. Radiating an almost terrifying glow.]
The Earth is my garden and its people are my seeds. I sew them accordingly. That is my purpose. I am chaos, I am order, I am everything.
[I am Gilgamesh, he booms through her once again. He turns the tip of the blade to her and so challenges:]
Are you afraid? This is the nature of what you have contracted with. Will you run? Will you rescind it? Is that how a true knight behaves? Pearl.
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She had done this out of pure kindness. To help a man who believed in her so much. Someone who wished for her to be brave. A man who laughed with her, made her feel at ease. This raw power displayed before her was like nothing else she had seen before. The scenery around her doesn't concern her too much. No. It's the blade that's soon pointed at her. The booming voice that raked through her very being. Her small frame trembles, however her feet stand firm, closing her eyes tightly to keep herself mentally grounded.
Her eyes soon snap back open, glaring up at Gilgamesh, her gem faintly glowing.]
I will not run away! And I'm not afraid! [She retorts.] I will not let you purge this world or any other for that matter while under the veil of ALASTAIR. Not as long as I am here -- as Master or not.
[The Gem stares down at that blade... The power dripping off it should send her running. Pearl stays where she is, right in front of that blade. She places her hand over her chest, shoulders squared.]
I understand now what I have to deal with. You've made that very clear.
I take full responsibility for your actions, as Master. And if I must step in, I will. Not as just a Master, but as a Crystal Gem.
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[And so it comes down to this. A challenge of wills, a test of resolve, the very reason she'd been brought so far to begin with: the means to push her to a point of action and thus prove her worth as a Master of the great Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh stands tall, and his sword arm does not waver. One way or another, she must make a decision before leaving this place.]
Employ the Seal and make your wish... no, your command known. For the preservation of this world and all those that come after it, I shall only obey a Master willing to assert themselves before me! Call upon your own strength, your own power, and embrace it as your everlasting decree!
[The howling grows louder. Pearl will feel a pressure upon like none she's ever experienced before. It's Gilgamesh's will, attempting to scare her off. To force her to back down. And yet his words ring contrary, seem to encourage her to step forward and claim her right. Her purpose as a Gem and protector of humanity.]
Command your Servant, Pearl! Or else abandon your ideals and give up your sword, as an eternal coward unfit to stand in my presence!
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Use a command seal, her mind screams. Another part of her urges her not to. She only had three of them to use. Would this be considered as being 'too soon'? She had no point of reference to really compare to. The Command Seals were her only way of keeping him in line. When he got like this... it was like nothing else she'd seen of him before. The man who held her hand. The man who willingly accepted her holiday gift with grins and laughter. Spoke of his grand adventures...
He now pointed a weapon at her. Leaving her with a choice.
Another wave of pressure barrels down upon her, knees sinking into the sand. Pearl brings her branded hand to her chest, clutching it. Gilgamesh would shape any world as he saw to fit him and his needs. He didn't care about this world or what others that followed. The people who might be purged. People she cared deeply for. Kida, Riza, Bolin, Sakura...
Steven.
Pushing against the sand, she forces herself up to her feet, taking a few steps towards her Servant. Eyes full of determination, looking right into those bloody red ones of Gilgamesh. Her hand flies outward, with the branded Command Seals glowing brightly. And she wills it. Her command.]
I won't let you purge this world or any others following it!
[She almost screams over the howls, holding her hand out true and strong. In the next instant, A red flash emits from her hand, radiating outward, catching her by surprise.]
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I see. You really went and did it, huh? I suppose there's definite merit in your desires, but I should inform you... I never had any intention of destroying this world. That wish of yours has no effect upon me at all. Though I must say, you looked marvelous just now.
[Ea fades into nonexistence, along with that heavy pressure. Gilgamesh draws forward and now has every appearance of that charming man she'd met before, casual and almost kind. Surely nothing that would cause such genocide, such devastation. The world reforms itself as it should and they are returned to the comfort of the Gate.
Gilgamesh's grin fades to a fonder sort of smile as he draws his hand about her cheek.]
Yes, you've certainly grown into a fine Gem. So I will go along with you and discover where that path leads. Together, with my Master.
[His finger pauses at her lip, teasing its way over the thin crease. The handsome air he bears is wielded in full against her.]
Now, ask of me anything you'd like. If any doubts yet remain, I shall clear them away. I promised the truth, and you will have it.
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His hand on her cheek causes her to inhale sharply, and she seems to be out of breath. Perhaps she had been holding her breath for too long. Whatever just happened, it was intense. Her shoulders sore, her body aching.
Pearl looks down at his finger on her lips and shakes her head, pulling back a step or two. She swallows thickly, trying to straighten out her cloak.]
What was that... that sword you had...
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Whatever the case, the tyrant from moments ago has gone to sleep again, leaving only the visage of a beautiful man in its wake.]
Ea, Sword of Rupture. With its Noble Phantasm, Enuma Elish, I rip apart reality itself and drive my foes to ruin.
[It is also said to be the sword that ends the world. That power exists beyond him, but he'll let her imagination wander as it pleases on that front.]
It is the greatest weapon I hold within my arsenal. I draw it only for a worthy opponent or for a meaningful cause.
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Pearl stands up straighter as the energy flows back into her very being. She clutches at the edges of her cloak, pulling it tighter around herself.]
Worthy... [She scoffs, shaking her head.]
I'm glad you were able to get a show out of it. [A stubborn heat rises to her cheeks, looking away from her Servant. Everything she felt was genuine in those last moments before the seal was administered.
Administered uselessly.]
You fought with Archer before, do you think you will again here? Is there even a point to fighting any of the Servants, should they arrive?
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[An assertion delivered point blank with a sweeping gesture. He's sure the man argued to the contrary, that he could and would stop him if necessary, but that's simply not a possibility in Gilgamesh's world, a world which he ruled over. So he waves it off and speaks softly to her, bent upon one knee.]
It is as I professed. I will walk this road with you and watch you become truly powerful. There's naught to worry over; what I told you before remains so. You are a precious thing to me and I will see you safe and strong. A Master, in control of your own destiny, as you deserve.
[He offers her his hand and looks up with reverence. Or maybe it is greed, simply wearing another guise.]
Do not let this doubt shake you, Pearl. Nothing has changed. Nothing will change, as far as the bond between us is concerned.
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[They were all heroic spirits with incredible power, for as far as she knew. That last thing anyone needed was a fight to occur with such raw power between two Servants.
Pearl stares down her nose at him under long lashes, her lips set in a thin creased line. Did she really hold power against him in this pact? She only had two command seals left, and after that? Who knows what could happen. Pearl didn't dare to think about the possible outcome. Besides, why would a King listen to a Pearl?
After a solid silent moment, Pearl reaches down to clasp his hand with her own. But she doesn't stop there. She yanks the King of Heroes to his feet with her Gem strength, effortlessly. Looking up at those blood red eyes with fierce pale blues, she narrows her eyes, leaning up, almost chest to chest with him, her own swelling with emotion once more.]
Stop acting like a servant. You said it yourself, you wanted to be at my side. Then stand and do so! Unless the King of Heroes wants to walked all over by a Gem. [She frowns tighter.]
I will say, I did not expect this kind of power from you. And I'm realizing what kind of mess I've stepped into. However, I will uphold this pact until it is done. If you do step out of line, and hurt those I care about, I will step in, regardless of how powerful you are.
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Very well! You are quite right, there are none who can hold my reins. But you... I look forward to it, Pearl. You're coming into your own.
[Gilgamesh opens another portal with a snap of his fingers and motions to it.]
Now, I believe you've had enough excitement for one day. I will return you to your residence and give you time to think over what's transpired.
[She will not soon forget the unveiling of Ea, of his true strength, of the Seal summoned and wasted. She will know exactly what she's dealing and she will rise to meet the challenge, of this much he is certain. Her path to enlightenment has begun. To prosperity and a realization of purpose.]
Let it be the most beautiful sort of disaster that consumes you, then. Dance wildly and beautifully! I am with you until the very end.
[Whenever and however that may come.]
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What had transpired, it was frightening to the Gem. Homeworld Gems would tremble and turn tail if they saw what Pearl had witnessed. Anyone would, now that Pearl thought about it. He was truly something to behold. Terrifying. This was not what she expected in the very least. She'd live up to it as best she could. She would try her hardest. That's what Crystal Gems did anyways.
...We'll always save the day. Could that be true for this case?
She had dug herself a deep grave of sorts. While she may had been oblivious as to what she was truly signing up for, but now she knew the gravity of the situation.
And the seal on her hand was that much heavier as she returned 'home', despite one seal being used.]