6133/Royal Rivalry!

Royal Rivalry!
Date of Scene:	12 January 2019
Location:	Sundew Kingdom
Synopsis:	Gilgamesh visits the Sundew Kingdom and ends up fighting the princess!
Cast of Characters:	Sarracenia, Gilgamesh

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Sarracenia has posed:
     The walk to the Sundew Kingdom (which may not even be found on a map) would be perilous for most normal people. The main warp gate opens into a massive field of gently waving grass, and luckily a four-way intersection with an old wooden signpost points the way to the various kingdoms of Pipeland. Sundew's sign looks like it was added after all the others, and certainly not by whoever originally made the signpost.

     The first mile or so would be pleasant, sunny, grassy terrain. But, when one reaches the edge of the Sundew Jungle...it is quite a different story. Trees as large as skyscrapers with canopies blot out the sun, and cries of a multitude of creatures can be heard. Many of them sound dangerous. Once one has actually entered the jungle, the main road is the -only- road. There isn't even a hint of side roads, and it is obvious why as one walks. The vines and roots of the jungle are visibly creeping across the road as nature actively tries to reclaim the area, and if one gets close to the edge of the road one might even be snapped at by feral Piranha plants. They are large carnivorous plants with bulb-like heads and mouths full of great white shark teeth. Some even spit fireballs! Of course, none of these should be a threat to the King.

     It is another several miles before the walls of the city can finally be seen, but still only down the road itself thanks to the abundant foliage. As he is walking Gilgamesh would encounter several more piranha plants, but these are obviously servants of the realm as they are armored, walk on root-like legs and carry weapons in their giant leaf arms. They are patrolling, steadily cutting back the plants that threaten to take over the roadway. When he reaches the main gate he finds a few more who are wielding large spears. They are obviously city guards, and when they see Gilgamesh they immediately stand at full attention and one motions toward a small aircraft made of wood and with large wooden propellers as its engines. Another piranha plant is awaiting him, ready to fly the wooden helicopter to the castle. Inside the gate he would be able to see more of those strange plant people, as well as plenty of humans, some turtle-people, and some very short humans with mushrooms for hats. The city looks fairly rich by most people's standards, and the thick walls of the city seem to be keeping the jungle at bay.

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh is nothing like a normal person.

     In fact the King of Heroes is quite at home in the vast jungle full of terrible monsters. More at home than he has been in some time. It's a familiar setting. Once upon a time, Mesopotamia was a vast greenery, and he ventured to distant realms to collect treasures, distant realms with vast trees and monsters. He hasn't felt this at home in some time, and ancient instincts to gather treasure and explore stir inside him as naturally as if he had taken a breath. Indeed, after a bit, he does roam afield, distracted and fascinated.

     By the time he returns to the road and joins up with the escort, he's carrying a bouquet of dead piranha plants and jungle flowers over his shoulder, a gleaming sword in the other hand that shines like the full moon. He pays absolutely no attention to the guards' salutes; this is a given. He expects people to do that for him. He considers, after a bit, just going with the flyer, but he takes a few moments in the market with a wry smile.

     Then he climbs into the wooden helicopter and sets himself down, leaning one arm against the side as he looks across the city. It's a new place. The toadstool hats are...new. New is always interesting. Novel is always worth his time. Even if nothing else comes of this, he's seen something novel. If *literally nothing else* comes of it, his time will still have been well-spent.

     Then again, he is the King. All his time is well-spent.

Sarracenia has posed:
     The piranha plant patrol wasn't really sent to escort Gilgamesh, but after seeing him their patrol 'just happens' to take them his direction. They seem somewhere between impressed and unnerved at his bouquet of bounty, and one even rasps out that he wouldn't mind following such a king.

     The market is much as one might expect of a low-tech society. Many small booths are mixed in amongst the storefronts, and both seem to do about as much business as the other. But of course, nearly every person that gets near enough to see Gilgamesh stops and stares, and the human women and girls amongst the crowd even try to get close to him. Many of them try to touch him, even if it is just a hem of his sleeve or coat. And a chorus of 'aaaawww!' goes up as he heads back to the helicopter.

     Gilgamesh is taken directly from the gate to the castle. It is a sprawling castle with massive walls and towers. The building stones must have been imported from somewhere, as they are made of black marble and stand out quite starkly against the greenery of the jungle and the massive wooden walls. It heads to a landing pad on the top of one of the castle walls, allowing Gilgamesh to see that there is a vast airship dock constructed above the town, connected by an elevator to the center of town. Nearly all the airships are made of wood as well, except for the few multiversal ships.

     Awaiting him at the landing pad is an armed escort in golden armor, again consisting of piranha plant troops. One of which is obviously a captain judging by his more intricate helmet, and they all salute Gilgamesh when he lands. The captain rasps out, "Welcome to the Sundew Kingdom, sir! If you will follow us, we will take you to the courtyard where the princess is waiting."

Gilgamesh has posed:
     The King is used to this.

     Again, there is the sense that he just /expects it/. That he just...*understands* that this is the way things Are. It isn't an idle claim that he is the King; it is an active part of his existence, a taste of glory that radiates out from him, the glory of a time long ago brought into a time that does not want or need it. He is golden; his /soul/ is golden, reaching outwards. Of course people wish to grab it. Of course people are fascinated by him. He allows it, because he is a man who does not mind that sort of thing. It is part and parcel of the common folk to admire the King. It was his lot in the world of Babylon, too. They were simply...less grabby about it.

     The castle, the airship, the towers and walls, they get a brief glance from the King. It's a castle. It tells him a lot about the person he's coming to meet, in fact, though one would never expect that. It tells him what sort of education she's had. Tells him what sort of kingdom this is. The castle's structure is the structure of the kingdom. The black marble he lingers on thoughtfully until he concludes that, yes, it must be an import, or something magical.

     When he lands, he disembarks with all dignity, shouldering the silvery blade. He nods at the captain.

     "I like it," he says idly as he follows the captain, "I have a fondness for interesting things."

     He quirks his lip. "I hope that your princess is similarly interesting."

Sarracenia has posed:
     "She is...definitely unusual for a princess, sir." the captain responds with a bit of exasperation in his voice. "Very demanding, not very forgiving...a bit crazy, if you ask me." He flinches as he realizes what he said. "...but...please don't tell her I said that." he adds quietly.

     Walking through the castle, the wealth of the royal family is on display. Suits of armor, grand tapestries, paintings of all kinds, and of course more of that marble. Each hallways has a red carpet down the center of it which the servants try to avoid stepping on whenever possible. There are even electrical lights, which were not apparent in the rest of the town.

     It is several flights of stairs down to ground level, and the courtyard itself is vastly different from the jungle outside the walls. It is well manicured, full of fruit trees along the edges and lovely flowers cover the rest of the ground. Though Gilgamesh might notice none are pink. In the center of the courtyard is a large statue of a statuesque young woman in a flowing dress and with a crown upon her head. And standing in front of that statue (likely to both show off and to display that it is her) is Princess Sarracenia. Resting on her shoulder is a hammer as tall as herself and with a solid metal head that looks like it must weigh more than she does. She has a confident smirk on her face as the King approaches, but it wavers a bit as she sees him up close. "S-so..." She coughs into a gloved hand. "You are 'King' Gilgamesh?" Her emphasis on King makes it clear she does not hold his title in much regard.

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh laughs. It's a musical laugh. Almost literally musical. "The King will show you mercy," he says, patting the captain on the shoulder as they walk. If he's paying attention to the wealth, he's not showing it. It's not an active contempt or a distant smirk, just...he's not particularly visibly taking in the scenery. Mostly, he's just walking. It's kind of odd. He's the sort one would imagine swaggers, or walks with his chest puffed-out, or some other obvious sign of his arrogance. He doesn't. No, instead, every movement is just sort of *accidentally* graceful. He's clearly superhuman, beyond just the glorious golden soul.

     Sarra can immediately tell that he's perfect.

     It's not a /claim/. It's not a /comment/. It's not an ego-trip. His body, his face, is flawlessly beautiful. It's...it's odd, seeing it in person. On the phone it was something attractive, but he could sort of still be passed off as a normal, if very pretty, person. But in person, it's apparent that it really /isn't/ the outfit making him look good. Anything he wears would look like formalwear. The outfit could be rags and he'd still look like royalty. He could be carrying a stick and a bottle of wine and have been on the street for three days and he'd still look like he was hewn by a god.

     Because he was. By *multiple* gods.

     Beautiful, like a raging bull.

     The King inverts the blade on his shoulder and drops it. It vanishes into a ripple in space. His lips quirk upwards in a wry smile.

     "I am Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, King of Uruk and of Babylon, King of Denmark, King of all that Is, Was, and Ever Shall Be."

     "These are for you."

     He hands off the bouquet. Tucked under it is a box of chocolates. Inside the box of chocolates is a necklace of rubies, framed in gold.

     He may have asked someone what her favorite color was.

     The King steps forward and smiles at her. This close, it's not just evident that he's superhuman, it's impossible *not* to notice. Even his *breathing* is graceful, without loss of motion, perfectly rhythmic and without any irregularities.

     "I imagine that they'll suit your taste, my lady."

     "Shall we begin?" His voice is breathy. Soft. Warm. He even smells fine, like something...*unearthly* beautiful.

     Then he steps back, his hands in his pockets. "Feel free to attack me whenever you like."

Sarracenia has posed:
     The pirahna plant guards seem somewhat surprised that Gil says nothing of the royal wealth and hardly even looks at it either. Of course, they don't know much about Gilgamesh.

     Princess Sarracenia is also visibly surprised by Gilgamesh. She looks skeptical a moment as she takes the gifts, then her eyes widen at the necklace. "For...for me?" she stammers, obviously surprised and pleased by the gift. She giggles like a school girl, then holds it out to Gilgamesh. "Place it around my neck." she says, her tone making it clear she expects her command to be followed. She then turns around and holds her long hair to the side. If Gilgamesh is not an honorable god-man, he could easily take advantage of this. The battle seems forgotten for the time being. "It is so nice for a visitor to show proper respect for a change! And how did you know rubies are my favorite precious stone?"

Gilgamesh has posed:
     "Is it not customary to bring a beautiful woman a present when you call upon her in this degenerate age?" Gilgamesh inquires in a tone that's at least partially flirtatious and partially sincere, "Let alone a princess."

     He steps forward.

     He takes the necklace from her hands, and, slowly, drapes it around her neck. This is an art he's /practiced/ at. He doesn't even register it as a command (because if he did, he'd probably laugh at her) - this is *seduction*. This is pleasure. Gilgamesh has known pleasure for as long as he's been alive. He and pleasure are intimate friends, are lovers. So as he's putting the necklace around her neck, his breath is hot against her ear, and he leans forward to whisper intimately, "I am the King who is wise in the ways of the world. I do not call upon a woman without learning something as simple as that. It would be thoughtless, nevermind rude."

     His lips get *very* close to her ear. "And I am the King. It would not do for me to set a poor example, would it?"

     "Besides. A man who would not do this much is hardly a man at all. Especially if he is invited to..." He leaves it hanging for a moment, a quiet, subtle tease. "Teach her."

     A subtle reminder. At that, he pulls away again, setting his hand back in his pocket. "But before I can teach you anything, you will have to show me what you know."

     He puts on an affable smile. It reaches his eyes.

     This is *indeed* very entertaining, for *so* many reasons.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Princess Sarracenia huffs softly at that first question. "Apparently not!" she answers, sounding quite disgusted by that fact. The rest of his words and actions leave her QUITE flustered, and when he finally steps back and she turns around once more her cheeks are almost as red as her dress. "And...you actually want to...um...teach me?" she asks, as if very few have even implied such before. Her fingertips run over the necklace, which no doubt looks as if it belongs around her neck given her clothes and crown, then she grips her hammer in both hands firmly.

     But, that smile freezes her for a few more moments. She stares, then lets out an angry huff. "I may not know much about matters of love, but do not underestimate my battle prowess!" She charges forward at that, then goes into a twirl and brings her hammering around. The first swing is more a feint than an attack, which is meant to help the follow up swing connect more solidly. And if she does happen to hit, a small explosion engulfs the head of the hammer. It has apparently been coated in explosive powder.

Gilgamesh has posed:
     "It would be my pleasure," is all Gilgamesh says as she asks if he really wants to teach her, "And yours as well."

     And then she's off. The hammer comes swinging around. Gilgamesh's hand comes around casually to stop it at the hilt, and Sarra might be shocked to find that he *does* - the hammer runs into him with all force, and a shockwave erupts, rippling his coat, her dress, the grass, the trees, and everything. But the explosion catches him off-guard. Fire and smoke consumes his face. His head tilts back.

     When it comes forward, he's bleeding. There's burns on his face.

     And he *still* looks perfect, like they're nothing but accents and makeup to his beauty. That's *just unfair*.

     "Interesting."

     The King purses those handsome lips.

     And then the world opens.

     Golden ripples emerge from the air behind him. There's only a few of them, but there's something...dangerous...about them. Gilgamesh closes down on his hammer and leans forward. "But rushing in if you don't know that you're a superior force is very dangerous."

     "It may leave you..." He murmurs, like the word is sensuous, like even this fight is part of his dance, "/Exposed/."

     Weapons begin to emerge from the ripples. They're...flawless. Staggering. Each of those weapons is probably worth a king's ransom. There are blades, maces, hammers, spears. There are greatswords, shortswords, katanas. There are morningstars, flails, clubs. There are glaives and halberds and mancatchers and more besides. And each and every one of them, even to Sarra's eyes, is magical. Each and every one of them is a powerful, dangerous magical artifact, with unknown powers and unknown abilities and unknown arts. His finger rises.

     He snaps.

     The Gate opens. It's a trickle of water, firing those weapons like a few machine-guns. And they don't /stop/, and they aren't /copies/ - every weapon in the flow is unique, every weapon is beautiful, every weapon is magical, every weapon is powerful. There are more weapons here than most peopl see in their lifetimes.

     And there's the sense that he's not even *trying*.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia is struck first by the shockwave of her own attack. It rips into her clothes a bit, mostly around the skirt of her dress. But then...her eyes widen as that golden ripple appears and all those weapons start firing at her like some kind of gun that shoots swords instead of bullets! She is amazed by both how Gilgamesh still looks so perfect and how amazing those weapons are...of course getting hit by them snaps her out of it somewhat.

     She cries out in pain but refuses to let go of her hammer. It takes several hits before she finally loses her grip and goes bouncing back. She'd like to think she looks just as amazing as Gilgamesh when she stands, especially since somehow her face and neck were spared. But, her arms and legs are covered in bruises and cuts, and there is one slash in the side of her dress.

     Once Gilgamesh is holding her hammer without her touching it, he would feel a surge of magical energy as the hammer starts swinging up and down almost of its own free will. He'd be able to feel that the hammer itself contains a generous amount of power itself, and it would make it clear that in all likelyhood the hammer itself is as dangerous as Sarracenia. Perhaps moreso.

     Once she is standing straight again, Sarracenia lets out a high pitched squeal somewhere between an angry scream and a frustrated growl. "Give that back! The Sundew Hammer is mine and mine alone!!" Without hesitation she reaches into the small bag around her shoulder and starts pulling out explosives. First, the thing she had described on the radio. A smooth black orb with cute eyes and yellow shoes for feet/legs. It has a white square on top of its head and a turnkey in back. But, rather than wind it she just throws it! The explosion it releases is many times more powerful than the one the hammer unleashed, and it isn't the only explosive she throws.

     Following after the bob-omb is a silvery mine that sticks either to Gilgamesh or the ground nearby before exploding, then an old fashioned fused bomb that bounces along the ground and burns down quickly before exploding, then some kind of missile that she just throws like a dart!

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh is *absurdly* strong. He is as strong as a star from Heaven; more than that, his ego is strong enough to bolster him against things that rob him of his sense of self. The hammer's motion takes him off guard once before he brings it down firmly into the ground. He plants his foot on it as she shrieks. He looks up, and his face takes on a smirk. *This* is probably more the face she expected from him.

     "Beautiful," he says cheerfully at her rage.

     His foot kicks the hammer up as the bob-omb comes down. The hammer hits the bob-omb, and the explosive little minion goes up, high into the air, exploding above them. Another shockwave ripples outwards, ruffling his hair and his coat. He moves to shoulder the hammer, and the silvery mine affixes to his coat. He taps it thoughtfully.

     The fuel bomb convinces him otherwise.

     There is an explosion. It is large - probably not as large as she would've liked, but large. The missile follows it up with another blast. There's a crater where he stood. Smoke coils. Pieces of the courtyard rain down in chunks. For a moment, she might even believe she killed him.

     Then he emerges from the smoke.

     He's shirtless, now, probably because the blast annihilated the upper part of his clothing. His body - which, again, is indeed literally flawless, muscled and strong and lean, perfectly-proportioned - is covered in well-accenting burns. There's pieces of shrapnel sticking from his shoulders like artisinal piercings. Fortunately for Sarra, his pants survived. The tattered remnants of his coat still trail behind him like a ruined cloak as he sweeps aside the smoke with a motion, like the smoke itself bends to his will.

     He looks, in every way, like the King of Heroes he claims to be.

     The hammer is still on his shoulder. It's twitching, like an angry dog being held by someone it doesn't like. It's trying to escape. He's not *resisting* it.

     He's literally holding it down with superhuman strength.

     The King moves forward, swinging the hammer to the side. "You appeal to me, Princess, in many ways. I have an appreciation for a beautiful woman who desires the world. You're inexperienced, but that, too, is something I enjoy."

     The Gate opens. Unlike before, it's a single ripple. There's a menacing power that pours forth, a feeling of danger, a burning light. Gilgamesh smiles at her. "I think it is only fair that I reward you by showing you one of my toys up close."

     The countless littered weapons begin to disintegrate into golden sparkles. Gilgamesh chuckles. "Well."

     "That, and I enjoy showing off my treasures. Especially to a beautiful woman."

     Gilgamesh grasps the hilt.

     What emerges is a hammer. It's huge, and metal, and burning hot. Steam pours off it. The lines etched into it pulse with red light. Even being near it is like being near magma. Gilgamesh shoulders it like it doesn't bother him, shouldering hers on his other arm.

     "I recovered it from an ancient giant's forge," Gilgamesh says fondly, "At the heart of a volcano, kept alight by his pet dragon. I slew the dragon, tore out its lungs, and used it to kill the blacksmith, then took the hammer for my own. It was the hammer that forged his works, and his home."

     "What do you think? Isn't it beautiful? Fuhahahahaha! This is what it means to be King of Heroes!"

     The King surges forward, unencumbered by the hammers. Her own mallet comes swinging in for the side. His massive forge hammer comes down on her other side, as if guiding her into it.

     Because he is. When the forge hammer hits the ground, it explodes upwards, fire erupting from the courtyard as if a volcano had just erupted underground. He's not even trying to strike her - it's pure explosive force.

     "Your second lesson! If you lose your temper in the middle of a battle, no matter how beautiful your honest face, you won't survive!"

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia's angry expression fades to more of a 'this is bad' expression as Gilgamesh not only -isn't- yanked around by her hammer...but actually shoulders it like she herself would. Then she blinks in surprise. Did...did he call her beautiful. Her anger melts away further, and while she still has the this is bad look it is more 'this is bad but somehow nice'. A sort of smile that only curls one side of her lips. He calls her beautiful once more and she is blushing even as she looks at his hammer in an awed and admiring way. Not to mention...he doesn't have a shirt. She hasn't seen many men without a shirt, much less perfect specimens.

     But, despite her temper and her blushing and her admiring the sight, she reacts almost instinctively and leaps upward with all her might. When the two hammers impact, it isn't her they hit.

     She is still lost in the combined blasts, engulfed by flame and burning rock, and Gilgamesh would justifiably think that the battle must be over this time.

     Until a column of smoke and fire bursts forth from the upper curve of the explosion, and from that emerges the princess. She is blackened over much of her fair skin, and her dress burned into a short skirt that is likely much more flattering on her form. Her gloves have many holes in them where she used her arms to block as best she could, protecting her face and neck. Some of her hair is also smoldering, but her eyes are locked on Gilgamesh.

     He called her beautiful, and even if he isn't all that heroic in her eyes he is strong, something someone like her can't help but respect. She places a hand on the necklace as she flies through the air, unable to arrest her momentum. She finally impacts hard against the castle wall and falls to the ground after a moment, coughing from ash in her lungs and having the air forced from them by the impact. She slowly gets back to her feet, then smirks smugly. "M-maybe not...but I am still standing. Anger is more of a fuel for me. All those other prissy princesses don't understand. They have admiration and kindness lavished upon them. They don't understand...having to fight for it."

     A rope ladder suddenly appears at her side, dropped down from something above. That something above is a wooden airship much like a Spanish galeon. And beneath it is a cannon with a barrel as wide as Sarracenia is tall. "I am honored you felt compelled to show me one of your toys. Now, let me show you one of mine." she says as she boards the ladder, balancing with one foot on the bottom rung and one hand on the ropes. "I call it...a Bonzai Bill!!"

     From the cannon above, a face emerges. A shark-like grinning face apparently painted on a HUGE black bullet. The rope ladder starts to ascend as the cannon lets out a thunderous shockwave from firing the gigantic shell. It emerges rather slowly considering, but with its size it probably wasn't meant for precision strikes.

     "If this doesn't leave a mark, I will have to accept that you truly are a power beyond imagining, as you claim!" the princess calls out as she goes up and the Bonzai Bill comes down. The massive grinning shell starts to speed up, boosted by a rocket in back, and it actually seems to be laughing maniacally as it impacts the center of the courtyard. The explosion hits the castle walls and is contained, sending shockwaves back through the area as it fills with even more fire and debris.

     As the sound of the explosion dies out, it is revealed that the laughing was actually Sarracenia, and she is now grinning like a maniac as well as she looks down at the devastation, waiting to see how the so called King of Heroes weathered this storm.

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh never thinks a battle is over until he sees a corpse. This is, perhaps, one of his strongest senses. He's overconfident, arrogant, overwhelmingly powerful, and extraordinarily dangerous, but he's not so stupid as to think a fight is over until it's over.

     She emerges in a short skirt.

     Gilgamesh is...distracted. His eyes flick down, then up, as she stands. His own hammer vanishes into the ripple. And he comes to a decision.

     The King of Heroes leans against her hammer and watches her. The sense that he's not really trying is still *enormously* potent, that he's just sort of...playing around. "Indeed. But there is a difference between anger and temper. Anger is something to harness. A temper is something that takes control of you."

     He walks forward as she's setting up, slinging the hammer back over her shoulder. "Something that possesses you. Like desire. Like need."

     He licks his lips. It's...suggestive, to say the least. "Like /lust/."

     The Bonzai Bill comes down. Gilgamesh walks forward. He brings up her hammer to smash into the massive thing-

     -and it erupts in his face. Both of them. The fire fills the room, shockwave bursting out, fire and debris raining down. The hammer spins upwards out of the explosion, then comes smashing down next to Sarra, landing with a *thump* next to its rightful owner. There's a huge crater where the King was standing.

     The smoke clears.

     He's alive. He's bloody, and it's only thanks to dumb luck that he's modest, wearing torn and burned shorts that had a moment ago been long pants. His body is covered in burns. And there's a look in his eyes like a wild animal, a primordial *power* welling up. Those eyes glow, a menacing, bloody color. Tattoos pulse along his skin, ancient, red, and dangerous, casting a grim pallor across the crater.

     Then he runs his fingers through his hair, and takes a breath, as if seizing control of himself. He puts his hand on his hip and laughs.

     "Fuhahahahaha! Very impressive!"

     The King climbs out of the crater and lands in front of her. "And very entertaining!"

     He snaps his fingers. A gold cloth emerges from the ripple as he walks towards her. It hovers around him, wiping away blood, wiping away burns. Another snap, and golden bandages emerge from several ripples, wrapping around his chest and the burned side of his face. The cloth vanishes a moment later.

     "I like it!"

     "It has style. Though it looks like a mere toy it packs an enormous power. Delightful."

     Gilgamesh stops in front of her. The Gate of Babylon opens. From it he pulls what looks like a wicked black scythe. It's ominous, and unpleasant to look upon. But rather than hit her, he simply swings it at the debris.

     It cuts. There's a gap. Sarra can see the world struggling to imagine itself properly before the debris vanishes and the courtyard - before their battle, untouched and undamaged - reasserts itself. The scythe vanishes into glittering gold as he turns back to her, a wry smile on his face.

     "I've decided. You are worth my time, Princess."

     "You are indeed quite beautiful."

     And there's the sense that he doesn't mean /physical/ beauty, exactly, that he's referring to that willingness to fight for every scrap of affection, that he's referring to her strength, her /determination/, as much as her body. It's like he's looking right through her with those red eyes.

     "And if you'd still like me to teach you..."

     He chuckles.

     "There are few better ways to recover from such entertainment than in the arms of a lover."

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia blushes as he emphasises the word lust like that. Once the explosion had cleared, Sarracenia lowers back down to the ground, feeling a bit of trepidation at seeing Gilgamesh with those glowing eyes and runes. Her hammer impacts beside her and she blinks before picking it up again and giving a graceful flourish with it before lowering it again with a bit of force, massive metal head sinking into the ground just a little.

     Then Gilgamesh moves toward her and she lifts the hammer once more. She twirls it around herself, ready to continue if he wishes it. But instead, he's laughing jovially and giving her more compliments! She blinks, then smirks lightly and lowers her hammer once more. She's certainly no less bloody and burned than Gilgamesh, but as a princess she has to keep up her grace even in the face of pain. Her grin becomes a small, jealous pout when he is able to snap his fingers and just clean himself up like that. When he pulls out that scythe she takes a step back, ready to continue fighting. But...instead something wonderous happens! He restores the castle grounds! She hadn't thought about it yet, but as the many fruit trees and flowers are restored she realizes how sad she might have been later.

     And then, words that make Sarracenia freeze with a look almost like a deer in the headlights. She is worth his time, and beautiful in ways beyond physical. She literally doesn't know what to say to this, and ends up looking off to the side shyly as she blushes hotly. She lifts her hammer, then slides it into her purse. The bag shows no outward signs beyond some intial stretching that quickly disappears. She then rubs her arm nervously and still without meeting Gilgamesh's gaze says, "...I..I told you. A princess cannot have such whirlwind romances. It would be improper and bring dishonor to my family and kingdom...even if it were with the King of Heroes." It doesn't sound like she is personally opposed to the idea, but she is dedicated to her honor as a princess.

     She finally meets Gilgamesh's gaze again, and a small, almost shy smile forms. "However...after a proper courtship...who knows?" She holds her hands clasped together in front of her and sways lightly, in a classy but flirty manner.

     Her eyes suddenly widen, as if she's only just realizing that Gilgamesh is basically in short shorts. "Oh dear. That isn't proper as well." She reaches into her purse again and pulls out what would be a princely outfit to match her princess look. "Here, King Gilgamesh. As repayment for gracing me with your presence and replacement for your clothes." It is a black outfit with gold trimming and red accents, as well as gold shoulders. "I hope it is to your liking?"

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh's eyes are not full of that needy disappointment of a man who just got turned down. Quite the contrary - there's a flicker of interest in his eyes. This isn't a man who needs someone else to satisfy his ego. This isn't a man who needs a person to tell him he's beautiful to make his fragile self feel better. An egomaniac, someone fragile, someone broken, someone who craves validation - they don't look the way Gilgamesh does. Gilgamesh is a man with a sense of self so profound that he simply expects the world to conform to his expectations.

     And considering what he can /do/, and what he's /like/, is that really a surprise?

     He stands there, considering her, as she talks. There's a sense of entertainment - not at /her/, but at...the situation? Something? Is he...does he view this as a /challenge/?

     She gives him the clothes. He holds them up, examining them thoughtfully. "Very nice. Well-tailored. The trimming is excellent. Did you have this on hand already? I appreciate a prepared woman."

     A moment later, they're falling into the Gate of Babylon, his hands are on her hips, and he's stealing a deep, /strong/ kiss, the kind of kiss you read about in romance novels, the kind of kiss that feeds hunger and need, the kind of kiss of a man who *most assuredly* is not joking about knowing passion and pleasure better than anyone alive. Unless she physically stops him from either the kiss or the action, he pulls her against him, like the cover of a romance novel - complete with the bare torso and the tattered pants.

     Then he steps back, and snaps his fingers. There's a flash of brilliant gold, and then the outfit is on him.

     It looks princely on its own.

     On him...it looks kingly. Unsurprisingly. The gold of his bandages, the gold of his patch-job, glitters with the trimming. He'd look gaudy if it didn't seem so /right/.

     He might still be a little gaudy.

     "I enjoyed myself thoroughly, Princess." Gilgamesh's hands go into the pockets. "And it was an entertaining lesson. Perhaps I'll be able to give you another one."

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia ends up smiling more as he takes her reply in stride and accepts the clothes. "I try to be prepared for most any situa-" she starts to say proudly, but then...she's caught in a kiss! She is indeed very surprised, judging by just how big her eyes get. As the feel of it overtakes her it causes her eyes to flutter and her knees to weaken. If he hadn't pulled her against him she'd likely have lost strength in her legs completely. As it is, her hands instinctively come up, bracing against his chest. Then a different instinct causes her fingers to curl against his perfect pecs.

     As quickly as it happened, he steps back. Sarracenia's eyes flutter open again and she blinks a few times before her eyes focus once more. Her cheeks are definitely as red as her clothes now and she is speechless. She can only stare for a while, watching as he snaps the clothes into place and shines like the golden god he was made to be. Dazzled, dazed, and dumbstruck, she finally does end up on the ground, her legs beneath her. She giggles a bit drunkenly and smiles dumbly. "P-perhaps. I will look forward to it." she says in a dreamy tone, then she blinks and coughs. "I..I mean..I -might- look forward to it." she amends, looking off to the side in embarrassment.

Gilgamesh has posed:
     Gilgamesh licks his lips.

     "Delicious."

     He places his hand on his chest and inclines his head politely. It's not a submissive bow - it's the bow of a King, a proper King. As much as he sounds like an asshole on the radio - as much as he *is* an asshole, and a brutal, dangerous, powerful, unpredictable creature - Kingship is indeed woven into every part of his existence. He squats to look at her giggling, embarassed face. When she looks away, he tilts her chin gently back towards him, and plants another, softer kiss on her lips. Still in the kiss, he speaks, moving her mouth with his.

     "Something to tide you over."

     Then he stands, hands in his pockets. "Enjoy your dreams, Princess."

     With that, he starts walking back to the chopper. He can find his own way out. She's probably not in much of a state to help him anyway.