video; [KINGOFHEROES]

[babbylon]

[Greetings and salutations, comrades of ALASTAIR! The face of a handsome young man opens the feed today, smiling wide and surrounded by lions on his bed. Yes, that's right, lions. Shishi, his mount, sits in the background, with his mate nestled nearby. And atop him, crawling across his legs, over his shoulders, even rubbing at his face, are cubs, golden and white and feisty. They growl and chirp at the jewelry floating just a few feet away, and a particularly brave one bats at it.

Their parents, as well as Gilgamesh himself, look appropriately proud.]

Good day. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting me before, I am Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, and your resident lion tamer. I bred them as a hobby, back in my native Uruk, and so I have once again come into possession of several cubs.

[The cubs themselves appear no more than six weeks old. Gilgamesh has to shift a little to accommodate them, as they are absolutely intent on making the broadcast difficult by shoving their little furry bodies everywhere. Not that it bothers him much—he's laughing under his breath.]

They have all been weaned from their mother and thus are ready for distribution. Alas, I cannot keep so many for myself; I aim to find good homes for them among you all. I do ask you bear in mind these are wild animals at heart, requiring a great degree of time and attention to train.

[Though you'd never know it, seeming so harmless, so adorable.. After a time, Gilgamesh surrenders, and gets swallowed up by their insistent pawing.]

They are not... just... housecats to sit on a shelf and... w-wait, do not touch it...!

[The necklace goes flying down the hall as a mischievous cub bounds after it. Gilgamesh will snatch it back... eventually.]

(( All lions have now found loving homes! Thanks for the interest, everyone! ))

Comments

[babbylon]

[His ego's ranked A+, kiddo, good luck penetrating that barrier.]

They are lions. Big cats of the savanna. We refer to them as the "king of beasts", which makes them well-suited for a King of Heroes.

[grunehexe]

Who but a thief finds it anything but?

[Her own tone is hardening in response- not even at him, because that would imply she felt betrayed by Gilgamesh. And for all her fascination, she had never considered him a charitable or good person at his core. There was nothing to be disappointed for there.

Elsewhere, though...]

video | username: olivia

[winces]

[ olivia gasps softly, her hands flying to cover her mouth as she looks on in awe. ]

Oh my gosh, they're beautiful...!

[ she hadn't really meant to respond, in all honesty. it had been an accident, mostly, her reaction too swift to stamp down. after a moment, she draws her hands down, revealing cheeks made pink from her embarrassment. ]

U-Um... if you still need some people to care for them, I can offer my services...

[ she doesn't know a thing about raising and rearing lion cubs... but it would break her heart if they didn't have a kind home to go to. ]

[babbylon]

[Sharply:]

You would hunt them, but you would be foolish to do so. It does not change the course you've taken.

[He's scolding her ahead of time, as she's all but transparent in her aggravation. That and he's also not particularly interested in this getting back to the suspect in question, assuming he's astute enough to figure it out. He might or might not be, but fussy dragons make for bad bedmates.]

The world will know of your actions soon enough. And what then? Will you still cry foul, when you are forced to face the truth?

[adoube]

The king who's abandoning them now? (๑′°︿°๑) ｡･+ﾟﾟ(うд´｡)ﾟﾟ+･｡

[babbylon]

[My, what a pretty young woman he's ensnared. Soft and sweet and shaped in all the ways he likes, and it's fortunate that these feeds make it difficult to tell when someone's blatantly staring. Or maybe unfortunate, giving the nature of who's doing the staring.

But his words do not betray his thoughts, and thus he extends her nothing more than a polite smile and a standard greeting.]

I don't believe we've been introduced.

[Though he did glance at the username, and so...]

Are you "Olivia", by chance?

[keystaff]

Hm, well, you know about the Cards? One of their Guardians, Kero-chan's True Form is like a lion.

[If....the lion talked, could breathe fire and had wings. Sure.]

[babbylon]

Let us call it sharing instead.

[A real rarity for the King. Apparently he can repurpose any insult thrown his way on account of that noble privilege.]

[grunehexe]

I would confront them. I cannot have anyone near my work who cannot keep their mouths shut.

[Even beyond the ultimate magic... Every witch had their secrets, the formulas passed down, the potions and recipes they taught only to their closest apprentices, their successors- and she had yet to choose such a person. What he says is not something she can run from, and she doesn't try, not really, pointing haughtily at her temple.]

The formula to SuLIN will die with me, but that does not mean another will not follow what was left behind and seek to create it again. By that time, I will have found a cure- some way to combat it!

[The desperation beneath her tone though gives away that this... This is the most important thing, the only thing she had to do, was willing to die for, to kill for. An attempt to erase the ignorant sin she had committed when she'd been tricked into making it in the first place.]

[adoube]

[ ................unexpected. ]


That's 'cute'. You are very 'cute' today! You may continue.

[babbylon]

Are you flirting with me? In front of everyone? How bold.

[No, Dio. It is you that may continue.]

[winces]

[ even if his staring had been blatant, olivia likely wouldn't have noticed. frankly, such things tend to be beyond her scope — after all, who would want to stare at her? ]

—oh, um! [ now she looks even more embarrassed, one hand nervously fiddling with a braid as she hastily attempts to avoid eye contact. she doesn't know much about this man, but the way he carries himself reminds her so much of the men of stature back home. she suddenly regrets even speaking up; surely she shouldn't be bothering him... ]

Y-Yes, my name's Olivia... I'm sorry, I should have said earlier—

[babbylon]

Sieglinde.

[Gilgamesh addresses her as an elder. She can do as she pleases, however she pleases with whomever she pleases, but he won't have her flying completely off the rails. Callous he may be, watching her passion consume her to the point of insanity would not please him in the slightest.

This was the same man who held her, who put ribbons in her hair. To say he's entirely without concern wouldn't be true, either.]

Temper yourself. This is not cause for rage. The one responsible...

[Hold your breath, Masamune. This could be the end of you.]

They would surely weep to see you fall into the pits of desperation and discord.

[...or maybe not. It looks like Gilgamesh really isn't giving him up.]

[babbylon]

[She's simply too cute for words. Rejoice, Sakura, in that Gilgamesh was very much fond of children and they were very much free from his wrath.]

I see. So you are reminded of Kero-chan?

[adoube]

I must want something!

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh seems to pick up on that very specific sort of hesitation, and addresses it with a kind shake of his head.]

You may look at me when you speak. It is true, I am a great King, deserving of great respect, but you've done nothing to wrong me.

[That much he's earnest about. Gilgamesh could be volatile, but he wouldn't strike an innocent woman for daring to gaze at him, so long as they've shown him proper manners otherwise. Though it is cute, watching her fret like that.]

Are you very fond of animals? You sounded quite compassionate just now.

[keystaff]

[She is oblivious, and most of the time - all the time, when people have potentially told him or others off regarding Sakura and her age, she herself hasn't been aware.]

Y-yes! Sort of. But these cubs seem more like his smaller form if anything. They're cute!

[Of course, most would probably be wary on the very idea of an eleven year old having a lion as a pet but. Sakura isn't exactly the average eleven year old. And with the missions from ALASTAIR, it might not be the worst idea.]

Is that one a boy or a girl? Did you name any of them? Or....wait, I guess you wouldn't have yet, if you were wanting to give them to others.

[babbylon]

Alas, I'm afraid I have no ships to give you.

[He's got your number, Dio. Never doubt it.]

[grunehexe]

[The unfortunate side effect of raising a child in a way specifically designed to make her headstrong, to make her sure of herself and dogged in her pursuits, to make her without respect for convention social boundaries and morals... Sometimes produced negative effects as well. Like a tendency for the manic, spirals of lows and highs that followed the flow of work and obsession.

Is she enraged? She feels hurt, and angry, and still largely shocked- but it hasn't quite hit yet, not all of it. But she's not far gone enough not to listen, to heed-]

And did they weep to betray my trust and my secrets to you?

[To scratch Sebastian off her list of suspects. Demons weren't the crying kind.]

[babbylon]

They wanted to help you.

[What more can he say? If still she feels no sympathy, she will never.]

[winces]

[ so it is true, what he'd said in his announcement. she had naively assumed it to be some moniker he'd taken on, but the more she witnesses him, the more it can't be anything but the truth. a real king...! sure, she's been around khan basilio, and even the ylisse exalt, chrom, but she'll never get used to being around royalty. a mere peasant girl like her? why should she!

she can't help but look at him now, which makes her relieved he's allowed it, because now all she wants to do is stare (back)... ]

S-Sorry! [ she squeaks, instinctively apologizing for the minor misdemeanor. she hastens to move past it, though, not wanting to take up much more of his time. ]

Um — I do love animals, yes... [ but she's very compassionate about many things. ] I.. I can't say I know very much about taking care of them, but [ and here, she puffs up a little, a flicker of some fire that is normally dulled by her anxieties and insecurities ] I'd try very hard...!

[babbylon]

This one...

[Gilgamesh hefts the troublemaker back into his grip and gives a little wave of its paw to the feed. It growls and it nips and it wriggles, clearly a born fighter and clearly not overly fond of being paraded about, unlike its siblings.]

...is a boy. He will require quite a bit of patience, but sometimes the brats of the bunch make for the best companions.

[Certainly some of the fiercest. Gilgamesh sets the cub back down and lets it run along.]

No names yet. I leave that to you lot, as it suits you.

[babbylon]

Haven't you ever been told? You should only apologize if you've done something wrong.

[Though he chides her, it's gentle enough in spirit. She's clearly cut from maidenly stock, even if she possesses the persona of some poor slave girl; he's willing to forgive a few imperfections, as her voice sounds so clear, so saintly, even as it wavers. Beautiful things would always enrapture him as a born keeper of treasure.]

I see, I see. But I must tell you, lions are carnivores. They kill to eat, and someday, they must hunt. They may subsist off scraps for now, yet their instincts will drive them to go after larger prey in time. Can you stomach it?

[His eyes grow almost imperceptibly sharp, so very red and so very serpentine.]

Watching another living creature die.

[grunehexe]

Then I shall educate them on how best to do so.

[But rather than go to do that, she keeps staring at Gilgamesh.

Waiting to see if he will name them. If the use he has for whichever one he is protecting is greater than the regard he has for her.]

[babbylon]

Go on. Have it out with me, girl, no one else will hear you now.

[Still not talking. But he at least appears to have surrendered in another sense, shrugging his shoulders and sighing in mock defeat... ironically much like a cat rolling over and exposing its stomach.]