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

text | UN: dezel

[caecius]

[That's...

That's really not what he was expecting. Dezel had definitely been listening carefully to what was said - he is never not listening carefully to what is said - but hearing someone announce they are both a lion tamer and have lion cubs right there with him is... not what he was expecting to hear on the network today, no.

Still, discussion about animals always catch his interest and this one is no different. Even if it's about lions, rather than the local entomology or... dogs...]

When people talk about breeding animals as a hobby they usually mean something on a smaller scale. Like cats, or dogs.

I take it that was a bit too mundane for you?

[babbylon]

Everything is a bit too mundane for me.

[At least he's an easy enough man to read, boasting openly like that, almost seeming to glow in doing so.]

[caecius]

[No kidding. It's really not difficult to sense the extent of the ego on this guy.]

Right.

[Although it sounds like the cubs might be a little too outside of the mundane, if the crashing and spluttering going on at the end of the feed is anything to go by. He has a feeling that saying that out loud though might not be the best idea though.]

Aside from the obvious distinction between natural predator and domesticated one, I wonder if it's the same sort of principle for breeding cats and lions. Assuming you don't have experience with the more mundane of those two options.

[babbylon]

[He's at least patient in correcting this man, shaking his head and explaining quite succinctly:]

Not at all. A cat is a cat; a lion is a lion. Big things big, small things small. Just because they look the same does not mean they are the same.

[caecius]

[Hey, the only lions he really knows are Hellions. Or Lords of Calamity trying to destroy the world. One might require kitty kibble, the other might require the souls of the tormented and malevolent ridden, who knows.]

Not even with base similarities, then? Hm.

[Good thing he's not planning on becoming a lion breeder any time soon.]

Why lions? Just because they were around or do they hold a special meaning where you're from? [His own perceptions of lions may have been tainted somewhat by Heldalf. It'd be interesting to know if they hold a lofty meaning somewhere other than Glenwood.]

[babbylon]

[It is at this point Gilgamesh must pause, arch a brow, and ask:]

Why the interest? Do I detect a lover of beasts within you?

[caecius]

Animals are interesting. Cultural flora and fauna differs from region to region, let alone world to world.

[It'd be a shame to miss out on finding out more about them while he has the chance.]

But my own personal opinion of creatures like lions isn't positive enough to warrant taking up breeding them as a hobby. [Thanks, Heldalf.] Just curious about other people's opinions of them. [Some of those opinions must be more positive than having connections to a literal being of evil, malvolence and destruction, right?]

gently pats head

[babbylon]

I adore them.

[That says enough in itself, doesn't it?]

fluffs up like a grumpy kitten

[caecius]

[Well he's glad they cleared that up. Thanks, Gil.]

... I'm more of a dog person.

[Because, hey. He's not going to get the answers he was hoping for, it seems.]

[babbylon]

I suppose there's a use for every animal, in some sense...

[If his reply sounded vaguely snobby to you, Dezel, that's because it was, and because Gilgamesh was very much not a dog person.]

[caecius]

[wow don't diss dogs]

They're loyal and good hearted. What's not to like about them?