video; seelie + unseelie (hermione-net.)

[babbylon]

[The feed opens to a broad view of a dilapidated Leathann. The buildings no longer shine with pristine gold; the people no longer laugh and smile and conduct their business in the market square. Instead, there's a large crowd that's gathered around him, and an even bigger one working in the background. Hauling off rotten pieces of plywood, handing out strange necklaces of ground blood and feathers, and doing whatever they can as fast as they can for the sake of the island's survival.

And in the middle stands Gilgamesh, clad in his gilded armor, as he addresses both the remaining citizens and the compass, suspended before him by magic. For those who've seen him recently, they'll know he's at the end of his figurative rope; none of that exhaustion shows through now, however.

Now, he radiates only confidence and strength and so wields the full force of his Charisma for all to behold.]

People of the Drabwurld, hear me. I address you in the hopes I find sympathetic ears and minds, undeafened by the pull of the Void and unclouded by improper judgment. I have decreed it that Leathann shall not fall. Not to looming apocalypse, nor anything else.

[Sharp eyes lift to scan across the faces present. These are the few, the faithful. The ones left behind. He speaks to them as much as his outside audience.]

I am the Hero of the Garden. I alone may till it as I see fit. I will not abide another power, some rival god or false messiah. I will not abide an end that comes without my authority behind it. What of fate? What of destiny? I curse them both and pursue my own path, as should you.

[Some scattered cheers rise up, but Gilgamesh ignores them, and confronts those tuning in proper.]

I call upon each and every one of you to assist me in this endeavor! See that Leathann lives and that we all may face tomorrow, together!

[Gilgamesh clenches his fist and shouts; even over a distance, the force of it nearly can be felt.]

Rally to me! The time has come, the miracle descends now! The miracle Gilgamesh has wrought, which shines beyond the darkness! IRNITTU!*

[Is he aware of how ridiculous he sounds? Probably not. The feed remains on and follows Gilgamesh about his rounds as he pitches in his own efforts in various ways. He's open to discussion, but don't expect much in the way of listening to any disagreement. He's effectively immune with his current mood.

*"Victory!"]

(( Accompanying log here! ))

Comments

[vengeance_driven]

Oh, so you are going to use your ego to hit it instead of your sword. I see.

Hey, if you're a big tough guy and you're out there, and you're pretty sure you can make the shit you want to happen, then you should go for the best solution. That is all I am saying.

[babbylon]

[He'll bite. Just this once. This man's frank, and to a degree, he can appreciate that. It almost reminds him of Enkidu, in a sense.]

Then what is your "ideal"? For a man who does not believe in such, put in the same position, what would you do?

[vengeance_driven]

[Niko has an unhealthy addiction to sass. He's even backtalked a man punching him in the face with a hacksaw.] Find some way to postpone it and push it back, but not go away forever.

Like I say, you stop it altogether? People like my cousin cannot be fathers. I don't want it eating everything either, and I do not trust some bullshit that everything will be okay after.

But now I hear babies have stopped being born. And from what I hear, getting rid of the void will not fix that. But if those really old buildings are around after the earthquakes, there's probably something down there that is helpful. Someone should be good at reading this stuff down there.

[babbylon]

[There are no easy answers to the challenges he's proposed. If anyone had figured it out, then surely they would've said so by now, would've shared that knowledge with everyone. Or perhaps humanity really had grown corrupt again and was turning against itself. Gilgamesh wouldn't be surprised by that, either.

In any event, Gilgamesh chooses to focus on one thing above all else. He sounds a bit gentler for it.]

You worry for family?

[vengeance_driven]

Yes, I do. And not just mine.

[Family and friends are the only thing he's ever cared about. The rest of the world has punched him in the face and he resents it more than a little; if he was alone, he might even hope that the void takes it. But he has that one slim love and priority to hang onto.]

There are some good kids that I helped get to an orphanage that should be mothers and aunts and uncles some day. And I don't want them to have to go through this thing coming for them and eating their homes. At least have someone try to look for this.

[babbylon]

I understand you've no reason to trust my words.

[This much Gilgamesh yields in exchange for that scrap of honesty. He sheds some of that ego, too, lets a little uncertainty show. At his core, Gilgamesh was still human, and still understood human desires. He understood what this man feared and why he did, even if he stood above him.]

But my eyes see beyond sight. And while I've had no visions here, no dreams, no premonitions of what's to come, while I cannot assure you those children will live long and grow and prosper, while I cannot promise many things...

[Gilgamesh lifts his head and looks to the horizon, where the Void looms. He faces it with neither fear nor ecstasy. Only with conviction.]

Life itself will go on, in some form or another. I know it down to my bones. If in time, you've find that I've lied to you, seek your vengeance then.

[vengeance_driven]

Vengeance is a lot of energy. I spent ten years of my life on it. It never fixed anything in the end.

Whatever you do, think about it. Even if it is the thing you already plan. Don't fuckin' know it in your bones. Think about it. 'Cause if you fuck up even if I take another ten years to put a bullet in your head, that won't fix anything that gets broke now.

[babbylon]

[There's a lot of gruffness packed in there. But Gilgamesh believes he understands. This one is human, to his core, and for better or worse, Gilgamesh respects it.]

Vengeance has been the death of many heroes. But it will not be mine.

[No sense arguing about the rest. Strangely, Gilgamesh doesn't feel upset. If anything, that rough sort of sentiment is a buoying force. It grounds him. And indeed, makes him think. This was the proper path, wasn't it? This was the right thing to do, even if so much remained uncertain. But maybe...]

What is your name? Who speaks to a king so daringly, he who lords as king of himself?

[vengeance_driven]

Niko Bellic. [Though he doesn't know how to take that last bit since people usually call him "yokel" or "peasant" or "dumb immigrant fuck" etc. That's one of the nicer ways he's heard his unconquerable sassmouth put.]

What will you do if it turns out you can't stop it there?

[babbylon]

Then I will run like a coward to save my own life.

[He'll fight it if he has to. He's just not about to throw his life away, despite all his boasting, and he won't deny the unflattering truth of the matter.]

[vengeance_driven]

Don't say that, man. Then you say every person who must flee their home from that thing is a coward.

[babbylon]

It is a shameful thing to say, yes. But if Ea should fail me, I owe a certain responsibility. To myself and to others.

I did think about it, you see. And no matter what happens, I am going to live. Rest assured of that.

[vengeance_driven]

Better than the alternative.

[But it's an alternative he's been strongly suspecting will happen.]