worthallthis | The Last Voyages: IC Inbox

That makes a frown, even as he gives up on the knight and moves the rook to the far end of the board to put the king in check again. "Why would someone resent you. You're kind. And you try to help."

Damn. He moves the King again, retreating him behind a pawn. "Remember, if I miss the check and do not save my King, then it is an automatic win for you," he tells him, a way to stall as he thinks about how best to answer his question.

"I had two underlings who were the closest to me- Stan and Isabel. Isabel had a human named Hugo and she loved him very much, but he betrayed us. Betrayed my nest. Rather than sentence him to death, I allowed him to live, but exiled him from my area for his own safety. Stan did not agree with my decision and I knew that he hated me for it. He had been disagreeing with all of my decisions up until his end, and it affected our relationship. He only followed me, I think, because of the power I had. I did not trust him and he did not trust me."

The rook stays put for now, and he brings out the second bishop instead, into a position that threatens another pawn with the next move, but leaves it open for Godric's rook.

"You didn't trust each other because you didn't agree with each other. But I don't. Rogers doesn't always. Agree. Or is it because of the hate?" At least he can truthfully say there's no one on the Barge he hates. He's not fond of a couple people, but anyone he hates is back in the world he left behind.

"I don't know when he began to hate me. He did something...unforgivable and hid it from me. That point, when he committed that atrocious act, was probably when it started. So though I trusted him, he did not feel the same."

He takes that bishop easily, setting it aside with a satisfying click against the desk.

"Steve and I don't always agree. But I trust him. You and Steve might not always agree, either, but you can probably trust him."

There's a slight wrinkle of his nose, very slight. Trust. That's not a thing he even really understands, as it pertains to him. Sure, actual people can trust or not trust each other, but him? There's always fear. Can't have trust and fear at the same time. He can like people, and he'll probably even admit it, but trusting them is just... not a thing he thinks he's capable of.

He hitches a shoulder a little, doesn't answer that, and moves the trapped knight to take another pawn now that the threatening rook is out of the way.

He lets the silence stretch for a moment as he thinks. He plans through the moves, moving one of his final front-line pawns forward to press the knight. It's a last ditch attempt to stall the game a bit longer.

After the move, he switches up his language, finding the natural end to the conversation as a good way to teach him more.

"Swear words or questions today?" he wonders with a hint of a smile, eager for this to go in a different direction.

Moving on is great. Awesome. A big relief, too, because damned if he could come up with anything to actually say on the topic of trust that wouldn't probably make Godric sad.

"Questions," he answers, and contemplates the board for a minute, himself, before moving the rook down on Godric's end of the board to threaten the king again, coming right up next to where it moved up a space behind the pawn. Easy to take the rook, but it still requires an extra move on Godric's part to do it. "Already got a couple swears."

"A good choice." He places his finger on the king for a moment. He eventually takes the rook, though it leaves the king vulnerable again.

He speaks a phrase, then, in English, "It means 'who are you' and can either be asking for a name or, if said with a little inflection, an accusation."

B repeats it dutifully, then moves his knight to take another pawn and put the king in check again. "Are there different conjugations depending on who you are asking?" He's got a bunch of languages with formal vs informal vs disrespectful "you", plural "you", all that fun stuff.

Godric hesitates a moment, finger on his king, and then just tips it over.

"No." The language was still evolving at the time, mixing with Latin, which Godric occasionally uses as a substitute for words he doesn't remember.

"But if you didn't particularly like someone, you could simply add mavledhwen." He did say he would teach phrases, but adding in a swear can't hurt.

Good to know. English is full of so many loan words, he'd probably understand about the Latin, if Godric mentioned it. He nods, watching the king fall. "Are you giving up?"

"This time," he tells him. "I would rather bow out gracefully at this point." 'Giving up' sounds so...defeatist, though he knows that's what it is.

"Could play again," he suggests, eyes down on the board, expression carefully blank. "Or just talk longer." Translation: don't go yet.

He knows what it means and he doesn't make a move to leave. He does unwrap a leather band from his wrist and dangle it down, hoping to attract Vesta's attention.

"Reset the board. I won't let you take my queen this time. I can tell you a story while you do."

Vesta lunges for it, like she was waiting to be invited to play, and digs claws and teeth in. Have fun with that, Godric. B doesn't trim her claws because he doesn't know he should, so they're very sharp.

B, on the other hand, contentedly starts setting pieces back where they belong. "Okay." Tell him your story, Godric, he's listening, and being very particular about the pieces to make sure there's plenty of time.

Godric's amused more than anything. Her claws, when they do find skin, don't hurt too badly, and Godric heals rather quickly from it. He focuses on bringing the little leather band up over her head and having her chase it.

"Gilgamesh was a demi-god, and king of Uruk. He was a cruel, cruel man, forcing his people into slavery to build his monuments and great city walls. For his hubris the gods created Enkidu, a wild man, though he was too wild to confront Gilgamesh at first. He enjoyed being of the wild, running with the animals who were his companions. A sacred prostitute named Shamhat was tasked with taming Enkidu, and she did as most know will tame a wild man, she tempted him to bed.

She laid with him for six days and seven nights, and Enkidu was tamed. He rejected his wild life and returned to Uruk with Shamhat." He pauses there, extracting a stray paw from being stuck in the bracelet.

About halfway through Godric is getting a sidelong skeptical look. Is this a story all about sex? Because that is not a thing he wants to think about-- at all. Ew.

Vesta is very good at jumping for things. Have fun with that, Godric. She will grab the bracelets still on your wrist, whether by accident or design.

Godric catches that look and smiles, though he's distracted by Vesta when she attacks his wrist.

Wincing at those tiny claws, he unhooks her from his wrist, continuing his story. "Enkidu came to Uruk to confront the king. He challenged Gilgamesh to a fight, and after sizing up his opponent Gilgamesh gladly took on the former wild man. They fought, wrestling through the palace, through the temples, through the city. They fought for days and days, until finally Gilgamesh won the match. But he was so impressed by Enkidu's strength that the two became close friends -- even lovers.

"With Enkidu's influence, Gilgamesh became a righteous man. It's said that the wild man tamed Gilgamesh in the way Enkidu had been tamed," Godric explains with a soft laugh. "The two traveled across the land, performing amazing feats, until one day upon returning to Uruk Gilgamesh found the goddess Ishtar waiting for him.

"She wanted to make him one of her lovers, but he rejected the idea. She had a tendency to be abusive to her consorts, and Gilgamesh had heard the tales of men and women being punished in wicked ways if they displeased her. Naturally, Ishtar was enraged by Gilgamesh's rejection, and sent the Bull of Heaven down to destroy Uruk."

By this time there's no way to stall any further, the board is set up, and B leans down to collect the now-tired Vesta to set on his knee. She accepts this with good grace and lets him pet her slowly and carefully.

He's settled into patiently listening, curious more about the feats and adventures the two friends got up to than about the whole sex part (c'mon, not important, stick with the fun fighting parts boys). Wondering idly whether one or the other was always hauling the other out of trouble.

Epics are difficult to retell with just the fun fighting parts, but Godric tries to work around it at the end.

He reties the band around his wrist idly, seeing the board done and wrapping up the story. "Of course, the two men slayed the Bull of Heaven, and defied Ishtar to her face by throwing pieces of the mutilated bull at her. I'm certain you can imagine how that displeased her. They rejoiced in their victory together, having fought as one for a common goal. The people of Uruk celebrated, but Ishtar put a terrible curse on Gilgamesh. She would not be shamed in such a way by these two men.

"Weeks later, Enkidu dreamed of the underworld. It was premonition that would come true, and in days Enkidu lay dying a terrible sickness. When he passed, Gilgamesh was inconsolable. He had lost a friend and companion, the only one he saw as an equal."

"That. Is an awful story," B says after a moment, slighty expression balanced between confusion and unhappiness. "His friend died. Because some woman was jealous." Stories are supposed to make you feel better. Aren't they? (Well. His collection of stories do, anyway. Which are for kids. Except for the one book from Becca he's managed to read, which also has a happy ending.)

"There is more to the story," he assures him. "Gilgamesh's story doesn't end there. But many stories are like that, B. I like it. They spent many years together, fighting and working together. Having...adventures. And yes, there was death, but there always is. If I had ended the story to you before they met Ishtar, it wouldn't change their fate."

He gestures to the board. "But, if you start, I will tell you another story with a happy ending."

"It's a story. It can be however you want."

That comes out like a grumble, but he moves a pawn out, anyway. Using the metal hand, since the flesh one is still occupied with Vesta. He may not entirely subscribe to the idea that just because a tale went one way one time, it always has to go that way.

Real life has enough death in it. Stories should be better than that.

"Once, there was a man named Odysseus. He was trying to return home to his wife and child after a long war, but he was met with obstacles along the way. Some were his own fault, but some were direct interference by the gods. Different gods than Gilgamesh knew.

"After a particularly harrowing encounter with fruit, the crew comes across an island where they capture wild goats to eat. They venture to the mainland, finding a cave with everything they need. Goats, milk, cheese, enough to last them for their trip."

He moves his pawn to meet the other head on.

"They told Odysseus to take what he could and leave, but he refused, choosing to linger. But, because of that, he was met by the Cyclops Polyphemus, who returned to his cave." There, Godric pauses, gauging his interest.

This is already starting off better than the last story. "A harrowing encounter with fruit." One corner of his mouth tilts up. "Was it oranges."

This is probably not a joke Godric will get, because he made it with Misty, but it amuses B at least. (He does not like oranges. Or orange flavored anything.) He continues his previous strategy of making a staggered defensive line of pawns, with a second one beside the first.

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