[Well, yes, she was, but. It was hard to explain, alright! Especially when she wasn't positive on if he was talking about worrying about him or worrying about Gilgamesh. What was even happening right now- she still wasn't sure, her head swimming from exactly how close she'd seemingly come to carnal relations.]
You promised you'd tell me, so tell me the truth! I'm not trying to play a game with a maiden's heart here- unlike some people!
[That smile went completely ignored, hung up on the fact that not only had he lied to her, but she'd been so foolish as to simply believe him... and that he'd apparently taken that as a sign she couldn't be trusted with anything but a general, vague statement that she shouldn't worry about what happened.
For good measure, she threw the last of her breakfast rolls- this time at his face.]
[ He did mean her worrying about Gilgamesh—or rather, that Masamune got the one-up on Sieglinde by getting there first. The idea she would actually worry about him in terms of Gilgamesh is laughable, not because he thinks she doesn't care about him but because he doesn't believe she has reason to even suspect there's a need to worry about him over it.
( --even if the truth is that, more than anyone and more than from anything, masamune needs to be worried about in regards to gilgamesh. )
It's not that he doesn't trust to give her details, but he is unaware of her exact standing with the king. Mainly, if he says one thing, will she ask Gilgamesh to confirm or deny? That's where it will get sticky, regardless of whether the two of them are willing to lie over anything to her. What their firm beliefs are over what the reality is... well, Masamune -- despite his incessant denial -- is very afraid of his stance on things only being a sanity protector to not break against the servant.
It would be a problem if things came to get twisted up all because he simply was going to be honest about things. Besides, he promised to tell her about their situation, but if he's remembering correctly, this part happened after what he promised to tell her about, in particular ( -- which, if he's honest, she could find out whether he hides it from her or not by simply backtracking on the network. )
He catches the breakfast rolls hurled at him this time, assuming she'll want to eat those once she calms down. ]
But that is the truth. Or at least, the extended truth, since it hadn't happened at the time we talked, I don't think. If I'm remembering correctly, I confronted him about your book when I found out where you got it and the conversation ended with me going to confront him on it in a fight. He played me good and it really rubbed me the wrong way because he wouldn't take me seriously and, I don't know, even though I got the upper hand-- [ --so he felt, anyway-- ] --he decided to tell me something straight.
[ Masamune's rambling on a little, trying to recall details that he has actually being trying to mentally lock away. ]
Anyway, even though I wondered if it was just another tactic of his to not take fighting me serious, I spoke to him again and it got WAY WAY out of my control [ AH HEH-- ] and then we talked. Just over a week later, that bastard had some mistletoe during that stupid holiday party week, so we ended up making a bet. Or a deal, whatever. He might have won, too; but the joke's on him, anyway, since it got interrupted.
[ Setting the rolls on the desk near the bed so she can get to them rather easily if she wants them, his other arm holds his blue jacket draped over it as he comes to sit on the bed near her again. His expression looks a little confused-- or perhaps really just unsure. He had looked pretty sheepishly apologetic until that part of playing with a maiden's heart insult was thrown. Now he just looks comically agitated as any sibling would express towards another. ]
I didn't think you'd take your crush that serious on him that you'd conclude I was playing with your heart. You know, you're gonna have a lot of heartbreak before you're 16, if this is a thing you do. [ Apparently, he's not even considering she means concerning his own actions where she jumped to conclusions... because, well, how is he supposed to know? He would figure you need a crush on someone to even begin with that sort of disaster.
It's that and the fact this Date lord seems to never understand when he needs to take responsibility. ]
[Finally, answers! Sort of. While Sieglinde's face was still scrunched up in frustration and embarrassment over how easily flustered he'd made her over something that was apparently just some sort of joke or test, she was listening, and as she did so her expression did ease somewhat, turning into what eventually was just a very frustrated frown.]
So you kissed? What did he tell you straight?
[YES OR NO, she just wants answers, okay. And it wasn't even about her own feelings, (which were complicated), it was more her dislike for vague answers- ones that were not truth but also trying not to lie, as if that made her better. When it came to patients she was treating she was as sweet and understanding as could be about boundaries and how to speak and avoid that which was painful... But he wasn't injured, not physically or mentally, so she pressed on. If he told her plainly he didn't wish to say that would be a different issue but... Dodging she did not appreciate.]
And I do not have a "crush" on him!
[Announced with a huff, crossing her arms when he sat down and defiantly not reaching for the breakfast rolls even though she wanted one. Also she sort of did, but she didn't... Understand the word. That, and she was also aware that it was a Bad Idea.]
His magical abilities and genetics could produce a most powerful heir, and if I have his favor there is much I can learn. He has saved my life, and I reciprocate as best I am able, that is all. To have such feelings for such a man is not wise, as I am well aware!
[See, maybe if she gave an example of honest talk he would reciprocate- that was the intent, anyway, as she pointed a finger at him accusingly, mirroring that same frustrated sibling expression.]
You are the one playing with my heart! What am I to assume besides your desire to couple, hmm? Anyone would think that if you did such a thing!
Yeah. And, eh, you'll have to give me a minute on what he said exactly, it's one of those things that I just get pissed off trying to think about again before the exact thing is recalled.
[ Which, also means it's hard not to go back to the most recent bullshit he can't get out of his mind.
Masamune doesn't seem convinced. ]
Okay, first of all, do you have proof of that? Because, I don't remember any great tales being mentioned about his heirs. And I guarantee you he spread his genes like his life depended on it. [ Sieglinde knows the epic better than him and there's a lot of shit in there 12-year-olds shouldn't be reading, so he at least won't pull the 'young card' on her. It's too late for her in concerns of some knowledge so he might as well. ]
The genes you are dealing with don't follow science to begin with because he's a demi-god but there's also nothing magical about his goods. Therefore, they can do whatever the hell they want, including giving you shit for heir productibility. Second, he's dead. I'm pretty sure all he can do is shoot blanks, so you're shit out of luck on that. Third, that guy is trash, he's slept with more people than a successful geisha and you really want that sort of thing for your heir production? You're gonna get sick and die for a really crappy probability. There are a million guys with better gene reproduction potential on all counts.
[ Time to point back in appropriate accusing fashion. ] I didn't even get to do anything but knock you over and look at you before you were full on ready! I could have wanted to kill you, too, you know! Besides, it's only playing with your heart if you're hoping for it on top of assuming, not just because you assume alone! Where do you get some of your definitions!
[Goddamn it, Masamune, see- if you just talked about all this bullshit instead of hiding it they wouldn't even be having any problems! ... Or so Sieglinde would like to think. As unbelievable as she finds it that she came in here to ask him something rather serous, that he'd even tried such a test upon her, and that now they were fighting about Gilgamesh of all things...
She still intended to meet him head on about it. Loser of arguments she did not enjoy being. And he will know he's in for the long haul because she holds up her fingers, counting them out as she refuted.]
Demi-gods and gods have always interbred with humans, usually to fantastic results! Heroes, sung and unsung alike! And he isn't dead he is a spirit, that's not the same thing at all- plus he has a corporal form! There are numerous ways both magical and scientific to address any problems with the sperm-
[pause, maybe she was done... Now, she just stopped for a quick breath]
And of course there are precautions one can take to prevent disease, and to ascertain if they are even present, not to mention that the number of women a man has bedded speaks directly to his power and influence, and finally, it is not as if I am placing all of my plans upon a single man anyway.
[Phew, there. NOW BACK TO FINGER POINTING, like the mature adults they both were.]
Do you kill women with the strength of your loins? No one would think that was a murder attempt and you know it! Besides, who says you are not also someone I have considered for the future?!
[... Things might be getting a bit weird in the interests of just Winning this Argument...]
No, he's super dead. That epic totally made a point he's dead because the snake took his plant. [ things he also doesn't believe in, really: ghosts. ] His power and influence are like 5,000 years gone, Sieg! These rebuffs all sound like a hell of a lot of effort, you'd get me on your side a lot easier just admitting you like his face and he has a great ass or something like a regular girl!
[ She's using the absolute worst final combination argument to him: magic and science. Still, if Date Masamune can't even understand the need to counter argue and win, then who can? It's why he doesn't press into trying to further argue on. Gilgamesh. It makes his head hur, especially because he can't understand why he takes issue with giving her what he feels is a reality check by discussing the real problem he has with Gilgamesh.
His expression turns into an almost furious grin at her comment about no one mistaking it because— ] --You wanna bet? I know someone very well, in fact! [ This is the only time he will be glad for Yukimura's sexual stupidity.
Masamune's grin fades quickly, though, and so does his irritation at her exclamation and he simply ends up unable to prevent himself from genuinely laughing. Yeah, he doesn't believe her at all suggesting that sort of thing. Granted, this was the same thing he did with Gilgamesh and look when that got him but he's super sure this isn't the same thing. ]
Oh, come on, Sieg. Isn't one of the top traits you want requiring them to know magic? You need a mage of some kind.
[She had quite a few things she could say to that, you know! It didn't matter if he was dead if he was alive now. She had seen him bleed, which meant his heart was pumping, which meant the tissue was organically stable and alive, which meant there was a possibility that the sperm yet were viable-
But he seemed to not even want a logical answer, he wanted some foolish... "regular girl" answer. (Because she wasn't normal- as if she didn't remember.)]
If you wish for me to say that I find him attractive in the physical sense you needed only say so earlier! He is a fine specimen, and I am quite partial to the timbre of his voice and his extensors!
[Even trying to be a "regular" girl she failed, pulling back her pointer finger and crossing her arms defensively over her chest, getting huffier the longer the argument went on and the less likely it seemed she could win easily.]
If you know someone who takes that sort of sexual conduct for assassination, you know a fool indeed- particularly if it comes not from a stranger!
[She could at least buy it if it was a stranger... a fair share of historical figures had lost their lives to hired women and men of the night, after all. Her reaction to his statement that she'd need a mage, though- that likely wasn't expected. A full-body stiffening, nails digging into her arms.]
Who was it who decided all of my children must be mages?
[ Masamune shakes his head, giving a small shrug at her question. ]
You're the one who told me this is all for the production of a proper heir as the Green Witch. There are no traits you'll get from me to get your results.
[If her voice sounded a little strangled over that, it was purely his imagination. She thought to point out that he was hardly without powers of his own- that surge of electricity had to come from somewhere, but-
Instead she threw his words back.]
Shouldn't at least one of them should be regular? Who would do that to more than one of their children?
[Really, she still didn't quite know how her mother had done it to one heir... even as she was prepared herself to continue the cycle.]
[ Masamune does indeed have powers of his own, she's correct. He's also already neglected to recall he showed them to her during that event in Chantes.
He looks a little uncertain now, however, with her comeback. He isn't amused or carefree, anymore, and even his tone of voice has lost its innocent cheer over her attempt to indeed one up him in this whole argument. ]
. . . Suddenly, you don't make it sound like your heir is the one you consider to have all the desirable traits. [ Is this going weirdly off topic into the realm of things he really doesn't want her thinking on over her birthday? Damn, he hopes not. ]
[Why did things turn out like you didn't plan at all, anyway? Why had she even blurted that out? When had she even started thinking that- two ideas at war in her head. The one she'd been raised with, that it was her duty to bear the next Green Witch, a daughter capable of continuing her work. The one she'd been growing since that day in the laboratory when her mother had told her everything.
That it might be better to die and end the line with herself. That it might be better to raise a child that knew nothing of magic, to spare it the sort of trials she herself had gone through.
Maybe other people would think she didn't need to consider those things for years, but for her- it was right around the corner.]
- We all have duties. Never mind it.
[Didn't they? Perhaps she could consider this practice at lying, like Loki had told her.]
It's not that he means to pry so much as he merely understands she's lying. Masamune is immature when it comes to things like this, but even he can see that this is why they can't be honest with one another. He just has to wonder, though, are they keeping it because they don't trust each other to keep it well to themselves or are just scared of what will be thought of them?
For him, in terms of Gilgamesh, he gets it's not just if she will believe him or not.
Furrowing his brow, he answers. ]
All right.
[ he doesn't say it in his English rather it's definitely in his native tongue from the accent difference alone. Duties, huh.
( he could just say it, stop dancing around the subject and playing along-- tell her to knock it off because she has no duties; her entire life has been a lie and that means anything she's grown up being told she must do is nothing more than a lie, as well. Masamune full well knows she originally had no magic upon arriving here. And to her, he's not even what one would consider a mage-- it's a lot more potent and raw. if a Mage could be considered domesticated then he's something feral. she's bluffing the wrong person. )
And it's at times like these -- everything he isn't hiding from her but merely it has not come up to directly be spoken of -- he wants to change that. It's tiresome to see a child decaying before they even bloom and not because of reality circumstance; but because of a parent who has created a psychological catastrophe in her and she can't seem to break out even knowing that it's not true. It's as if she can admit it's a lie verbally but her subconscious doesn't bother with even considering what that means. It's worse than denial, because the mind believes it's acknowledged the reality and is thus making progress.
He gets it, though. The weight of coming to terms with something like that... He's certain even an adult would do no better in coping.
Masamune does take this as the entire subject on him, in particularly, dropped, though. ]
Anyway, it's not like I don't know you're still going to do whatever you want, despite what I say. That includes your choices on the company you keep and in what fashion. So, it's pointless for me to try to argue with you on the matter. I'm supposed to trust you and I'm not doing a good job at it.
[ A sigh escapes him, and he runs a hand through his hair. Okay, if she's going to now be dishonest, he supposed that means it's his duty to be moreso to keep the balance. He adds: ]
But I really hate competing with that guy. That's why it's hard for me to tell you about it.
[He surely hated it. She hated it. So why- why were they doing it? Sieglinde didn't even really know, and it made her fingers fist angrily, and her bottom lip tremble. Useless things.]
Well, perhaps I will try again upon my next birthday, then.
[Would they be here that long? Would she have to wait that long? Unsure of what was happening, or what she should do, Sieglinde began to awkward process of trying to clamber out of Masamune's bed.
... She found herself almost hoping she'd see another year here, despite all that had happened to them.]
[ goddamn it. he can't not notice those hands and the way she trembles and he doesn't get why it bothers her; why would it make her happier if he told her something not very happy?
[She waits until she's pulled herself off the bed, wincing as she placed her weight back on her feet. Something that didn't usually happen- she'd largely lost feeling in the things more than a year now, but. The discomfort returned the less they were maintained, and it had been some time since Sebastian's departure.
Better to focus on the question.]
... there are many legends, some conflicting. Winged beasts with scales and fangs and sometimes the ability to breathe fire. Wurm, we call them. Men cursed, or great beasts ageless and from a time before man.
Man and gods alike-- they find few beasts to hunt that better demonstrate their power and skill, yes? What's the first thing done in order to slay a dragon?
[ Masamune does his best not to focus on her and any of her movements. He's too sensitive to them and just as he has started so suddenly she could signal him a need to back pedal and make it stupid to have tried at all. ]
[ He nods. It isn't really a trick question but it would be hard for her to pin down even if she's certainly understand very well. ]
One that will take them out of the sky. Something that can hold them down and rob them of their greatest advantage. The only thing more praise-worthy for a hunter chasing a dragon than slaying it is to tame it.
Do you know what Gilgamesh has not yet bothered to pursue as a goal in his five thousand years in existence, Sieglinde?
[Even if she'd been ready to try and storm out, she stays, too curious not to, and too reluctant to reveal how mincing her walk has gotten while he's watching directly.
This was starting to be more like a metaphor than a trick question. He also provides the answer, so she doesn't even have to think about it.]
Taming a dragon... ?
[Like Saint Martha, or Saint Romain? Those stories, though... they didn't end well for the dragons.]
But, that doesn't really reveal much to you, does it? Or have you made the connection regarding the dragon that the King of Heroes is determined to keep under his heel?
[Sieglinde made a point of not asking Gilgamesh about other people. Not about Rin, nor Masamune, nor anyone, really. She'd heard their warnings about Gilgamesh, and disregarded them for her own selfish reasons. The power and magic he offered her was far too tempting, even if one disregarded her lust for his genetic material.
And there was such a thing as privacy. Even knowing something was going on between the two of them, it never occurred to her that she should demand Gilgamesh tell her what it was. It was an issue between men, and since it did not involve her as far as she knew, she'd waited, just hoping Masamune would tell her.
Only a sigh comes out.]
So that's what it is then?
[It wasn't as if she found it beyond the man. He'd lived for centuries, and immortal beings were known for their fickleness- one she could understand. Fleeting attempts to stave off the boredom of eternity. She knew she was likely something of the same, merely in a different form. But what was she to say about it?]
[ Masamune is delayed in his response but he forces a grin to crack through. ]
Sometimes, nothing will take an individual higher than forcing something into a position it refuses to be in. The defiance burns both sides hot— one with the need to exert it perpetually and the other more thrilled to break it into pieces.
[ he folds his arms across his chest now. ] He's a king but I'm a warlord, too, and that just makes my refusal to give in stronger. It's a gross game of power and control—one between a perceived master and a perceived pet.
[ If there's ever been an expression that he wants to simply spit to get the taste of the words just spoken from his mouth out, Masamune is wearing it now. It also takes a lot of mental effort to not be nasty and add a are you happy now? comment to the mixture. ]
Maybe I assumed this knowledge would make it harder for you to keep going about as you wished. Maybe I'm wrong. The point is, so long as you are not exploited against me or otherwise in danger, I have no right to interfere. [ He shifts back now, moving further onto the bed and towards the corner to lean back against the wall. ]
Why you feel me keeping something like this from you means I don't trust you or think you mature enough To handle it, though... [ he shrugs, unable to find the appropriate words.
Right now, to Masamune, he can't think of a worst feeling to experience. Telling some shit like that to a kid on her birthday about someone she likes and someone she feels indebted to has to be at least somewhat dismaying to hear. Masamune normally has no problem making things about him, but this is too much-- even for him.
This is especially so when the young dragon feels it's inevitable that exposing something like this forces a need to take a side. In a way, Masamune wants her to take a side because privacy and staying out of matters is bullshit to him when it involves people you're supposedly close to.
( On the other hand, he does not, because he has zero confidence if she were to take a side it would be his. It isn't even that he concludes such by thinking she likes the servant more than him; rather, it's gauged on what she has shown important to her interests and what her priorities are. Magic and science and that knowledge are the child's priorities.
It's nothing to do with favoritism, merely fact. )
But hell, what does he really know? These people aren't from his world of thinking. It's probably him who's the naive and unfortunate one caught in a more idealistic consideration of people and relationships and what they mean. ] Do what you like, I will hold my tongue and my claws, so long as you aren't dragged in.
[ It's a little cold in delivery, but mostly it's overwhelmingly soaked in defeat and guilt. He's not angry, merely frustrated. Explaining it to her doesn't make him feel any better than her feeling he can't trust her and he feels worse that's it's all complicated trash.
-- As far as lying about things sexually, well, perhaps that's just left untouched because that part just makes it more fucked up. Sieglinde definitely needs no help on nightmare fuel concerning the more intolerable ways to turn primal aspects of nature into a weapon.
( besides, the fact still remains she does not trust him, either. After all, how else would one so adamantly conclude that avoiding speaking of a relationship means there is no trust or that it is otherwise definitely a negative mark towards her age so much as something entirely more heartfelt in intent? People who assume the worst only know of the worst-- from experience, by teachings, or by both. This child has had no one keep things from her other than to hurt her. Why he is even frustrated by what she can't help is beyond him.
--No, it's not. He feels like he has not tried hard enough to help fix it. he sees too much of himself before Kojuro entered his life. He hates looking in a past mirror and being helpless on how to assist.) ]
[The contests of men seemed so very foolish to little girls- and to Sieglinde, if not for different reasons. Possessed of maturity beyond her years (in some things), beyond even many adults, it was not difficult for her to remove herself from the situation- to look at it rationally.
To guess why Gilgamesh might be doing what he was. Toying with someone who seemed rebellious and powerful in order to simply have something to do, some power game to play to stave off centuries of repetition. To guess why Masamune would react tempestuously to such attempts, why he might try and hide it.]
I do not appreciate things being kept from me. That is all.
[But that didn't mean she accepted it, answering where he trailed off, to why you feel me keeping something like this from you means I don't trust you or think you mature enough to handle it, though. She didn't think it needed elaboration. After all the lies her life had ended up being, everything from the method of her birth to the nature of her magic... even the smallest lie thought to be in her self-interest felt worse than having her feet broken ever had.
She's left staring at him sullenly, gaze slowly dropping to the sheets, fingers curling tighter in them on the edge of his mattress, the more energetic happiness from moments before all but erased. At least she didn't feel as if a special day had been ruined, because really- it already had been, falling as it had on a day when fire rained from the skies and they were all starving, but. Was she supposed to reassure him, then? Of what?]
If I felt like I was truly in danger, I would not deal with him.
[Was that reassuring? She both appreciated his concern and disliked it, in that confoundedly confusing way, being young enough to not like being fussed over when she thought herself capable of handling something yet old enough to see why he would be worried.]
He has never even asked me about you- and I wouldn't allow such a thing anyway.
[To be used against someone she cared about. Even if Gilgamesh had the ability to offer her power and magic, secrets she desired to know... she'd had more than enough of being the puppet of others. With another sigh, she pressed her fingers to her temple, brow furrowed as she lapsed into silence again, until her gaze moved back up to him.]
- you will tell me, won't you? If things go too far.
[Right now, from what little she knew, it seemed like the sorts of petty rivalries between men that she'd read about countless times. And as of yet, no major wounds of his she's treated have been attributed to the Servant. Which meant that now, she was content at letting the two of them handle this themselves, content to respect some twisted sense of privacy or neutrality.
[She did seem relieved at least, removing her fingers from her temple and instead laying hands on one of the breakfast rolls she'd thrown at him, pulling it apart with her fingers before stuffing a piece in her mouth.
That was a good sign, at least. She didn't eat when she was truly angry or upset. Still. One last warning.]
And do not lay hands upon me again in such a salacious fashion unless you plan to take responsibility!
[Which sounded way less intimidating with half a mouth full, but.]
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[Well, yes, she was, but. It was hard to explain, alright! Especially when she wasn't positive on if he was talking about worrying about him or worrying about Gilgamesh. What was even happening right now- she still wasn't sure, her head swimming from exactly how close she'd seemingly come to carnal relations.]
You promised you'd tell me, so tell me the truth! I'm not trying to play a game with a maiden's heart here- unlike some people!
[That smile went completely ignored, hung up on the fact that not only had he lied to her, but she'd been so foolish as to simply believe him... and that he'd apparently taken that as a sign she couldn't be trusted with anything but a general, vague statement that she shouldn't worry about what happened.
For good measure, she threw the last of her breakfast rolls- this time at his face.]
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( --even if the truth is that, more than anyone and more than from anything, masamune needs to be worried about in regards to gilgamesh. )
It's not that he doesn't trust to give her details, but he is unaware of her exact standing with the king. Mainly, if he says one thing, will she ask Gilgamesh to confirm or deny? That's where it will get sticky, regardless of whether the two of them are willing to lie over anything to her. What their firm beliefs are over what the reality is... well, Masamune -- despite his incessant denial -- is very afraid of his stance on things only being a sanity protector to not break against the servant.
It would be a problem if things came to get twisted up all because he simply was going to be honest about things. Besides, he promised to tell her about their situation, but if he's remembering correctly, this part happened after what he promised to tell her about, in particular ( -- which, if he's honest, she could find out whether he hides it from her or not by simply backtracking on the network. )
He catches the breakfast rolls hurled at him this time, assuming she'll want to eat those once she calms down. ]
But that is the truth. Or at least, the extended truth, since it hadn't happened at the time we talked, I don't think. If I'm remembering correctly, I confronted him about your book when I found out where you got it and the conversation ended with me going to confront him on it in a fight. He played me good and it really rubbed me the wrong way because he wouldn't take me seriously and, I don't know, even though I got the upper hand-- [ --so he felt, anyway-- ] --he decided to tell me something straight.
[ Masamune's rambling on a little, trying to recall details that he has actually being trying to mentally lock away. ]
Anyway, even though I wondered if it was just another tactic of his to not take fighting me serious, I spoke to him again and it got WAY WAY out of my control [ AH HEH-- ] and then we talked. Just over a week later, that bastard had some mistletoe during that stupid holiday party week, so we ended up making a bet. Or a deal, whatever. He might have won, too; but the joke's on him, anyway, since it got interrupted.
[ Setting the rolls on the desk near the bed so she can get to them rather easily if she wants them, his other arm holds his blue jacket draped over it as he comes to sit on the bed near her again. His expression looks a little confused-- or perhaps really just unsure. He had looked pretty sheepishly apologetic until that part of playing with a maiden's heart insult was thrown. Now he just looks comically agitated as any sibling would express towards another. ]
I didn't think you'd take your crush that serious on him that you'd conclude I was playing with your heart. You know, you're gonna have a lot of heartbreak before you're 16, if this is a thing you do. [ Apparently, he's not even considering she means concerning his own actions where she jumped to conclusions... because, well, how is he supposed to know? He would figure you need a crush on someone to even begin with that sort of disaster.
It's that and the fact this Date lord seems to never understand when he needs to take responsibility. ]
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So you kissed? What did he tell you straight?
[YES OR NO, she just wants answers, okay. And it wasn't even about her own feelings, (which were complicated), it was more her dislike for vague answers- ones that were not truth but also trying not to lie, as if that made her better. When it came to patients she was treating she was as sweet and understanding as could be about boundaries and how to speak and avoid that which was painful... But he wasn't injured, not physically or mentally, so she pressed on. If he told her plainly he didn't wish to say that would be a different issue but... Dodging she did not appreciate.]
And I do not have a "crush" on him!
[Announced with a huff, crossing her arms when he sat down and defiantly not reaching for the breakfast rolls even though she wanted one. Also she sort of did, but she didn't... Understand the word. That, and she was also aware that it was a Bad Idea.]
His magical abilities and genetics could produce a most powerful heir, and if I have his favor there is much I can learn. He has saved my life, and I reciprocate as best I am able, that is all. To have such feelings for such a man is not wise, as I am well aware!
[See, maybe if she gave an example of honest talk he would reciprocate- that was the intent, anyway, as she pointed a finger at him accusingly, mirroring that same frustrated sibling expression.]
You are the one playing with my heart! What am I to assume besides your desire to couple, hmm? Anyone would think that if you did such a thing!
[Its not just her overactive imagination!!]
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[ Which, also means it's hard not to go back to the most recent bullshit he can't get out of his mind.
Masamune doesn't seem convinced. ]
Okay, first of all, do you have proof of that? Because, I don't remember any great tales being mentioned about his heirs. And I guarantee you he spread his genes like his life depended on it. [ Sieglinde knows the epic better than him and there's a lot of shit in there 12-year-olds shouldn't be reading, so he at least won't pull the 'young card' on her. It's too late for her in concerns of some knowledge so he might as well. ]
The genes you are dealing with don't follow science to begin with because he's a demi-god but there's also nothing magical about his goods. Therefore, they can do whatever the hell they want, including giving you shit for heir productibility. Second, he's dead. I'm pretty sure all he can do is shoot blanks, so you're shit out of luck on that. Third, that guy is trash, he's slept with more people than a successful geisha and you really want that sort of thing for your heir production? You're gonna get sick and die for a really crappy probability. There are a million guys with better gene reproduction potential on all counts.
[ Time to point back in appropriate accusing fashion. ] I didn't even get to do anything but knock you over and look at you before you were full on ready! I could have wanted to kill you, too, you know! Besides, it's only playing with your heart if you're hoping for it on top of assuming, not just because you assume alone! Where do you get some of your definitions!
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She still intended to meet him head on about it. Loser of arguments she did not enjoy being. And he will know he's in for the long haul because she holds up her fingers, counting them out as she refuted.]
Demi-gods and gods have always interbred with humans, usually to fantastic results! Heroes, sung and unsung alike! And he isn't dead he is a spirit, that's not the same thing at all- plus he has a corporal form! There are numerous ways both magical and scientific to address any problems with the sperm-
[pause, maybe she was done... Now, she just stopped for a quick breath]
And of course there are precautions one can take to prevent disease, and to ascertain if they are even present, not to mention that the number of women a man has bedded speaks directly to his power and influence, and finally, it is not as if I am placing all of my plans upon a single man anyway.
[Phew, there. NOW BACK TO FINGER POINTING, like the mature adults they both were.]
Do you kill women with the strength of your loins? No one would think that was a murder attempt and you know it! Besides, who says you are not also someone I have considered for the future?!
[... Things might be getting a bit weird in the interests of just Winning this Argument...]
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[ She's using the absolute worst final combination argument to him: magic and science. Still, if Date Masamune can't even understand the need to counter argue and win, then who can? It's why he doesn't press into trying to further argue on. Gilgamesh. It makes his head hur, especially because he can't understand why he takes issue with giving her what he feels is a reality check by discussing the real problem he has with Gilgamesh.
His expression turns into an almost furious grin at her comment about no one mistaking it because— ] --You wanna bet? I know someone very well, in fact! [ This is the only time he will be glad for Yukimura's sexual stupidity.
Masamune's grin fades quickly, though, and so does his irritation at her exclamation and he simply ends up unable to prevent himself from genuinely laughing. Yeah, he doesn't believe her at all suggesting that sort of thing. Granted, this was the same thing he did with Gilgamesh and look when that got him but he's super sure this isn't the same thing. ]
Oh, come on, Sieg. Isn't one of the top traits you want requiring them to know magic? You need a mage of some kind.
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But he seemed to not even want a logical answer, he wanted some foolish... "regular girl" answer. (Because she wasn't normal- as if she didn't remember.)]
If you wish for me to say that I find him attractive in the physical sense you needed only say so earlier! He is a fine specimen, and I am quite partial to the timbre of his voice and his extensors!
[Even trying to be a "regular" girl she failed, pulling back her pointer finger and crossing her arms defensively over her chest, getting huffier the longer the argument went on and the less likely it seemed she could win easily.]
If you know someone who takes that sort of sexual conduct for assassination, you know a fool indeed- particularly if it comes not from a stranger!
[She could at least buy it if it was a stranger... a fair share of historical figures had lost their lives to hired women and men of the night, after all. Her reaction to his statement that she'd need a mage, though- that likely wasn't expected. A full-body stiffening, nails digging into her arms.]
Who was it who decided all of my children must be mages?
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You're the one who told me this is all for the production of a proper heir as the Green Witch. There are no traits you'll get from me to get your results.
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[If her voice sounded a little strangled over that, it was purely his imagination. She thought to point out that he was hardly without powers of his own- that surge of electricity had to come from somewhere, but-
Instead she threw his words back.]
Shouldn't at least one of them should be regular? Who would do that to more than one of their children?
[Really, she still didn't quite know how her mother had done it to one heir... even as she was prepared herself to continue the cycle.]
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He looks a little uncertain now, however, with her comeback. He isn't amused or carefree, anymore, and even his tone of voice has lost its innocent cheer over her attempt to indeed one up him in this whole argument. ]
. . . Suddenly, you don't make it sound like your heir is the one you consider to have all the desirable traits. [ Is this going weirdly off topic into the realm of things he really doesn't want her thinking on over her birthday? Damn, he hopes not. ]
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That it might be better to die and end the line with herself. That it might be better to raise a child that knew nothing of magic, to spare it the sort of trials she herself had gone through.
Maybe other people would think she didn't need to consider those things for years, but for her- it was right around the corner.]
- We all have duties. Never mind it.
[Didn't they? Perhaps she could consider this practice at lying, like Loki had told her.]
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It's not that he means to pry so much as he merely understands she's lying. Masamune is immature when it comes to things like this, but even he can see that this is why they can't be honest with one another. He just has to wonder, though, are they keeping it because they don't trust each other to keep it well to themselves or are just scared of what will be thought of them?
For him, in terms of Gilgamesh, he gets it's not just if she will believe him or not.
Furrowing his brow, he answers. ]
All right.
[ he doesn't say it in his English rather it's definitely in his native tongue from the accent difference alone. Duties, huh.
( he could just say it, stop dancing around the subject and playing along-- tell her to knock it off because she has no duties; her entire life has been a lie and that means anything she's grown up being told she must do is nothing more than a lie, as well. Masamune full well knows she originally had no magic upon arriving here. And to her, he's not even what one would consider a mage-- it's a lot more potent and raw. if a Mage could be considered domesticated then he's something feral. she's bluffing the wrong person. )
And it's at times like these -- everything he isn't hiding from her but merely it has not come up to directly be spoken of -- he wants to change that. It's tiresome to see a child decaying before they even bloom and not because of reality circumstance; but because of a parent who has created a psychological catastrophe in her and she can't seem to break out even knowing that it's not true. It's as if she can admit it's a lie verbally but her subconscious doesn't bother with even considering what that means. It's worse than denial, because the mind believes it's acknowledged the reality and is thus making progress.
He gets it, though. The weight of coming to terms with something like that... He's certain even an adult would do no better in coping.
Masamune does take this as the entire subject on him, in particularly, dropped, though. ]
Anyway, it's not like I don't know you're still going to do whatever you want, despite what I say. That includes your choices on the company you keep and in what fashion. So, it's pointless for me to try to argue with you on the matter. I'm supposed to trust you and I'm not doing a good job at it.
[ A sigh escapes him, and he runs a hand through his hair. Okay, if she's going to now be dishonest, he supposed that means it's his duty to be moreso to keep the balance. He adds: ]
But I really hate competing with that guy. That's why it's hard for me to tell you about it.
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Well, perhaps I will try again upon my next birthday, then.
[Would they be here that long? Would she have to wait that long? Unsure of what was happening, or what she should do, Sieglinde began to awkward process of trying to clamber out of Masamune's bed.
... She found herself almost hoping she'd see another year here, despite all that had happened to them.]
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He grits his teeth. ]
What do you know about dragons?
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Better to focus on the question.]
... there are many legends, some conflicting. Winged beasts with scales and fangs and sometimes the ability to breathe fire. Wurm, we call them. Men cursed, or great beasts ageless and from a time before man.
[Fingers curled in the sheets instead.]
What of them?
[And why ask?]
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[ Masamune does his best not to focus on her and any of her movements. He's too sensitive to them and just as he has started so suddenly she could signal him a need to back pedal and make it stupid to have tried at all. ]
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Prepare a weapon fit to slay such a creature.
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One that will take them out of the sky. Something that can hold them down and rob them of their greatest advantage. The only thing more praise-worthy for a hunter chasing a dragon than slaying it is to tame it.
Do you know what Gilgamesh has not yet bothered to pursue as a goal in his five thousand years in existence, Sieglinde?
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This was starting to be more like a metaphor than a trick question. He also provides the answer, so she doesn't even have to think about it.]
Taming a dragon... ?
[Like Saint Martha, or Saint Romain? Those stories, though... they didn't end well for the dragons.]
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But, that doesn't really reveal much to you, does it? Or have you made the connection regarding the dragon that the King of Heroes is determined to keep under his heel?
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And there was such a thing as privacy. Even knowing something was going on between the two of them, it never occurred to her that she should demand Gilgamesh tell her what it was. It was an issue between men, and since it did not involve her as far as she knew, she'd waited, just hoping Masamune would tell her.
Only a sigh comes out.]
So that's what it is then?
[It wasn't as if she found it beyond the man. He'd lived for centuries, and immortal beings were known for their fickleness- one she could understand. Fleeting attempts to stave off the boredom of eternity. She knew she was likely something of the same, merely in a different form. But what was she to say about it?]
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Sometimes, nothing will take an individual higher than forcing something into a position it refuses to be in. The defiance burns both sides hot— one with the need to exert it perpetually and the other more thrilled to break it into pieces.
[ he folds his arms across his chest now. ] He's a king but I'm a warlord, too, and that just makes my refusal to give in stronger. It's a gross game of power and control—one between a perceived master and a perceived pet.
[ If there's ever been an expression that he wants to simply spit to get the taste of the words just spoken from his mouth out, Masamune is wearing it now. It also takes a lot of mental effort to not be nasty and add a are you happy now? comment to the mixture. ]
Maybe I assumed this knowledge would make it harder for you to keep going about as you wished. Maybe I'm wrong. The point is, so long as you are not exploited against me or otherwise in danger, I have no right to interfere. [ He shifts back now, moving further onto the bed and towards the corner to lean back against the wall. ]
Why you feel me keeping something like this from you means I don't trust you or think you mature enough To handle it, though... [ he shrugs, unable to find the appropriate words.
Right now, to Masamune, he can't think of a worst feeling to experience. Telling some shit like that to a kid on her birthday about someone she likes and someone she feels indebted to has to be at least somewhat dismaying to hear. Masamune normally has no problem making things about him, but this is too much-- even for him.
This is especially so when the young dragon feels it's inevitable that exposing something like this forces a need to take a side. In a way, Masamune wants her to take a side because privacy and staying out of matters is bullshit to him when it involves people you're supposedly close to.
( On the other hand, he does not, because he has zero confidence if she were to take a side it would be his. It isn't even that he concludes such by thinking she likes the servant more than him; rather, it's gauged on what she has shown important to her interests and what her priorities are. Magic and science and that knowledge are the child's priorities.
It's nothing to do with favoritism, merely fact. )
But hell, what does he really know? These people aren't from his world of thinking. It's probably him who's the naive and unfortunate one caught in a more idealistic consideration of people and relationships and what they mean. ] Do what you like, I will hold my tongue and my claws, so long as you aren't dragged in.
[ It's a little cold in delivery, but mostly it's overwhelmingly soaked in defeat and guilt. He's not angry, merely frustrated. Explaining it to her doesn't make him feel any better than her feeling he can't trust her and he feels worse that's it's all complicated trash.
-- As far as lying about things sexually, well, perhaps that's just left untouched because that part just makes it more fucked up. Sieglinde definitely needs no help on nightmare fuel concerning the more intolerable ways to turn primal aspects of nature into a weapon.
( besides, the fact still remains she does not trust him, either. After all, how else would one so adamantly conclude that avoiding speaking of a relationship means there is no trust or that it is otherwise definitely a negative mark towards her age so much as something entirely more heartfelt in intent? People who assume the worst only know of the worst-- from experience, by teachings, or by both. This child has had no one keep things from her other than to hurt her. Why he is even frustrated by what she can't help is beyond him.
--No, it's not. He feels like he has not tried hard enough to help fix it. he sees too much of himself before Kojuro entered his life. He hates looking in a past mirror and being helpless on how to assist.) ]
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To guess why Gilgamesh might be doing what he was. Toying with someone who seemed rebellious and powerful in order to simply have something to do, some power game to play to stave off centuries of repetition. To guess why Masamune would react tempestuously to such attempts, why he might try and hide it.]
I do not appreciate things being kept from me. That is all.
[But that didn't mean she accepted it, answering where he trailed off, to why you feel me keeping something like this from you means I don't trust you or think you mature enough to handle it, though. She didn't think it needed elaboration. After all the lies her life had ended up being, everything from the method of her birth to the nature of her magic... even the smallest lie thought to be in her self-interest felt worse than having her feet broken ever had.
She's left staring at him sullenly, gaze slowly dropping to the sheets, fingers curling tighter in them on the edge of his mattress, the more energetic happiness from moments before all but erased. At least she didn't feel as if a special day had been ruined, because really- it already had been, falling as it had on a day when fire rained from the skies and they were all starving, but. Was she supposed to reassure him, then? Of what?]
If I felt like I was truly in danger, I would not deal with him.
[Was that reassuring? She both appreciated his concern and disliked it, in that confoundedly confusing way, being young enough to not like being fussed over when she thought herself capable of handling something yet old enough to see why he would be worried.]
He has never even asked me about you- and I wouldn't allow such a thing anyway.
[To be used against someone she cared about. Even if Gilgamesh had the ability to offer her power and magic, secrets she desired to know... she'd had more than enough of being the puppet of others. With another sigh, she pressed her fingers to her temple, brow furrowed as she lapsed into silence again, until her gaze moved back up to him.]
- you will tell me, won't you? If things go too far.
[Right now, from what little she knew, it seemed like the sorts of petty rivalries between men that she'd read about countless times. And as of yet, no major wounds of his she's treated have been attributed to the Servant. Which meant that now, she was content at letting the two of them handle this themselves, content to respect some twisted sense of privacy or neutrality.
If that changed, though... so would her stance.]
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[ Masamune says it rather easily, although there is a pause before he adds an additional comment: ]
Although, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if it could be hidden at that point whether I wanted to do so or not.
[ He gives a light wave. ]
I think he's done with me for a while, though.
[ Some new famous last words right there. ]
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[She did seem relieved at least, removing her fingers from her temple and instead laying hands on one of the breakfast rolls she'd thrown at him, pulling it apart with her fingers before stuffing a piece in her mouth.
That was a good sign, at least. She didn't eat when she was truly angry or upset. Still. One last warning.]
And do not lay hands upon me again in such a salacious fashion unless you plan to take responsibility!
[Which sounded way less intimidating with half a mouth full, but.]
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Stupid sibling feels
kicks at dirt tsuntsun
kiss and make up