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GILGAMESH (past)
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Among the people he knew in his field of work, one who definitely stuck out was Iskandar Velvet.
The blond man knew him quite well: he was a talented businessman, renowned for his intense charisma and his capability of dealing with very different kinds of situations. Gilgamesh didn't find him particularly extraordinary as a person, but he did acknowledge his skills, and in those tedious gatherings the others insisted upon calling 'work meetings' – especially since they were anything but – the red-bearded giant was undoubtedly someone he could deign himself to talk to.
Yes, he may be annoying with his good-humoured ways, but at least he was not boring.
It was during one of those encounters that Gilgamesh received an unwanted piece of advice from him.
Iskandar, who was about ten years older than him, had re-married after his first wife's death, and had a son, Waver, who was now in kindergarten. Iskandar knew all about Gilgamesh's predicament in having to find a wife, even though it wasn't public knowledge, and he immediately took up the unrequested task of advising him.
With a grin so wide that it threatened to split his face in two, he leaned forward to try to slam his hand on the blond man's shoulder, completely disregarding the fact that Gilgamesh stepped to the side to avoid the contact with a haughty and displeased frown.
"I happen to know a woman that might interest you, Goldie!"
Even though he was used to the occasional spurts of nonsense from Iskandar – not to mention that objectionable nickname – Gilgamesh still arched an eyebrow. He very much doubted that anything Iskandar said could be of use, but since the alternative to speaking with him was having to tolerate someone far less entertaining, he would make the effort of listening. Or rather, of pretending to do so.
Seeing that Gilgamesh was looking at him in a bored manner, Iskandar took it as his cue to continue.
"I'm talking about a young woman of sound reasoning and firm behaviour, and who has always been able to civilly talk back to me in all of our discussions! She is somewhat a naïve thing, yes, but a true beautiful flower – albeit a raw one – and fiercely loyal to her family!"
As Iskandar continued with his fervent speech, Gilgamesh felt his interest gradually decrease. It was a good thing that he had not had any expectations when he had made the decision to listen, because he would have otherwise been somewhat disappointed.
The person Iskandar was describing was not a woman – it was a child. Brave, perhaps… but a child nonetheless. He proceeded to inform the bulky man of that, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
As was usual for him, Iskandar laughed, but then, he suddenly looked Gilgamesh straight in the eye, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious.
"No, my friend, she's most certainly not a child… I called her a little girl myself, but I have to recognize, in spite of my better judgement, that I was wrong! I believe Enkidu here knows her better than I do though, so you go get to know her and then decide for yourself!"
And nothing the exasperated blond man had half a mind to say would ever make him change his mind, because Enkidu had heard every word, and wasted no time in making sure Gilgamesh went with him to meet said mysterious woman.
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For reasons he was still trying to determine, Enkidu had dragged him to the campus of the Central College. Even though he had rarely gone there in person, he knew the place somewhat well, as he was after all among its trustees. His mother had attended that same college as well, and had even been its headmistress for a few years before retiring.
His best friend had insisted they go there, and he had told him why only once they were already at the university campus.
Enkidu had taken Iskandar's words seriously and intended to make him meet the 'potential candidate'. Gilgamesh was completely certain of the fact that his best friend had good intentions and was truly trying to help him, since the pressure about finding a wife had not lessened in the least, but that did not mean that he was pleased about it.
The nameless woman apparently knew Enkidu; nothing strange there, because everyone knew Enkidu. Aside from that, however, the reason for which they were at a college campus had still not been explained.
But when he actually met her – and Enkidu had somehow managed to make it look like an accidental meeting – Gilgamesh had to blink. Several times.
It was the same woman he had hired over two months before. Arturia Pendragon.
She was the person Iskandar had referred to him?
Had he not had such a firm control over his facial expression and considered it beneath him, the blond man would have laughed at the irony of the situation – and even more at Iskandar's idiocy.
This young girl was the woman he had suggested? It was beyond ridiculous.
Her reaction at seeing him there was amusing though. To say that she was dumbfounded was an understatement; she was obviously confused and worried, not expecting to see her employer at the college campus, and she was even more wary when Enkidu told her that the CEO of Uruk Enterprises was among its trustees.
The dialogue that followed was brief and formal but, to his surprise, Gilgamesh's interest was piqued when he witnessed her less-than-happy reaction when Enkidu brought up Iskandar's name. It appeared that she and the tall loudmouth were not exactly on good terms.
Intrigued by that, he made the effort to inquire about it and, before he knew it, he was immersed in a strangely sarcastic yet satisfying conversation with her.
He did not even realize how concentrated he was until he looked up and saw that Enkidu was enjoying the scene and was giving him one of his best smirks, a smirk he usually reserved only for the victims of his mischiefs.
Oh no, he wouldn't.
But, as it happened, Enkidu ended up enjoying himself a lot more in the following weeks.
At the beginning, Gilgamesh had started to go to campus more often, maybe a bit more than what was necessary, only to revel in her discomfort each time she saw him, or so he told his friend. He was still trying to deny the fact that he felt a little captivated by her.
Enkidu, however, was being quite sly in his comments, and when the Golden Businessman stopped replying to them, he had already started with actions that were more decisive.
Quite ingeniously, Enkidu began to organize several evenings out – sometimes making it so that Iskandar sent out the invitation – claiming that he wanted to replace their usual 'work meetings'. Yet in one way or another, Arturia Pendragon was always invited to participate in them.
Of course, one or two of her college friends, Iskandar and some other work colleagues, were always part of the group too, but either way, that meant that Gilgamesh was in her presence much more often than usual.
At first, she was very guarded with him, and avoided addressing him as frequently as possible, as she had obviously not forgotten that he was her employer. For that reason, the blond man found himself bored, and could only amuse himself by – unintentionally, he told himself – observing her interactions with others.
Remaining mostly quiet, he would take in the scenes that were in front of him, thinking. And the more he saw of her, the more he considered it.
What if…?
No, that was absurd.
Nevertheless, he could not forget the fact that she had been singled out by both Enkidu and Iskandar. And before either of the two morons had ever brought her up, she had already caught his eye on her own as well.
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Once or twice, he had intervened in her conversations with others, mainly (and obviously) to get a reaction out of her, and to make sure she stopped being so annoyingly guarded when talking to him.
Arturia – or Ria, as all her friends preferred calling her, although he personally detested the shortened version of her name – seemed to find it difficult to forget that he was her boss, but he would have none of her careful behaviour. He had seen how much passion she had when talking to others and regarding matters she cared about; she had no right to hold that back when speaking to him.
As always, he knew the perfect way to make sure she truly expressed her personal thoughts: pushing her buttons, of course.
It was actually rather amusing. He just needed to find the right thing to say with the right tone of voice and she became so easily riled up; furthermore, when she was stung, she had the most interesting of reactions.
After a while, he noted with satisfaction that she stopped being so cautious around him and, once she started being herself in the conversations with him, he could no longer claim to be bored.
As he had surmised from the conversations he had overheard, she was quite clever in and of itself, brought about intriguing ideas, and was quick on her feet when it came to arising problems.
At one point when she had answered a phone call and had replied in a foreign language, his head had snapped up as the familiarity of it brought a rare, small smile to his lips, one he was quick to hide as he took note of this fact as well. So, she was perfectly eloquent in English, but she spoke Japanese, too.
She was also unobjectionable in appearance. True, she was not rich and the way she dressed reflected that, but that was something he could remedy quickly.
Yes, he decided. She wasn't perfect, but she would do. As his wife, she would be more than satisfactory for the public.
All that remained to be done was to inform her of the honour that he was going to be bestowing upon her.
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ARTURIA (past)
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A few weeks in her new position passed, and she received a formal letter from Uruk Enterprises that informed her that she had successfully passed her trial period and was officially a part-timer at the company. She breathed a sigh of relief – she had made it.
But if she thought her life would become easier, she was sorely mistaken, because she would never have expected her boss to show up at college campus the next day.
Arturia knew Enkidu Eabani; he was a very agreeable person, chatty and friendly – not to mention mischievous – and he seemed to know everyone. He came to campus occasionally, and she was aware of the fact that he contributed financially to the college and was among the people who organized major events there. He also worked at Uruk Enterprises; in fact, it was from him that she had first received information about internships and jobs.
She had not told him that she had actually been hired though, because she had not seen him in quite a while; and even though she knew where he worked, she had no idea that he was not only one of the directors of the offices, but also the CEO's best friend.
She also would never have expected the head of Uruk Enterprises to show up at campus with him.
That was how she found herself standing in front of her boss, remaining mute after very formally and politely greeting him and his companion. Her thoughts were quite rattled in that moment and she could not stop thinking that she had to do all she could to keep her job. She needed it very much; she could not afford to endanger her position.
When in a working environment, she was usually in her element and managed to be professional, but… here, at school…
What if she said the wrong thing? What if she unintentionally did something that could jeopardize everything?
The fact that Enkidu was continuing to chat was a relief, because at least she could concentrate on his words–… wait a second. What was he saying? Had she heard him right?
He had just said that Gilgamesh Uruk was among the trustees of the college.
She eyed her boss warily. His blood red eyes had been staring at her the whole time, no doubt waiting for her to say something to embarrass herself, and as per usual, he was smirking. What an arrogant man.
Enkidu grinned, looking at the two of them, and changed the subject.
"So, Ria~. I had no idea you were working at Uruk Enterprises. How are you enjoying your job?"
Two pairs of eyes landed on him, and his grin widened. Inwardly sighing, Arturia kept her expression composed; it was obvious that he expected an answer, but she had to be careful.
Diplomatically, choosing to stay as close to the truth as possible, she said, "I am very grateful for the opportunity to work in such a dynamic and successful environment."
It was the truth: even though her boss was the king of arrogance, the workplace was challenging, positive, and extremely vibrant. And she was grateful for being able to work there.
At her words, Gilgamesh's expression did not betray a thing, while Enkidu just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, those are the cautious words you are supposed to say. But don't pretend you aren't just thrilled about working for Gil?"
She simply gave him her best glare, and he only seemed to become happier, his yellow-grey eyes sparkling with mirth.
"I know for a fact that Gil enjoys having a fiery person like you at work! He said that–"
He wasn't able to continue, however, because he had to massage his head sullenly after receiving a solid whack from Gilgamesh. In Arturia's private opinion, he should have seriously seen it coming.
She rolled her eyes and, in doing so, met her boss's gaze.
For the first time since they had become acquainted, Gilgamesh and Arturia exchanged a non-threatening, quite neutral glance. It wasn't friendly, of course, but it was… different.
Enkidu's antics had annoyed them both; there was common ground, for the first time, no matter how unusual it was.
Naturally, the first one to notice this was Enkidu himself. His grin could not have been wider, and Arturia decided to hurry and say something, anything – as inconsequential as possible – just to have some small talk and then afterwards possibly excuse herself and leave.
Giving a reply to the last sentence he had uttered before being interrupted by the smack, she carefully said, "I'm sure Mr. Uruk said several things."
Such a foolish assessment on her part – she mentally shook her head at herself for lacking a better reply.
Before Gilgamesh could do anything more than lift an eyebrow, Enkidu tsked and shook his head.
"Ria~, what is with that 'Mr. Uruk'! His name is Gilgamesh!"
That was quite unexpected, and quite forward, as she couldn't just address her boss in such a way. The crimson-eyed man took her however by surprise with his following words.
He inclined his head slightly, a mildly condescending expression on his face.
"We are not at work here. You may drop the formalities and call me by my first name."
Her eyebrows rose quite a bit at that statement – not to mention his patronizing tone – but she was not the only one who was shocked, because Enkidu was staring at the blond man in wonder as well. He obviously hadn't expected his consent to the suggestion any more than Arturia did.
She recovered faster though, and took advantage of Enkidu's surprise to compose herself again and ask Gilgamesh what the two of them were doing there. None of his usual haughtiness left him as he replied, but at the very least, the atmosphere changed a little.
They were no longer employer and employee; they could behave like simple acquaintances.
As they made their way towards the administrative offices, Enkidu explained to her that he had not known that she was the college student who had been hired part-time, and it was only because of Iskandar that they had come to the campus on this day and had therefore found out.
Iskandar. A muscle flexed in her jaw, but she kept her mouth shut.
After reaching their destination and politely taking her leave from them, Arturia's thoughts went to the red-bearded man.
She was quite certain that she had been able to dissimulate her reaction when she had heard Iskandar's name, even though Gilgamesh had no doubt noticed, since he had tried to bring the conversation onto him, but she had deflected it right away.
She knew Iskandar – or rather, she had known him. They had not exactly had a disagreement, but they had different outlooks on life, and she had pulled away, cutting off any semblance of tie to him.
She did not dislike him per se, but she did find it irritating that he never seemed to take anything seriously. She also knew that he had once truly looked down on her, and several times, in the past, he had refused to consider her or even acknowledge her presence when talking in groups or to others. She remembered how she had seriously pondered over his inexplicable behaviour and subsequently decided to ignore it, because it was obviously not worth her time.
Strangely, that had then actually prompted a change. He had observed her more attentively, and had ended up acknowledging her; but, when he had tried to find reconciliation with his usual joviality, she had bluntly told him that she would not accept that. Even if she had forgiven his past offensive behaviour of immature and immediate – nor to mention unjustified – despise towards her, the fact that he was suddenly willing to grant her his respect did not mean that there could be so quick a friendship between them. And after quite an animated discussion, he had seen her point.
She had sporadically heard about him from then on. She knew that he had a young son, Waver, going to kindergarten, and that his wife had died during childbirth; she later heard that he was dating a woman named Medusa, and was most likely going to remarry. While she was glad if things went well for him, she was not interested in being part of his life in any way.
However, meeting her boss – Gilgamesh – at campus had made those memories come back. And things became even stranger when, only a few days later, Iskandar of all people contacted her to invite her to an evening out with some of her friends from university and some of his business associates.
She would have refused, if he hadn't added that Gilgamesh was going to be part of the group, too – and she knew very well that she could not afford to offend her boss, not even indirectly, by avoiding a social gathering that included him.
To her relief, Enkidu was present as well and his good-humoured ways made everything more natural and helped her feel somewhat more at ease.
To her chagrin, that evening ended up being the first of many.
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To her fundamental displeasure, Arturia found herself having to take part in evenings out far more often than she wished to with a group of people in which she only liked a few.
And among the ones she did not like, there was Gilgamesh.
Did he truly not have any work to do? Did he not have much more important things to take care of, instead of going out with them on those evenings and continuously insisting upon engaging her in conversation?
He always found new subjects to address, all constantly kept somewhat formal and detached, and he even had Iskandar back up his arguments. At first, she was cautious, but it didn't take long before some of his comments became too much, and she started to counter his opinions with some of her own. This meant, of course, that they always ended up in long discussions.
She really couldn't understand it. What did Gilgamesh have in mind, what goal was he trying to achieve? She was certain that he had to have a hidden agenda of some sorts.
He was showing up quite often at campus, and he was talking with her more than with anyone else. In fact, he hardly talked to anyone but her.
She had however very few doubts about the fact that a man like him was merely after some entertainment. He seemed to be easily bored by anything; therefore, it was very likely that he was simply looking for a new form of amusement.
And for some outrageous reason, she seemed to have become one for him.
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