Chapter 11
Gilgamesh was a grateful guy, and he liked to listen. It had been her idea first, you know, Thena's that he went of holiday. She felt bad that he'd been looking after her for so long, dealing with her attacks, not meeting new people, not seeing new places. So she was adamant that he went somewhere, had some time for himself and visited different places.
It will be good for us both, she said, for him to see new places and enjoy himself without any stress and properly resting, just little breather. And she wouldn't feel so gulty about keeping him here, making him miss out all the new invention and feasts from around the world. So it was decided, but they needed someone's help.
Gilgamesh hesitated about bringing in Druig, but he would the most helpful in this situation. He could put Thena to sleep for whatever period he wanted (with time, they'd all got better at using their powers - him too) and then they wouldn't have to worry anyone else, or be afraid that the new person looking after Thena would get hurt. Gilgamesh that he wouldn't be able to be properly calm if that happened.
Still, Druig... they hadn't parted in the best of ways, did they? No one stood up for him when he left, and no one liked the fact that he'd mind controlled all those people. That was very wrong, and they all left with the feeling that Druig was on the verge of full-on villainy. So asking him for a favour after all this time... Maybe it would be awkward, or maybe Druig would refuse him, who knew.
Gilgamesh and Thena went to his little "cult community" and they had to admit, it was fairly nice. The people were happy, everyone was very kind about the visitors and everything looked... nice, calm, peaceful. They had their own schools, their own healing places, and their own churches, although there wasn't a lot of Christianity with Druig around. If you wanted something you didn't pray to God, you asked him.
Druig was also weirdly nice with them. He said that he'd never had anything against them, didn't hold it against them that they didn't side with him. Thena needed some time with just him and it was understandable. Druig was happy to help, and so Gilgamesh went on his holiday, which was amazing.
There was mojitos and there was unending beaches, where you could just dive and look at the fish, there was so many beautiful sunrises and sunsets, there was the all the food and drink, sometimes so spicy, sometimes so sweet, and there was simply the notion of finally be living his life, enjoying himself without any mission, for once.
And he missed Thena, of course, and wanted to go back to her, but this little break had helped him think of new ways to manage her, to make her feel better, maybe to help her get out those trance states easier and faster. Yes, this holiday had been a great idea in every aspect. He spent two months just exploring the islands, living it up. He was thankful that he'd listened to Thena, because this had renewed his energies, made him stronger in a way, just.... A great holiday.
And he was grateful to Druig too, because without him the holiday wouldn't have been possible. So he bought him a bunch of souvenirs, and even baked him a pie in the last apartment where he was, before the reaching the... whatever was the name of the place where Druig lived.
But he reached the place, something was different. People seemed worried, there was an air of tension. He asked, and an old lady answered him.
"Ay, lo que pasa es que el señor Druig enfermó y no sabemos que le pasa..."
"What?" Druig was sick? He didn't have the Mahd Wy'ry, right? The weight of your memories collapsing on your brain seemed like something that could happen to Druig. He remembered everything, and Gilgamesh knew that a lot of those memories hurt him.
"Le llamo a Graciela, que habla mejor inglés. GRACIELA!"
Graciela was a younger girl, probably in her mid twenties, who was also looking worried.
"Mr. Druig's friend, is good that you are back, yes, maybe you can help him."
"What's going on with him?"
"He won't eat, mister friend, or he tries to eat but he.... eh.. vomits it all, and he looks worse then. He hasn't eaten properly in weeks, friend, he's so thin now, we are very worried."
Ok, at least it wasn't what Thena had. Probably something that could be cured, then. But Druig not eating? For weeks? That felt like a crime against nature. Graciela kept talking while they went to Druig's place.
"We've made him all types of food, you know, all kinds of teas and everything. Even sent Manuel to the big city so he could bring a doctor and medicines, but nothing gets him better, not even the doctor's medicines." Oh, so they could leave and come back? For some reason Gilgamesh thought they were mind-controlled to stay. Well, that was nice. The fact that apparently nothing was working to make him better, was not.
They went inside Druig's place and it was a mess. The bedsheets were thrown every which way, there were untouched trays of food all around, a discarded phone and some magazines.
"He's in the toilet, doesn't really like us to see him like this." Graciela said. "Please, help him, mister friend?"
"Of course, gladly."
She smiled.
"Get better, Druig!" she screamed towards the bathroom.
"Go back to painting the nursery, Graci. Those birds won't paint themselves."
She smiled, again.
"The birds were my idea. I go now, but please help him."
When Gilgamesh made it to the bathroom... it was an unpleasant sight.
Druig was pale, sweaty and had clearly lost weight. He looked too thin, he looked too tired. He looked ill. This wasn't something that was normal for him, Druig was always so independent, so whole...
"Druig?" he'd had the back of his head against the wall, eyes closed, but opened them when he heard his friend's voice.
"Hey, Gil. Sorry about the mess."
"You look awful."
"Wow, thanks. A compliment like that is just what I needed."
Gilgamesh knelt in front of his friend, felt his face, his pulse. He was too cold, and his heart was beating too slowly.
"What happened?"
"Some sort of stomach flu? I don't know. I just know that I'm tired of it."
As if on cue, Druig heaved, held on to the toilet bowl and threw up something weird looking.
"What...?"
"I don't know, bile? I got nothing inside anymore, but my stomach is still complaining."
Gilgamesh looked at the mind-controller with sadness. Druig cleaned himself a bit, rinsed his mouth and spoke to him
"I can still wake Thena, if that's why you came." Even his voice had lost some of his light, of his strength. Druig had always had a sort of presence, of charisma. Now he looked... lost.
"I came because I wanted to say thank you, and I brought some things from my holiday and baked you a pie."
Now Druig's pale eyes were welling up with tears.
"You baked me a pie?" his voice was shaking, his lip wobbling, oh no, oh no...
"I know how much you like sweet things...."
Now Druig was full on crying, because he was sick and he had all of his defenses down, and he thought that everyone from his team hated him, but Gilgamesh had baked him a pie, because he was grateful, and knew he liked sweet things. He did that all, for him, and now he couldn't eat that pie.
"I so wish I could eat it, Gil... I want to eat it, but... I just... I don't want to puke your nice gesture."
Gilgamesh smiled, gently.
"That's all right. Why don't I help you to bed and look after you, a bit, huh, Druig?"
Druig shook his head. He could handle this alone, like he had everything else.
"I can handle myself. You don't need to."
"Please, Druig, I want to. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing you're hurting this badly. And didn't you hear? Caretaking is what I do. You could almost say is my calling in life."
Druig's eyes were glossy and bloodshot and he looked way too young like this. He nodded, and so Gilgamesh started "the caretaking ritual".
Helped his friend into a warm bath, got some fresh clothes from Graciela. Then carried him to his bed (he tried walking but was a bit too dizzy and fell, so Gil just picked him up from the floor, not saying a word) (Also Druig weighed nothing, which was very worrying) and then tried to get him to drink some water. He was probably dehydrated, and that didn't help matters.
Gilgamesh decided he would stay and not wake Thena until Druig was recovered. He deserved some caretaking too, even if he was their resident sullen independent cool guy. Everybody needed some love every now and then and after that favour, Gilgamesh was more than happy to provide it.
He met some people (and llamas) besides Graciela, and everyone had a lot of hope that he would fix Druig. It was a lot of pressure, but Gilgamesh was confident. Druig had just needed some warmth, some care, some rest. Feeling the worry of everyone of his tiny community probably hadn't helped, either.
But now.... Now Druig could sleep for copious amounts of time, and had someone to help him get clean, change clothes, maybe drink a bit of water. For a while, it felt like he was only getting worse. Although the heaving stopped, Druig started getting terrible cramps, holding himself in pain, screaming.
Gilgamesh wanted to get Ajak, badly, but Druig asked him not to, because he was convinced that she would make him give up his community, what he'd built.
"Please..." he said, and Gil couldn't stand to see him crying "they're the only thing I have."
Gilgamesh shook his head, trying not to tear up himself.
"They're not. But I'll respect your wishes. Unless... unless you pass out and I can't wake more than a day. Then I get Ajak, deal?"
"Deal."
It was a scary few days, with a lot of pain and sweat and almost passing out and scaring the shit out of Gilgamesh, but in the end, Druig slowly started to get better, about ten days after their deal he could walk, and go places, even drink juices and eat some fruits without puking them. Some days later they woke Thena, and they decided to stay a few days there.
Gilgamesh baked his friend another pie, so he could taste it.
And maybe Druig's eyes were shining again. And maybe they hugged, for a bit.
Maybe it was nice to remember that they had each other.