With their daughters having the pack well in paw, it had freed up some time for Modesty to focus on trying to stop her not-husband from leaving this plane of existence before her. It wasn't the first time she had almost lost him in recent years, and like every time before, it bought out the worst in her. When he was out of her direct line of sight she fretted and snapped at those that tried to tell her to calm down. Jael's absence had been a blow all of it's own, but seeing Gil looking like he'd been chewed up and spat out... Well that had been on a whole new level of hell she hadn't even realised existed.

With things calming in the skies and the immediate threat seemingly dealt with, Modesty cajoled Gilgamesh into exploring the desert to their west with her. She had run into that boy from Insomnia who said they were just on the other side of the sands, but how far did they stretch? With the weather turning mild, it seemed as good a time as any to brave the unforgiving landscape.

Stars lit the sky overhead, the waning moon glinted off the glittering sands, and the desert seemed to come alive under the moons forgiving face. Scarabs scuttled and lizards scrabbled, and the scent of fresh water drifted towards them on a cool evening breeze. A smile tugged at her lips and she raised a brow in question. Sandy wastelands and water weren't exactly what she had expected to encounter this evening, but she wasn't about to complain.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

There had been a time when Gil would have fought, argued, and detested the idea of handing over the Raiders to anyone but himself and Modesty. But with every push, there came a shove, and with much, much consideration, he had sided with Modesty that the girls were a good fit. The three oldest daughters seemed to settle into their roles just fine, better than he had anticipated. Had he and Modesty actually raised a few them well enough? That thought had been surprising all on its own.

With the surprise came relaxation. Came time enough to heal, to recover, to get better. To be the old Gil once more. Getting hit with a rock on the back of his head had both helped and not helped. Something about him was more normal than he had been in ages. He reveled in it, enjoying how comfortable it felt to be around Modesty once more. To not be paranoid, to not be so... off.

And now that he was cleaned of the slime, healed mostly from the hit to his head, he was getting into shape. Traveling the nearby lands with his not-wife was doing him good. Enjoying the clean, cool near-Winter air now that the sky appeared to be changing back to normal. Keeping close to her, wandering slowly across the dunes, he followed wherever she went. There was no end goal other than to just be around each other, enjoy each other's company. What a pleasant thought. To be able to just... be young again.

Returning Modesty's smile as they crested the hill that allowed them to see the Oasis, he returned her raised brow with a wink of his own. "Appears we get this place all to ourselves tonight," he murmured gently, nudging her cheek with his nose before trotting off down the hill and toward the water. It wouldn't take long to approach the shore, his toes dipping into the shallows, sending shivers up his spine. It sure did get cold in the desert at night.

"Do we take a swim first or enjoy some other activities first?" Gil teased, a flirty smile upon his slate lips as he lifted a paw to splash some water in her direction.

"speech"

Dunes disappeared beneath their paws as they followed the stars across the desert, the scent of fresh water more reliable than any daylight mirage. The tops of palms peeked into sight before the oasis finally revealed itself to them. The vibrant greenery glowed under the moonlight, offset by the reflective brilliance of the sand. It was a breathtaking sight, and not for the first time, she realised how much she had missed their adventures together, wandering wherever their paws might take them.

She followed Gilgamesh with a tinkling laugh. It was good to see him so himself after all they had been through. Water licked at her paws and she allowed herself a small shriek of surprise, far from concerned they might be interrupted. it was surprisingly frigid.

She danced to the side when he splashed water in her direction, a carefree grin pulling at her lips. "Who says we can't do both?" It was a teasing challenge as she waded a little deeper into the pool, edging forward carefully to make sure the bottom didn't suddenly drop away.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma
-explore Illusions Oasis 2/3-

The peel of laughter that came from Modesty warmed Gil’s heart in a way he hadn’t felt in a while. His smile was genuine. When had they last spent time adventuring together? Not a care in the world, not anyone else to worry about but themselves. Why hadn’t they handed over sooner? (The answer is obvious, but he’s enjoying his night, okay.)

Following Mod into the chilled water with a yelp of his own, he keeps close to her. “Both sounds delightful,” Gil teases, splashing water as he pawed at the water, wading deeper after her. Reaching out, he nips at her thigh, a chuckle rumbling in his chest.

The cold water had a bite to it, warning of the winter to come, the temperature had plummeted with the falling of the sun, but the sand still radiated warmth this early in the evening. Frogs croaked and cicadas rattled like the dying rasps of the warmer seasons. She took it all in as paws gripped the slightly sloping bottom of the oasis, sandy yes, but more solid beneath, perhaps a sandstone spring? That would explain the biting cold...

And just like that the bottom fell away. Perhaps in the daylight there would be a visible darkening of the water where it gave way to its source, but under the moonlight it wasn't so obvious. She took a careful step back, keeping her paws on solid ground. It wasn't that she was... scared of open water with no visible bottom, but with everything that had happened in the lead up to now, better safe than sorry, no?

---Nav portion ends here---

Turning back to Gilgamesh, she pressed her muzzle into his cheek, eyes softening with the realisation that this would be their last litter. Not that she'd ever wanted kids to start with, the melancholy was startling. But she shook it off with a laugh and a playful shove. She never liked to make to too easy on him.

---fadey fade fade---

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma