*I don't write subtext. I write maintext. They're in love with each other, they know it, and have no issues displaying it. End of story.
*You should be able to tell whose answers are whose, but in the event you cannot, Gabrielle's questions are in italics, and Xena's are bold.
*Part of Xena's answers are crossed out, but she explains why they are in her note to Gabrielle.
*To give you a timeline to reference, Gabrielle wrote this, and Xena originally answered in Season 3 around "The Furies". The reference
to their first night comes from another piece I wrote, featured here at the Academy called "One Of Those Nights", which takes place after
"The Quest" Xena finds it, and re-answers it, before giving it to Gabrielle in Season 5, somewhere around "Amphipolis Under Siege"
*I only know how others feel if they tell me. I can be reached at subtextficfiend@gmail.com
Xena,
I know you hate it when I ask you question after question, so I thought this might be easier. This is a bunch of stuff I've wanted to ask you. This way you can just answer them, and give this back to me when you're finished and want me to see your answers.
Gabrielle
Bri,
I can’t believe I never gave this back to you. Gods only know what you thought I did with it. I remember why I kept it so long to begin with now. Because I was so sure when you got my answers, you would get upset and leave me. I found this last night, when going through some stuff mom kept for me. I re read my answers, and changed them. Not because I didn’t want you to see my original answer, but because I’m not the same person that I was when I first did this.
Xe
Is there anything I do, that you can’t stand?
When you willingly take people at face value
When I do something stupid, and it makes you mad enough that you stop talking to me. The silence is deafening.
Do you have a favorite color?
No
Actually, I'm rather fond of this shade of deep green.
Blondes or Brunettes?
I don’t really have a preference.
Funny thing, here lately I've become more fond of blondes
Favorite way to spend an evening?
Just knowing that I've made it through another day, and neither of us has gotten seriously hurt.
Oh dear gods. Please tell me I was never this much of a bitch? Actually,
don’t answer that, I don’t think I'd like the answer. My favorite way to
spend an evening? Hmmm, the temperature is comfortably warm, the sky is
full of stars, and we're both together, well sated from a good meal, and
in a good mood.
What is your ultimate meal?
Anything I don’t cook myself
Okay, so that one's actually still true, but I'm particularly fond of salmon stuffed with lemongrass, a skin of sweet wine, and those lil sweet pastries you make for me.
Is there anything you're afraid of?
Nothing you would understand.
Once again, I see that its apparent that I still managed to think of you
as a tag along at this point. I'm afraid that one of these times I'm
going to say you're going to get hurt being with me, and you're actually
going to take me up on it, and go home. The thought of being on my own
again, is frightening. Remember, just after Eve was born, how I said
that I was gonna take off, and leave you at the Amazon village? I doubt
very seriously I would've made it past the first night. It was tough
enough that night after Joxer got hurt. I found myself waking up most of
the night looking for you, until I just gave up, and decided to watch
Eve sleep. Pitiful huh?
If you had to call somewhere besides Greece home, where would it be?
I don’t even consider Greece home.
I'm using your words here sweetheart. I do call somewhere besides Greece home. Who was it that so memorably said "A home can be a person too"?
Favorite kind of story?
Any that I'm not in.
Any that you tell. Lemme tell you a lil secret here. I love the sound of
your voice. I could care less what you talk about. You always think I go
to sleep to tune you out. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Your
voice is so soothing, it puts me to sleep. But do me a favor huh? Now
that you know that PLEASE don’t stop telling them to me ! I manage to
sleep without nightmares when I hear your stories.
Fill in the blank:
If I could go back and change something I'd change________
I never would've told you where I was going, so you wouldn’t have followed me.
I never would've allowed you to marry Perdicus. And I say that because I wouldn’t be so foolish to believe you could never love me the way I did you. I'm so sorry I let you do that.
Favorite scent?
I don’t have one.
Oh bullshit, I do too. I have several. The biggest being the scent of
apple blossoms, that comes from the soap you use on your hair. Why do
you think it never bothers me when you fall asleep with your head on my
shoulder when we're riding? Or when you rest your head on my shoulder
period for that matter.
Favorite guilty pleasure?
I don’t have one.
Two lies at once, I was on a roll! This is another bunch of bullshit.
I'm only admitting this because like I told Amarice, whatever you want,
you get. I can’t deny you anything. It’s watching you sleep. Especially
now that it involves that pretty blonde head of yours resting on my
shoulder, and an arm around my waist.
Bed or Bedroll?
Bedroll
Either one, so long as you're in it with me. Clothing optional.
Leather or Silk?
Leather
I think you look good in both. Oh wait, you were talking about me here huh? I'd have go with the leather on this one, mostly because silk is too girly. Well, almost all of it.
Water or Wine?
Something stronger
I sooo wish you could see me rolling my eyes right now. This question isn’t something I can answer one way or the other sweetheart. I like a bit of both I guess you could say.
What one thing, that I've done, would it upset me if I knew how you really felt?
When you left your family.
This more or less repeats what I said in an earlier question. The night
I left you behind when you married Perdicus, was one of the hardest
nights of my life. I've never felt so lonely. It was one of the few
times in my life, I remember crying myself to sleep. You dont know
this, but when I separated out your belongings from mine, I purposely
kept one of your hair ties. It was just long enough to be threaded
through one of the scrolling hooks on my armor, that connects the
breastplate to the shoulder guards. I had intended for that to remain a
permanent part of my armor, so there would always be a part of you with
me. After Perdicus died, and we went through that whole mess with
Callisto, I was bound and determined to tell you how I felt. But one
thing led to another. Just so you know, you cant see it, but I still
have that tie. And I still wear it.
Diamonds or Pearls?
Neither
That’s true still. But it’s mostly because I prefer emeralds. They remind me of your eyes.
If we could afford anything, what one thing would you like most?
I have no use for material things.
Oh listen to me wouldja? While it’s true I don’t have a use for most material things, I wouldn’t mind having a cook around every now and then. You deserve a night off, more often than the rare occasions we manage to stay in an inn.
Describe your ultimate, once in a lifetime experience:
You wouldn’t understand the reason for it, even if I told you.
Gods. Y'know one of these days I'm gonna get Dite to grant me one of
those favors she owes me, and get her to take me back to the time I
wrote this so I can kick her ass. Should prove interesting, the thought
of kicking one's own ass. Anyways, the ultimate once in a lifetime thing
has nothing to do with our daughter, nor the Amazons, at least not
directly. It was the night I finally sucked it up, and told you how I
felt about you. The memory of our first night together, is one I'll
cherish forever.
What one thing upsets you more than anything?
That you have this knack for questioning me about things at the absolute worst time.
K, that used to be true, but you were a kid for Gaia's sake. What
really upsets me is knowing that something has upset you, deep inside,
and no matter what I do, I can’t fix it. It hurts me deeply, to see you
in pain.
The quickest way to piss you off is?
Mess with Argo
Lemme make an addendum to what I said, I'm gonna take you back, and let
YOU kick my ass. The quickest way for anyone but you to piss me of is
for them to fuck with you. The quickest way for you to piss me off? I
don’t know, you've never really done anything that bad before. I've been
miffed, upset, angry, and annoyed with stuff you do, but never
completely pissed off. The closest thing I can think of doesn’t really
come from you directly. Someone else will do something rash, you get
pissed and go off on your own to cool down, and I get stuck fixing
dinner for myself. THEN I get pissed.
There, now that wasn’t so bad was it?
Not something I want to repeat anytime soon.
Eh, depends on how you look at it really. This was a good idea though, on the level that it let me see just how much I've changed since we met. If I knew someone else now that acted like I used to, I doubt very seriously I'd like them.
If you want, I can do the same thing for you in reverse.
Doesn’t matter.
Actually, I think I'd like that, under one condition. I get to ask the questions. You can’t just use the same ones you asked me.
TBC--Another 20 Questions