two >> audio/action

[awaitingalbion]

[The sound of a throat-clearing cough.]

Can anyone tell me about a blue-haired girl who calls herself a soldier?

[But earlier this day--before he makes the voice post--Merlin is out picking up fresh ingredients for Arthur's evening meal. He is in the shop, picking through some vegetables. He looks...confused.]

Comments

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Mmhm. [He nods, watching the faucet with doubt.] In the, ah, court physician's quarters. I have a position in the royal household.

[emp3thy]

[He starts to wash the rice and leave it in the pot to soak]

That's impressive.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Not really. For the most part, it involves serving and dressing the prince. Not to mention mucking out his stables. It isn't a glamourous life.

[emp3thy]

Well...

[...he's not sure how to put a positive spin on that] You still know a prince?

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

You should meet him sometime. [A rather irony-ridden smile.] You might not be so fast to say so, then. He's...kind of an ass.

[emp3thy]

I think I did. If you meant Arthur.

[two and two together. he caught that slip of the tongue earlier.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Oh. You've met His Highness, then? [His eyebrows shoot up.] Well, what did you think?

[emp3thy]

He's very... [disbelieving? stubborn?] traditional.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Merlin stares into the soaking rice.] He has his father's legacy to follow. [And then, looking up with another smile.] But that's no real reason to be such an ass, right?

[emp3thy]

Humility is a good trait for anyone.

[He starts chopping up the green peppers.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[He can play the monkey--he grabs a pepper and begins to mimic Minato's chopping.] I know he thinks he should rule by serving, that his duty is to his people and not the other way around. It shows in his actions--just not in his words.

[emp3thy]

That's good. [He'll leave you to the chopping then and actually put the rice on the stove.] Big changes take time.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

That...sounds like something someone I know back home might say. [In fact, it sounded like one of the more lucid, well though arguments the dragon had made to Merlin. A united kingdom could come with patience. And diligence.] But those changes will never happen if we're both stuck here.

[emp3thy]

Maybe. [he puts on another pot of water to boil.] Or it could give him a new perspective.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. [He looks hopeful as he continues chopping.] There are some things about here that could be very useful for Arthur to learn.

[emp3thy]

[He moves to start chopping up some chicken now. And here is probably the most important question so far -]

What's your name?

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Merlin. [He gives it so casually, caught up in the food preparations that he mostly forgets how charged the name seems to have been with many others he has met.]

[emp3thy]

[And that... just gets raised eyebrows for a moment, before he continues.]

I'm Minato.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Oozing friendliness.]

Well, nice to have already met you, Minato.

[emp3thy]

Likewise.

[He puts the chicken in to boil as well. Everything's nearly ready now, except for letting it cook a bit longer.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[If he could be so bold:] Fina's lucky to have you.

[emp3thy]

[> ...It seems Merlin may be misunderstanding something.]

I feel lucky as well. [...] But we aren't together.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[It seems he's really, really misunderstanding things.]

Oh--[he laughs, uncomfortably]--no, I didn't mean that you two were...you know. Like that. Just that she's lucky to have such skilled help. But I suppose it's easy to be a good servant if your lady is as lovely as Fina is.

[emp3thy]

[At that, he... actually looks amused.]

I'm not her servant either. We're friends.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Embarrassed pause.] I see. I just thought--err--when you answered the door and...[He trails off, sucking in his breath and exhaling with a clumsy:] I'm sorry if I've offended you.