The Stables, Tuesday Afternoon

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

When it became painfully clear that there were no servants to help him in caring for Arthur's horse, Merlin found himself down in the stables. Mucking out a stall.

Destiny owed him big for this.

"How does one horse produce that much?" He asked--well, he asked the horses there. Not that they could answer him, of course.

[[Open, of course!]]

Comments

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

It also offered a jar of lemonade, unopened, from one hand.

"Then welcome to the island. Your horse?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no no. Arthur's. The next stall has--the one I'm to use." And hated him, he was certain.

Merlin peered at the lemonade, taking it after a moment's pause. "Thank you."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"If you want me to open it, I can. Considering your hands," he said with a nod, accepting the thank you quietly as he did.

"Arthur. The one with the sword?"

He walked around to see the other horse.

"You have a horse, then."

There was a smile to Merlin.

"Better than some."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin waved that off in good humor, wiping his hands off on his pants. "Unless there is another one running around here." There was a pause before he added. "Oh, god. I hope there isn't."

One was more than enough.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Not a friend, then?" he asked with a raise of one eyebrow.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"He would claim no," Merlin said, taking a sip of the drink. "If there were more of him, I'd have my hands full."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I can see that. They seem well full at the moment," and he leaned against a stable wall.

Then he offered his hand.

"Liir."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin looked at his hand blankly for a moment before his manners finally kicked on in. He quickly put the lid back on his drink, taking the offered hand. "Merlin."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"A pleasure," and he meant it, since Merlin was nice enough.

"And if you'd like tea or food no one else made you make, you're welcome by my room. As long as you like dogs, at any rate."

He'd spent far too long working for someone else not to know how bloody annoying it was. It wasn't that he'd hold it against Arthur, because he wouldn't, but it certainly made him want to be kind to Merlin.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Oh, thank you! You don't have to do that, really."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"There's always extra," he said with a short laugh, "as I like to cook more than I like to eat, so it's more a matter of making sure Makejoy doesn't become the size of a house."

He rolled one shoulder absently, looking around at the horses as he considered a 'ride' himself. He hadn't been out on the broom for a while; too cold.

But he was starting to itch for one.

"What are you taking, if you don't mind me asking?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Er-- I have a class with Lady Ghanima and another I have yet to go to. Care of Magical Creatures?"

With Arthur. God help them all.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He grinned.

"I suppose I didn't see you then, as I'm also in Professor Ghanima's class," and he bowed his head in apology. "It should be very interesting, really. She's very good at making people think, not that I need much help. Well, at doing it. I wouldn't say I do it well."

"...I've not had a class with the professor who does Care of Magical Creatures, though. Quite enough experience to last me a lifetime on that subject, really."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"It's always good to know more, I think," Merlin said. "Even here."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That got a genuine grin.

"So I've always thought," and he gave a quick nod as well.

"But if they had any manner of monkey, especially a flying one, I would end up banging my head against a wall. And I've been sniffed at by one too many Red Pfenixes to want to see another."

We will not even mention dragons.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin continued to smile until, really, he couldn't come up with a good response to that.

"What?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I grew up with more Animals and animals than people," he said, "some magic, some not. Most of them going to see, well, my old employer."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

That explained--nothing.

"What?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That just got a sigh.

"Explain the part you don't understand. I'm not particularly good at figuring people out."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Magical animals?" Merlin ventured. That was a good topic. At least, without Arthur around it was.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Where I come from there are animals, dumb beasts, and Animals, creatures as intelligent as you or I with the power of speech. It's said they were given this gift by the Witch Kumbricia by some, by the faerie queen Lurline by others, but they're there all the same.

"Then there's things like red pfenixes, which are rather special. And, er, the flying monkeys. My, er, well..."

It was always hard to actually say it.

"My mother made them with magic. So they're a bit one of a kind. I grew up with them. So you see, quite well versed on magical animals, at least, as far as I'm concerned."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Like the talking horses La--Aravis has mentioned?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Very much like," he agreed. "Well, the Animals anyway. It's capitalized when they can speak."

The emphasis was slight but quiet audible.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Do they exist here?" Merlin asked, taking careful not of this in case it was to come up.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"There was a Unicorn," he admitted, "though I haven't seen him for some time. And there is a Monkey every once in a while that shows up. Beyond that, though, I haven't seen any. But you never know who might come here."

He didn't want to think of the embarrassment should Brrr or Nick Chopper show their faces. Let alone the Scarecrow.