Third Floor Common Room - Tuesday afternoon - 1/27

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Contrary to what radio might have expected, there were no bacon cookies in the common room.

Instead, Liir had the television on *gasp* and was enjoying a fresh-made sandwich. He wasn't in the mood for cooking today, oddly enough, but he was in the mood to watch other people cooking.

Hence the Iron Chef.

Makejoy on his lap, lemonade and chicken parm on the coffee table, he was quite settled in for a relatively relaxed afternoon.

[open!]

Comments

[bitchprince]

Arthur had been bored, and boredom involved the easy solution of stalking into the common room in search of something to do. It was the television that made him give pause at first, as the thing still made him heavily uncomfortable. He'd rather shun it, to be true, or remove it entirely.

The second thing that gave him pause was the boy in the room. He was about five seconds away from wandering off when courage and a deep-seated discomfort with his earlier conduct combined into a single, "Liir."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir sat up at the address then, thinking better of it, shooed Makejoy off of his lap and stood. After all, he was talking to him. For whatever reason, it was difficult and he'd, well, he shouldn't make that worse. He had enough idiosyncrasies that he'd tolerate others (even when they were deeply annoying).

"Yes, Arthur?"

[bitchprince]

There was a moment of audible hesitation before he spoke. Honour wouldn't grant him a respite on this count, and Arthur would be disgraced if he didn't act on it.

"The other day," he started, "You meant me no harm. I should not have threatened your life."

That was one part of it out there and said.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir pressed his lips together as he thought of what he could say to that. Finally, however, he nodded.

"It's all right," he said then, "Misunderstandings happen. I don't, and won't, hold it against you."

Now that he'd apologized. Or rather, admitted he'd done wrong, which was more of an apology than Liir was used to and, to his mind, more useful. He'd rather someone realized a mistake than concerned themself with his feelings.

Liir was a bit weird, really.

[bitchprince]

Arthur peered at his feet. Then up at the ceiling. "But I must warn you," he said, after those words had fallen and washed away, "The forces you're messing with are dangerous and destructive. They should not be treated as some means for parlour tricks, or attempting to become one with a flock of birds."

He was unsure how to fully treat this matter here. At least in Camelot the lines had been strict, if overly harsh on the innocent.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"My world" he started slowly, "was ruled for some time by a Wizard, and never has a single man done so much damage to a place." And if Liir ever learned he was the man's grandchild, someone might actually see him attempt to hit something.

"I'm well aware of the dangers," he continued quietly, "which is part of why I do what I do. I have to learn or it gets away from me, and the thing I want the least is for it to cause anyone harm.

"But magic itself is neither good nor bad. It's a sword, a shield, a hammer. It's a tool you use. The only thing that can be dangerous and destructive is a person."

[bitchprince]

"A sword chops off heads and a hammer is dangerous to someone's skull," Arthur countered, and the words came quickly now. "I've seen it bring mostly famine, destruction and death. It is not a tool for anyone to handle so lightly!"

Mostly was a key word, however. He spared a moment's thought to Gwen's father, but he would not let that scar his confidence. His father might be disappointed.

"I will not do you harm," he said, at a lower volume. "But if I find you're lying to me, if you hurt someone, I won't be lenient."

Only here.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

It was the beeping that made it into the room first, followed by the small wheeled clock that was the source of the sound.

A few sluggish steps after that was the clock's owner, still in pajamas and with a massive case of bedhead.

"I'm up, I'm two floors down from my room, and I'm starving. You happy now?" Katchoo demanded, glaring at Clocky, who trilled a pleased affirmative.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"And you think a sword is?" he answered with a raise of an eyebrow.

"I've harmed no one with what I can do. And I intend to harm no one. I wish to harm no one.

"Can you say the same of your sword?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He tilted as he looked at the little thing following her and his eyes went wide.

"Tik tok!"

He could have been shouting 'bomb' and he wouldn't have been so startled.

[bitchprince]

"My sword," he returned, his tones clipped, "Is drawn only when needed, in defense of my people. You don't see me going about flying on it."

Liir may have had a point a part of him agreed with, but certain matters were too ingrained, and others too unphantomable not to fear.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"And my broom has been used to save people on this island, to bring warm food to the cold and hungry, and to help a sick Princess in my own world," he said, head up. "And I've seen you practicing with yours just as I practice with mine."

Er.

"My broom, that is. I never could get anyone to show me around a blade for longer than a lesson."

Liir, king of tangents.

[bitchprince]

"That's hardly a surprise," Arthur volunteered, not for any reason but his own inability to stay away from his drug of choice: sarcasm. "As I said, you won't have to fear me as long as you keep your power firmly in check," he gritted out, "And that is all I'll give you. As my word, at that."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

...did it say something terrible about him that the sarcastic remark was actually somewhat comforting? It took all he could do not to snerk, mostly from nerves of course but also from the mental image of telling Arthur that he was reminding Liir of his mother.

"Something I already do," he said with a crisp nod, "and I appreciate it. Your word, I mean."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"If only that was the only sound it made," Katchoo muttered. "I know, it disturbs me too."

Clocky beeped indignantly at her.

[bitchprince]

"Good."

This was more than difficult and off-putting enough without Liir giving him any worse lip. Arthur granted the boy one equally crisp nod in response, and then he turned, with full intent to leave the sorcerer to his noisy play-in-a-box.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

...did she not realize that that thing could kill her?

Oh the IRONY with the other thread. The IRONY.

Liir pulled his legs up onto the couch and held onto Makejoy. Who knew what that thing could do? He'd heard enough horror stories from Nanny about what'd happened with Grommetik that he wouldn't trust that thing any farther than he could kick it.

"And it just follows you around?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Is Merlin allowed to speak to me now?" he asked, mostly just curious.

[bitchprince]

"I don't believe what Merlin is allowed to do is any of your concern," Arthur replied. He'd stopped, but not turned.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I don't want to get him in trouble," he said.

"So I figured I'd best ask you."

He was, in fact, trying to go through the proper channels.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes," Katchoo allowed as her player laughed herself stupid over the irony. "Geez, what's your deal? It's annoying, but it doesn't bite."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I've heard of one of those things killing people," he said with wide green eyes.

[bitchprince]

"Don't push your luck."

He'd... consider the request some other day, month, or preferably, decade. Associating with sorcerers had already gotten Merlin into plenty of trouble in the past, and Arthur wasn't about to see it happen again.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Clocky chirped indignantly. Kill people? It would never do anything as awful as that.

". . . it's a clock," Katchoo said, totally not getting it. This conversation would be so much less confusing if she had a shred of empathy, wouldn't it?

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He drew himself up and breathed out in a slow, even stream.

"Men with swords and muskets came into my home, took the only family I had, and killed almost all of them. Men who said they did right, were defending their land, took women and children and murdered them. And yet I talk to you with respect and decency," he said with icy irritation.

Apologize for scaring someone? Fine. Understand that they had different values? He could. Agree that magic was dangerous? He already had. But he... he outrightly refused to be treated like a-a-a deviant because of what he simply was. It positively smacked of the Wizard's politics and it woke what tiny embers of self-defensive anger he had.

Someone was more like his mother than he realized.

"I push nothing."

A breath.

"Good day, and the best to you, Arthur."

He'd said his piece.