The Salle, Monday Morning

[bitchprince]

Not that Arthur would admit it, but yesterday had helped to calm him down from the state of introverted confusion he'd been in since Thursday. He was no longer showing signs of such, or at least nothing that was as easily, visibly sedate.

He was, however, very focused on his own swordwork that morning. He'd asked Merlin to stand guard come with him into the salle, but now that what bothered him worst had gotten out, he was free to focus on his movements to ward off the rest of it. Slowly, carefully, and with full concentration, he lapsed into familiar patterns that were as easy as breathing by now.

[[ open salle, but I'll be SP in bursts until the evening ]]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

Zack didn't have his armor on today, but he did have his sword, and some thoroughly paint-soaked clothing. He'd come pretty much straight here after art class, once he'd finished his detour to grab his sword. Was that so wrong?

He kind of looked like modern art gone wrong, but he was totally up for some swordwork and was going to get right into practising his forms.

[bitchprince]

If Zack didn't mind the interruption, Arthur was just going to laugh now. It felt good, all in all, after the past week.

"Zack," he called, "What in the name of God happened to you? Did you decide to wander off into a pool of dye?" Pause. "Thrice?"

[puppy_fair]

"Paint fight in arts and crafts," Zack reported, lowering his sword and shooting Arthur a grin. "Though you should have seen me yesterday morning, man. Some little pink thing went and drew all over my face."

Actually, considering the mud and the hangover that had gone with that, it was possibly for the best that Arthur hadn't seen him that way, after all.

[bitchprince]

It was a toss-up; Zack could've caught him in a maudlin mood and the laughter would've been of desperately lower volume down to bottoming out into a brood-off. "I see your ability with the sword has no bearing on your ability to avoid paint, then," he said, graciously, coming up towards him. "Or little pink things."

[puppy_fair]

"In my own defense, the little pink thing cheated and put me to sleep, first." Without his armor, he really didn't have anywhere to sheath his sword, so he brought it up to rest casually on one shoulder, instead. "And the paint fight was fun, but it's toooootally different than working with a sword."

Swords weren't typically liquid, for example.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin was there, of course, very calmly polishing Arthur's armor off to the side. It certainly could use it to stay in the shape it ought to be for battle.

And to look all shiny.

[bitchprince]

"Next time," Arthur said, with authority, "You might want to consider ducking."

Yes, he thought he was funny.

"Do you think you can manage a spar at all?"

[bitchprince]

"Think you missed a spot," Arthur called, walking up to him after a finished drill.

[puppy_fair]

"Half the fun is in the getting messy, you know." Still, the next time, Zack would consider ducking, then. And then he'd end up with a faceful of paint. And he'd blame Arthur.

"I think I can handle a spar, yeah," Zack laughed, bringing his sword down off of his shoulder again. "Maybe I'll even remember to duck!"

[bitchprince]

"Doubtful," Arthur informed him, and gave his own blade the general swoop that he felt announced hail, ye who are about to be thoroughly trounced quite admirably. "But you're welcome to try," he continued, giving Zack an overexaggeratedly open look.

[puppy_fair]

Heck, Zack was okay with being thoroughly trounced, so long as he was getting some exercise anyhow!

He was weird like that.

"Well, then I'll try," he announced. "Bring it on!"

And then he was headed for Arthur at a run, bringing his sword downward in a slash aimed for Arthur's chest. He was catching on to that 'keep your distance, you have a long sword' thing that Deadpool kept drilling into his head. It would probably take a small bit of footwork for Arthur to be able to reach Zack back with that sword-of-not-massiveness.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona was there, of course. She hadn't actually missed practice, even with her father and her brother there for the weekend. She'd just made Eliot's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. His sister with a sword?

But today, Eliot was back at Paxington and she was here, watching Arthur for the moment and wondering what fresh, er, heck awaited her today.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Did not," Merlin replied with out looking up. But he was grinning still.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin sat up slightly and kept his eyes on the girl. He may not have appeared threatening to most, but he certainly seemed to have a very keen interest in what would happen next.

Over-protective of Arthur... perhaps. But with Arthur's track record of magical tarts trying to kill him happening so painfully often...

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She noticed the eyes on her and turned to face him, curious and just a little troubled. He may not have appeared threatening, but one didn't have to appear threatening to be a threat. She knew that better than most did.

"What?" she finally asked him with a flat look; the irritation masked shyness but that was all.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I did not say anything," Merlin ventured slowly. She hadn't done anything threatening yet, but he wasn't about to walk away so quickly after his conversation with Arthur.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"No," she agreed, "you didn't. You just sit there. Keep looking at me. Why?"

They don't trust you echoed in her head, in her Aunt Dallas's voice even if it'd been told to her in a text message. She wondered if that was just an oddity of memory or something about her family. After all, she knew they did things with technology as much as anything.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I'm simply looking after the safety of my lord."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

He could have slapped her, he wouldn't have gotten a more extreme reaction. Her eyes went wide, her cheeks turned red, and she swallowed hard around, well, something.

I changed it. I told him the truth and it changed everything.

She didn't know this person, had never actually ended up meeting Merlin, but she knew who Arthur was. He was the only one who went around calling himself lord this or that other than perhaps Karla and she was, obviously, no 'lord'. And, of course, it was time for their lesson. It didn't take a genius, or a girl who'd read too many books on logic.

She blinked a couple of times before replying and her eyes were suspiciously wet, though it didn't show on the rest of her face.

"Is that so?"

She hated that she sounded so hurt, even if a part of her was just glad she could feel anything without prompting. Of course it would be pain, despair. Of course after rage, this was all she could bring up.

"I'm just noticing you now, then?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah got there on time, yawning a bit, and blinked when she saw Merlin. "Hey, Arthur. Hey, Merlin!" She headed over to the sword rack and picked out her favorite, wondering what was up with Merlin being there. "Good weekend?"

NFB, Squirrels shhhhh!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah wandered over during a break, to whisper, "Surprise party tomorrow!"

Re: NFB, Squirrels shhhhh!

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"There is?"

Re: NFB, Squirrels shhhhh!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah nodded enthusiastically, face alight. "I know it's short notice, but I forgot the date 'til last night. Tony turns eighteen tomorrow. So! Ice cream at Chilly Boulder for all!"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"That's... possible," Merlin replied, looking back down at his work on the armor. "I haven't been hiding when performing my duties."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Right," she said quietly before looking at Arthur.

"Know what?"

She stepped towards Merlin, just the one step before stepping back again. No, she didn't want him thinking she was intending more than just a Talking To. She felt the nothing in her stomach roil.

"Please tell Arthur I didn't want to disturb him. A-and that he went back on his word."

Her father here, her brother here, and now this? Did they know? Maybe she was being paranoid in the wrong direction. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she didn't feel like she was. She just felt sick. The up, the happiness of seeing her brother, and then this down. She wasn't being rational, fair, or anything like it but she didn't care.

"And that I won't bother him anymore if what I am, if something shared in confidence--" She swallowed.

"Forget it. Forget everything. Just tell him I left."

She turned on her heel before he would see she was crying.