The Salle, Monday Morning (before classes)

[bitchprince]

After several months, there were few things as comforting as the Monday morning routine of heading into the salle for practice, if Arthur was going to be brutally honest. While he was in here, with his students, he could sort of pretend the world was working the way the world usually did back home; and back home was troubling enough.

So the first Monday morning of the new term found him back there, same as always, going through his drills while Merlin did his chores and kept an eye on things from his corner of the room. Normal.

Although Arthur was contemplating sending him another text message. Or two.

[[ open salle is open as per usual! ]]

Comments

[bitchprince]

Remember it. Don't tell me you've lost your mind as well.

[thatsamilkshake]

I don't think so but I'm not so sure about everybody else. Remember WHAT?

[bitchprince]

Arthur stared at his phone.

You texted me about-- And this is where medieval values kicked in, ladies and gentlemen, --Matters that aren't appropriate, Francine. Even if you would remember them.

[thatsamilkshake]

.....

I DID NOT! WHAT? NO. WHAT?

The sad thing is she knew how to turn the caps-lock off. That was deliberate.

[bitchprince]

I don't mean to be cruel, but it is callous and offensive to your virtue. Though I can't blame you.

Arthur Pendragon: confused, hurt, and arrogant all the way through. You'd almost start to think it was a coping mechanism.

[thatsamilkshake]

OKAY WHAT? Just, WHAT? Yes, she was stealing his catchphrase and his italics, because WHAT.

This called for an actual call.

One ringy-dingy.... two ringy-dingy... voicemail. Great.

"WHAT? My virtue, WHAT? Arthur, what are you talking about? I didn't send you any inappropriate anything. I didn't send you any anything! And answer your phone when people call, darn it!* It's that loud ringy sound! Unh!" *click*


*Yes, Chuck Bass got words she learned from Katchoo, and Arthur got 'darn it.' It's not that he'd never earn words she learned from Katchoo, but he'd have to try a lot harder for them.

[bitchprince]

Arthur didn't notice the voicemail until after the confusing and mildly hurtful and then just befuddling argument with Merlin. He winced away from the phone as she babbled - hysterical women - and then called her back.

"Francine. Calm down."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I am calm!" She so was not.

[bitchprince]

"You are not calm," Arthur informed her, calmly. "Merlin's an idiot."

That kind of covered the whole issue succinctly.

[thatsamilkshake]

"I am not! He is too!" Wait. Sigh, This required actually calming down to answer properly, didn't it. "I mean, I am too, and he is not. What are you talking about?"

[bitchprince]

"He's been sending text messages to the wrong people," Arthur said, his tone by now somewhat annoyedly idle (because seriously, he didn't care. For real. Well, at least he was good at faking it). "Which I think proves that he is, as a matter of fact."

[thatsamilkshake]

"He--" Beat. Beat. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait for it. "Oh, God."

That last was really more for her than Merlin, since she'd just figured out what Arthur had been responding to.

[bitchprince]

"Don't take His name in vain for this," Arthur said, dryly.

[thatsamilkshake]

"It's not in vain; I'm praying that the earth will swallow me." Dry, she couldn't manage, but the smallest amount of humor, possibly.

[bitchprince]

"I really doubt that will help anyone," Arthur volunteered. "If that settles it..."

[thatsamilkshake]

"You realize that makes me an idiot too, right?" She wasn't calling him on insulting her by implication; she was just pointing it out in case he hadn't. "That was so not meant for you."

[bitchprince]

There was a slight pause. "Yes," he said, finally, "I realised that."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Thank you for not saying so." She wasn't sure whether that referred to the first or the last part of what she'd said, so she covered both. "I would never do that to Merlin. Just so you know."

Another girl would have been incensed that he'd even thought it; Francine was not that girl.

[bitchprince]

Not that he cared if she did. Honestly. Or something.

"Yes." He cleared his throat rather expressively. The pause between that and the next lingered maybe longer than nature would generally require. "Well, I'm glad we've got it all sorted out."

[thatsamilkshake]

"...Right. Yes. Me too." Awk. Ward.

But since when was that anything new.

"Okay, I'm gonna hang up so I can text Merlin and..." Not be on the phone with you. "...tell him we're both idiots. Bye!"