The Salle, Monday Morning

[bitchprince]

It was just a morning like any other, which meant that Arthur was in the salle, going through his forms. He was not particularly looking forward to certain students today, but he wasn't about to let that put him off. So forms, and drills, and work that maybe actually put a strain on his muscles, today.

The recent lack of invasions didn't mean he got to slack.

As per usual, he occasionally threw a look at Merlin across the salle whenever he finished a drill.

[[ open, but on SP today, as I can has new job ]]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was still feeling the bruise on her leg, and the soreness of her now-healed but recently-pulped hand, so wasn't entirely sure she could handle a sword today.

But God forbid she give Arthur an excuse to accuse her of slacking. Or, well. Cowardice. They were getting quite the list of stuff they Never Talked About. Thursday's impromptu concert was going on the list.

"Morning. Arthur." Dinah flexed her fingers, and started to move to the practice sword rack with a very dubious expression.

[bitchprince]

"Morning, Dinah," Arthur answered, then glanced at her. "You look like you're a hungry boar and you're trying to decide whether those swords'll make a nice snack," he volunteered.

Nice, Arthur.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah made a face at him, incipient Awkward at least temporarily drowned in the usual annoyance. "Just trying to figure out if my hand's good to actually grip one today." She picked her usual one up, and took a few practice swipes. Maybe, yeah. After she warmed up a bit. Take it real slow. "A boar? Seriously? How many hungry boars have you tried to swipe lunch from, again?"

[bitchprince]

"None," Arthur said, idly, and gave his own sword an easy swoop between his fingers. "But I've killed many for 'lunch'." Awkward? Arthur Pendragon knew no awkward.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I'll bet." Slow on the drill, focus making everything better, if not at the usual speed. Block, counter, parry; thrust, slice, jab. Her muscles warmed up, making it easier after one repetition. Unfortunately that brought her mind back to, well. The Awkward. Which it looked like she could just ignore? Maybe? If she just didn't look at him? "Quiet weekend?" There, that was normal.

[thatsamilkshake]

**** Airport. Bored. No Starbucks. Fighting Arthur? ***

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah stopped at the end of one drill, and pulled out her phone, then tilted her head, texting back:

***Practice first. Hurt Hand. Airport To?***

[thatsamilkshake]

****Houston. Home for a week. No idea. Possibly Mom lost her mind? Hurt hand how?***

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

***Fight Club. TK Punch STUPID. Broke knuckles. Hope Houston, family OK. Will miss U. ***

Dinah frowned, hoping Francine's family wasn't going to pull her from school for some reason.

***Call when U know?***

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine was not texting Arthur because she was bored. She was bored and she was texting Arthur, but there was no connection between the two. Unlike some other people she was texting.

Well, that's what she'd claim if you asked her. She was far enough away right now that no one could tell she was lying by, you know. Looking at her face.

****Hi, Arthur!****

[bitchprince]

Francine. Don't waste your text messages, Arthur. You're all right?

Manners. Look, look!

[thatsamilkshake]

***I'm okay, thanks.*** Manners. Indoctrinated since birth. Also, 'okay' for that definition that lists worried and confused among the synonyms. ***Going home for the week though.***

[bitchprince]

***You've been called home? Give my regards to your people.***

Any minute now, he was going to drop the manners. Over text message.

One day, Arthur would find out how much they cost to send.

[thatsamilkshake]

One day, Arthur was going to find out how much his phone plan cost, period. And wonder WTF 'roaming charges' were.

***That'll impress my mom.***

Not sarcasm. All Marie Peters knew was that Merlin's boss was the prince of some tiny country, cough, but the prince says hi would really be all it took.

***Merlin's going to tell my teachers, but I forgot Ms. David. Could you please let her know?***

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona came, of course, feeling both refreshed from yesterday's discussion with Aphrodite and somewhat nervous considering who her lesson was with. She wasn't going to bring it up, but she had an answer if it did, and she desperately didn't want to lose lessons with Arthur on Monday.

She went immediately over to the rack and got her training sword before walking over to him.

[bitchprince]

"Fiona," Arthur returned, "Still showing up, I see." He kept his tone idle to obscure any real surprise, and nodded at her.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Of course. You didn't say I shouldn't, so I assumed you would keep teaching me," she said, keeping her head up.

"Though there is one thing I would like you to know."

[bitchprince]

"And what would that be?"

He was working overtime to keep the what is it now sneer out of his voice. Years of practice being a haughty ass made it so.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin wasn't glancing back at Arthur when he wasn't looking. Really. At all.

So, perhaps they hadn't actually spoken of anything important since that morning. It was disturbing.

[bitchprince]

Obviously, with all of this glancing-when-one-party-wasn't-looking going on, eventually, Arthur was going to glance his way while Merlin was glancing his way, and then there would be no hiding the fact that he was, in fact, glancing.

Which was right about... now.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Aaaand deer in the headlights look... now. Really, that was just cruel.

[bitchprince]

Arthur's expression shifted, and he sighed lightly. "Merlin?"

[thatsamilkshake]

What, you think Merlin escaped from the texting frenzy?

***Airports are boring. Bought you a present.***

...It was an I Caught Crabs In Baltimore t-shirt. No, she didn't get the double-entendre. They were selling it in the airport, for goodness' sake.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

***what did you gette?**

Gifts were always enough to make up for no girlfriend for a week!

[thatsamilkshake]

...Possibly not this one.

***A shirt. It's just a souvenir t-shirt from Baltimore because that's where the airport is.***