exsilium | Video; Missing manservant

[ Arthur clears his throat with a loud ahem before he sets in. ]

I'm looking for a man. He could easily be mistaken for a boy with his twig-like figure, and perhaps even a lady for how pale and dainty he appears.

He answers to a sundry set of things 'Servant', 'Dunce', 'Useless dolt', but more often than not 'Merlin' is the popular title.

Places you may choose to look first would include any taverns or pubs about, as he has the nasty habit of wasting his workday away nose deep in a pint of ale. Sometimes he can even go missing for days, weeks at a time. It's dreadful, really. It's painful to watch. And sad. Tearing his family and friends apart, and it really doesn't help he has no social skills to speak of, so getting said friends back will be a task hard won.

[ Ahem, back on track. Right. ]

Should you see him or catch wind of his likely unbathed and alcohol drenched state, please inform him, his liege's boots require his attendance, and should he take a second longer than needed, said boots may be coming to impact with his backside.

Thank you kindly.

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[A smirk] Here I thought most lords preferred to carry on that sort of relationship in private.

[ Oh ho, ZING. He gives a slow chuckle. Walk it off, Arthur, walk it off. ] I am going to gracefully pretend you never suggested such a thing, for the sake of holding down my lunch.

I have heard that such men lean to the graceful side, yes. Although I always thought that was more a rumour than anything else.

[ Hand rubbing over face, ugh ] I assure you, my grace come of royal heritage instead.

Oh, yes. Very graceful, rubbing your higher birth in the face of commoner. Which, need I remind you, came about only as an accident of birth.

[ accident wat ] ...No, I'm fairly certain they meant to have me.

And had the history of your land gone any different, you might have been as common as I. Do you really think that you're any better than your manservant because your parents have fancier outfits? [She's not looking at him, but at the sword on her lap]

Had the history of my land gone any different, I would not have been born. I am destined to my circumstances as any other man is.

[ okay, pause for some sincerity ] Honestly, I speak merely in jest. My people have my highest respect.

Destiny? That's really what you're falling back on here?

[Dryly] Yes, I can see that.

...Yes? It is the cause of all of us being where we've been placed in life, is it not?

[ le sigh ] There's not much I can do here to convince you.

In my world, where you were born has no bearing on where you end up. The next king is as likely to be a farmboy as a noble.

You're joking, aren't you? How can you convince me that you care about your people? Not deriding them in public - or private for that matter - would be a start.

[ he, sob, laughs a little at that ] Such a thing is comedic in the lands I hail from.

I wasn't-- [ huuurgh ] Merlin is a fri-- [ nope, we don't use that word unless we're about to die ] I've known him for years on end. This is merely how we... communicate.

Yes, that's why you're a jackass.

You do know that servants aren't actually allowed to disagree with nobles, don't you? It tends to be a little destructive on their livelihood.

...Well then. [ Eyebrows lifted. Okaaay. ] I'm glad we've gotten that sorted.

Someone should inform Merlin.

video

choseherownway - 2012-09-13 06:50 (UTC) - Expand

Re: video

shutupmerlin - 2012-09-13 06:58 (UTC) - Expand

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choseherownway - 2012-09-16 04:03 (UTC) - Expand

I'll resist the urge to vomit now, thank you.

[She doesn't laugh often, but that gets a quiet chuckle out of her] I take it you're Merlin?

In the flesh. To whom am I speaking with?

Lena. I'm a blacksmith's apprentice.

Servant, myself. You're well spoken for an apprentice, if you don't mind me saying so.

[There's a barely noticeable beat] I was a maid in a lady's house some time ago. She had some peculiarities when it came to the behaviour of her servants.

I'm shocked. Seems that they usually prefer the silence.

[Her hand clenches on the hilt of the sword for a moment, white knuckled. Nothing in her expression changes, though] She liked to chat.

Regardless, I'm an apprentice now. I guess the manner of speaking jsut stuck.

[He notices, just as he picked up on that pause of hers earlier. Merlin is incredibly meddlesome but even he can tell this is a sore subject, perhaps one best left for later conversations.] I see.

Well, luckily you won't have to deal with too many pompous nobles. Excluding the one you're chatting with now, that is.

We are far from cities, in Angevine. It makes this place even stranger.

I admit, it took some time adjusting to this all. Do you have anyone with you from your world? That might have made the process a little easier, on my part.