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[sortileges]

"--a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Is that it? How do I tur--"

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[sortileges]

Well I can probably set that shoe on fire so... [ He shrugs as he turns right to go down the corridor, heading down a door or two before swiping over the door.

Really, the day he gets knocked down a peg will be a Great Day. ]

Come on in.

[ It might be surprising when he takes his shoes off right at the door, putting them straight into a cupboard. He glances at England with a faint... cringe? ]

My roommate is super clean so could you...?

[unionjackoff]

[the fire comment makes England chuckle. yes, he supposes Merlin can. it's okay to be a little cocky if you have magic, at least England thinks so]

Oh, of course. [off come his shoes, as well, and he tucks them into a free spot]

[sortileges]

[ There has to be a stopping point though!! But he gives him a grateful smile once that's done. ]

Thanks. Uh, the kitchen is just this way.

[ He points in the direction then starts walking once England's ready. There won't be a spec of dirt on his socks or anything anyway. ]

[unionjackoff]

[England knows what it's like to have a neatfreak roommate. well, he thinks he does, because he's stayed with a couple of clean people on certain occasions. cough those german brothers cough. so he's not too bothered or put out.

once they get to the kitchen, England pulls out the samples and the tea bags so that Merlin can have a look at them all] So these samples are about half an ounce, as I mentioned before. That ought to give you three cups of each. The strawberry cheesecake one... that's all there is of it, for now. But if you like any of the others, you can just go pick them up at the store. Tea is usually purchased in ounces.

[sortileges]

[ He thinks he does. Shigeru, at least, keeps away from Merlin's room as long as Merlin doesn't let his mess get too bad. He dusts and keeps it clean in that sense, it's just laziness with his clothes more than anything else.

He looks at the teas when England sets them out on the counter, finally having a good sniff of them all. ]

Which should we have now then?

[unionjackoff]

That is up to you. [hehe] I'm sure whichever you choose will probably be delicious. [at least he hopes so? they all smell good, at least. even the strawberry cheesecake, and he's a little wary of the dessert-flavored teas]

[sortileges]

Maybe the Taste of London one you mentioned then. [ He reaches for it, just to see if there are any ingredients listed. While... at least pretending to look though, he starts to go back to that topic from earlier that he skimmed over. ]

You know... Sen told me something interesting the other week?

[unionjackoff]

[all right! taste of London! England looks pleased with that choice, as he opens the bag.

Sen. he pauses a moment, thinking of the name. sounds familiar, and... oh, wait. now he thinks he knows what this discussion will be about]

She did. [not really a question, more like an observation, to show he's paying attention while he's opening the tea bags]

[sortileges]

[ Merlin shifts to watch how he does it, but also to concentrate on his reaction. He leans so his elbow is on the counter, tilts his head towards that shoulder. ]

That you're like her, a place called "England". [ He pauses then, to let that sink in then adds: ] Is that what I felt when I tried to communicate in your head that time? I mean I didn't really get it then, and things were bad enough without prodding more so...

[ aka they both had blinding headaches from that ]

[unionjackoff]

[the headaches were caused by... whatever Mosley did to his code. or whatever he he did, with that pen. but what if Merlin had been able to poke around in there?

he sighs softly, wishing that he'd had time to tell Merlin on his own, but not really upset with Vietnam. she merely moved his plan along quicker] That is correct. She and I are from the same world. Neither of us are human.

[sortileges]

[ Then he would have only seen whatever England showed him anyway. It's a projection of images, like watching a screen, not like a book.

Sorry though England. Vietnam is a grade A bitch like that [smh] ]

She tried to explain it, but the places mentioned don't exist for me. She said I was from a place that you're associated with though. She told me to ask about Brit... Brit... a...? I honestly don't remember, sorry.

[unionjackoff]

A British person? [England raises an eyebrow, filling an empty tea bag with a small amount of tea. then he closes it up. and voila! your own tea bag]

[sortileges]

No-- [ He just looks frustrated with himself, but he's had to learn probably like 2000 words of jargon over the past 7 weeks or something so he's probably being hard on himself. ] Brita...nia? Does that make any sense?

[ Britannica... was the word she said. ]

[unionjackoff]

[oh. he'd completely misunderstood the question. well, that may happen a lot between these two, especially if Merlin can't recall words]

Britannia would make sense. What did you want to know about it?

[sortileges]

[ Now he just looks sheepish. ] Well it isn't like it means anything to me. We have Camelot, Uther's Kingdom. I'm from Odin's Kingdom. I'm used to everything being separated like that.

[ Awkward ]

[unionjackoff]

[England hums in thought. how best to explain this without the obvious spoilers? he'll distract Merlin for just a moment]

...Do you have a tea kettle? We should start heating up the water.

[sortileges]

[ Vietnam ruined everything, didn't she? Though he does look behind himself to point to the kettle. He fills up the water quickly for them, and flicks the switch. After a moment it starts making whirring noises as it starts to heat up. ]

There.

[unionjackoff]

[awesome. so they've got water going, and England is filling a second tea bag]

I'm not sure how much I can tell you in regards to your kingdom. But I suppose I can start off with this. [a deep breath] Camelot is a place I know of very well. I used to have my own version of Camelot connected to me a long time ago. I still might, somewhere... Tell me, does the word Albion ring any bells?

[sortileges]

[ Merlin stays quiet as he lets England talk and fill the tea bag. At least he was right that those are easy to use, anyway. ]

The Great Dragon told me that Albion is the Kingdom Arthur will one day create when he's King. You don't have to worry, a few people have already said they know my name because of all that.

[ #casual ]

[unionjackoff]

[hm. might as well be casual about this, too. but his hands are trembling a bit. he's so worried about Merlin rejecting him]

Albion was my first name. In fact, I came into being around what would have been your time. [he looks up at the ceiling] It was so long ago, I can barely recall what my first years were like.

[sortileges]

[ Look, he's talked to a huge dragon, which was weird enough. Do you really think he'll reject the idea on principal? Have some faith. ]

Do you think we might've met one day? Do you remember anything like that?

[unionjackoff]

[England shakes his head] I think I would remember meeting you. [or any Merlin. but that is not the point] What I'm getting at is that you are... Well, how much did Vi- er, Sen tell you about what she and I are?

[sortileges]

Well it was worth a try. [ He shrugs, then thinks back to what Vietnam said. He averts his gaze, even, thinking it all over. ] That you're not human but it's more like you're a representation of the country? She didn't go into more detail than that, this only came up because we were talking about... love.

[ ah ]

[unionjackoff]

[.......love?]

...Love? [he is... trying to imagine how one subject would lead to another]

[sortileges]

[ Merlin scratches his cheek then, wincing slightly. ] I might have teased her by asking if she wanted to buy a love potion. It really isn't important, just more that... you--she-- [ He pauses, looking at the counter as he draws a pattern on it. ] won't even chance it because of how long you live for.

[ He pauses to glance back up, before his eyes roll away to the left. He doesn't add anything else on there. ]